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114-569: Key     Independent     UNP Results of the 8th parliamentary election held on 21 July 1977 for the district: Results of the parliamentary by-election held on 21 March 1978 for the district: Independent (politician) An independent , non-partisan politician , or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views that do not align with

228-474: A mixed economy and broader welfare , and has a left-wing , democratic socialist faction. The NDP is a member of the Progressive Alliance , a political international of progressive and social democratic parties. The NDP's constitution states that both social democracy and democratic socialism are influences on the party. Specific inclusion of the party's history as the continuation of

342-545: A Democrat) in the 20th century. Some officials have been elected as members of a party but became independent while in office (without being elected as such), such as Wayne Morse of Oregon, who left the Republican party to become an independent, then joined the Democratic Party two years later. Nebraska senator George W. Norris was elected for four terms as a Republican before changing to an independent after

456-462: A Democrat) received 21% of the vote. In Texas , country music singer and mystery novelist Kinky Friedman received 12.43% of the vote, and State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn received 18.13%. Strayhorn and Friedman's presence in the race resulted in a splitting of the ballot four ways between themselves and the two major parties. In 2010 , Florida governor Charlie Crist left the Republican party and became an independent. (He later became

570-469: A Democrat.) He left the Republicans because he did not want to run against former state house Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate election, preferring to run in the general. Rubio won the election, though Crist came in ahead of Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek . In 2014 , former Honolulu mayor Mufi Hannemann ran as an independent candidate for the governorship of

684-576: A chance to enter Parliament via a by-election , McDonough opted to wait until the next election to enter Parliament. The party recovered somewhat in the 1997 election , electing 21 members. The NDP made a breakthrough in Atlantic Canada , a region where they had been practically nonexistent at the federal level. Before 1997, they had won only three seats in Atlantic Canada. However, in 1997 they won eight seats in that region. The party

798-520: A federal election in February to allow for several pieces of legislation to be passed. The Liberals turned down this offer. On November 28, 2005, Conservative leader Stephen Harper 's motion of no confidence was seconded by Layton and it was passed by all three opposition parties, forcing an election. During the election , the NDP won 29 seats, a significant increase of 10 seats from the 19 won in 2004. It

912-617: A handful of independent members . Examples include Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Virgil Goode of Virginia, Frazier Reams of Ohio , Victor Berger of Wisconsin , and Justin Amash and Paul Mitchell of Michigan . There have been several independents elected to the United States Senate throughout history. Notable examples include David Davis of Illinois (a former Republican ) in the 19th century, and Harry F. Byrd Jr. of Virginia (who had been elected to his first term as

1026-485: A history of independent state legislators. For example, in the Alaska State House , independents have sometimes played pivotal roles in coalition governments, demonstrating their influence in closely divided chambers. These legislators often prioritize regional or policy-specific issues over strict adherence to party platforms. Judicial and Nonpartisan Offices Many state and local offices, particularly in

1140-694: A large impact on elections and have even won, particularly in large cities. For instance, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg served as 2002 to 2013 as a Republican but for his third term he won as an independent. Independent politicians have also led cities like Minneapolis , where Charles Stenvig served as an independent mayor throughout the 1970s. These leaders often emphasize pragmatic governance over party ideology, appealing to diverse voter bases. State Legislatures While less common than in Congress, independents occasionally serve in state legislatures. Maine and Alaska , in particular, have seen

1254-434: A majority government, mostly at the expense of the NDP, which lost half its seats. Lewis lost his own riding and resigned as leader the following year. Under Ed Broadbent (1975–1989) the NDP attempted to find a more populist image to contrast with the governing parties, focusing on more pocketbook issues than on ideological fervour. The party played a critical role during Joe Clark 's minority government of 1979–1980, moving

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1368-896: A merger of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) and the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF). The CCF grew from populist , agrarian and socialist roots into a modern social democratic party. Although the CCF was part of the Christian left and the Social Gospel movement, the NDP is secular and pluralistic. It has broadened to include concerns of the New Left , and advocates issues such as LGBT rights , international peace , and environmental stewardship. The NDP also supports

1482-507: A minority government in the 2006 election, and initially the NDP was the only party that would not be able to pass legislation with the Conservatives. However, following a series of floor crossings , the NDP also came to hold the balance of power. The NDP voted against the government in all four confidence votes in the 39th parliament, the only party to do so. However, it worked with the Conservatives on other issues, including in passing

1596-528: A monopoly on the nomination of candidates for elected positions according to the Electoral Code. However, becoming an independent politician after being elected is protected by virtue of Article 25 of the Constitution of Costa Rica , which guarantees freedom of association ; therefore, any citizen cannot be forced to remain in a specific political party and can join any other political group. It

1710-501: A more just, equal, and sustainable Canada within a global community dedicated to the same goals. The NDP states that it is committed to public health care. The party states that it fights for "a national, universal, public pharmacare program to make sure that all Canadians can access the prescription medicine they need with their health card, not their credit card – saving money and improving health outcomes for everyone". The party also states its support for expanding services covered under

1824-515: A negotiated two-state solution ." Since its formation, the party has had a presence in the House of Commons. It was the third largest political party from 1965 to 1993, when the party dropped to fourth and lost official party status . The NDP's peak period of policy influence in those periods was during the minority Liberal governments of Lester B. Pearson (1963–68) and Pierre Trudeau (1972–74). The NDP regained official status in 1997, and played

1938-672: A political party, especially if there is an organization which needs to approve the "independent" candidates. Independent politicians are not allowed to run for office in Brazil. The Constitution of 1988, in Article 14, §3rd, item V, says that "Are conditions for eligibility: V - party affiliation". However, the Proposal Amendment to the Constitution (PEC) no. 6/2015, authored by independent senator José Reguffe , would allow

2052-450: A politician may be a member of an unregistered party and therefore officially recognised as an independent. Office-holders may become independents after losing or repudiating affiliation with a political party. Independents sometimes choose to form a party, alliance, or technical group with other independents, and may formally register that organization. Even where the word "independent" is used, such alliances can have much in common with

2166-550: A provincial or territorial section of the NDP includes automatic membership in the federal party, and this precludes a person from being a member of different parties at the federal and provincial levels. Membership lists are maintained by the provinces and territories. There have been three exceptions: Nunavut , the Northwest Territories, and Quebec. In Nunavut and in the Northwest Territories, whose territorial legislatures have non-partisan consensus governments ,

2280-552: A similar role in the Liberal and Conservative minority governments of 2004–2006 and 2006–2011, respectively. Following the 2011 election , the party became the second-largest party and formed the Official Opposition in the 41st Canadian Parliament . Provincial New Democratic parties, which are organizationally sections of the federal party, have governed in six of the ten provinces and a territory . The NDP governs

2394-405: A single Congress since the ratification of the 17th Amendment . State and Local Independent Politicians Independent politicians have also played notable roles at the state and local levels, often finding success in contexts where party affiliation is less dominant or elections are nonpartisan. Mayors and Municipal Leaders There have been many cases where independent candidates have made

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2508-567: A then-record of 43 members of parliament (MPs) elected to the house in the election of 1988 . The Liberals, however, had reaped most of the benefits of opposing the Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement to emerge as the dominant alternative to the ruling PC government. In 1989, Broadbent stepped down after 14 years as federal leader of the NDP. At the party's leadership convention in 1989, former BC Premier Dave Barrett and Yukon MP Audrey McLaughlin were

2622-459: A third party ( Connecticut for Lieberman Party ) after he lost the primary. After the election, Lieberman enrolled himself as an Independent Democrat until his retirement in 2013. In 2006, Sanders and Lieberman were the only two victorious independent candidates for Congress, both caucusing with the Democrats. In 2012 , Angus King was elected to the U.S. Senate as an Independent from Maine. He

2736-696: Is a federal political party in Canada . Widely described as social democratic , the party sits at the centre-left to left-wing of the Canadian political spectrum , with the party generally sitting to the left of the Liberal Party . The party was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The federal and provincial (or territorial) level NDPs are more integrated than other political parties in Canada, and have shared membership (except for

2850-484: Is common in each legislative period for some deputies ( diputados , term used for legislators) of the Legislative Assembly of Costa Rica to become independents; this has also happened with the mayors ( alcaldes ) of the municipalities of cantons . Jaime Heliodoro Rodríguez Calderón (born in 1957), sometimes referred to by his nickname "Bronco", is a Mexican politician and former governor for

2964-594: Is noted as having proposed amendments on at least 20% of all legislation. Several observers and those involved with the Senate itself have criticized the Trudeau government for its attempted reforms, with most accusations centering around the belief that the new appointment process is biased towards those who are ideologically supportive of the Liberal Party's objectives. Remaining Conservative senators have accused

3078-599: Is so severe that they are forced to seek relief in hospital emergency rooms". The NDP supports the Palestinian state . In March 2024, an NDP motion on Palestine was passed after significant amendments were agreed with the Liberals. In particular, the motion called on the government to "officially recognize the State of Palestine", but this was amended to "work...towards the establishment of the State of Palestine as part of

3192-587: Is sometimes mentioned as an independent governor, though this is not technically correct; he ran as an A Connecticut Party candidate (which gave him better ballot placement than an unaffiliated candidate would receive), defeating the Democratic and Republican nominees. Another former governor who is sometimes mentioned as an independent is Jesse Ventura , who actually ran as a member of the Reform Party 's Minnesota affiliate, which later disaffiliated from

3306-604: The 1993 election , where the party won only nine seats, three seats short of official party status in the House of Commons. This was, and remains, the NDP's lowest seat total in any election since the party's founding in 1961; the election also resulted in the lowest-ever total number of votes received by the NDP in a federal election. The loss was blamed on the unpopularity of NDP provincial governments under Bob Rae in Ontario and Mike Harcourt in British Columbia and

3420-499: The 1996 and 2000 elections, and "Never Trump" conservative candidate Evan McMullin in 2016 . Out of all independent candidates since Washington, Perot performed the best, gaining no votes in the Electoral College but receiving 19 percent of the popular vote and, early in the election season, leading in polls against his opponents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush . Additionally, McMullin received 21 percent of

3534-486: The 2002 elections , when the Republicans regained their majority. Jeffords retired at the end of his term in 2007. Dean Barkley of the Independence Party of Minnesota was appointed a day before the 2002 elections to fill the senate seat of Paul Wellstone who, while running for re-election, died weeks prior. Barkley refused to caucus with either party. In 2006 , independent politician Bernie Sanders won

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3648-515: The 2004 , 2006 , 2008 , and 2011 federal elections , before winning three seats there in the 2015 federal election . The NDP would once again be shut out of Saskatchewan as part of the Conservatives sweep of the province in the 2019 election . The New Democratic Party has also formed government in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Yukon. A list of leaders (including acting leaders) since 1961. The party president

3762-575: The 2014 election . The new NPDQ is not affiliated to the federal NDP due to more recent provincial laws in Quebec which disallow provincial parties from affiliating with federal parties. The NDP in Quebec has been in decline since 2016, struggling to attract local leaders and support. The most successful provincial section of the party has been the Saskatchewan New Democratic Party , which first came to power in 1944 as

3876-460: The 2019 Newfoundland and Labrador general election , two independent candidates were elected. Current laws in Costa Rica do not permit a citizen to run directly for any elected position as an independent without the representation of a political party. Any nomination must be made through a political party, due to the framework of the current legal system, in which the political parties have

3990-581: The 2024 general election , seven independent candidates were elected to Lok Sabha , the lower house of Indian Parliament . The only independent Israeli politician elected to the Knesset was Shmuel Flatto-Sharon . Independents have rarely been elected to the Dewan Rakyat and state legislative assemblies. In Malaysian elections, many independent candidates lose their election deposit because they had failed to secure at least 12.5% or one-eighth of

4104-584: The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) to bring about an alliance between organized labour and the political left in Canada. In 1958 a joint CCF-CLC committee, the National Committee for the New Party (NCNP), was formed to create a new social democratic political party, with ten members from each group. The NCNP spent the next three years laying down the foundations of the New Party ,

4218-547: The Democratic Party and briefly sought election in 1844 as a Tyler Democrat , but withdrew over fear he would split the Democratic vote and give the election to Whig candidate Henry Clay . Since 1900, notable candidates running as independents for U.S. president have included congressman John Anderson in 1980 , billionaire entrepreneur Ross Perot in 1992 and 1996 (in 1996 under the newly founded Reform Party ), former Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in

4332-629: The Democratic-Republican faction, centered around Thomas Jefferson and James Madison . Washington feared that partisanship would eventually destroy the country, and famously warned against "the baneful effects of the spirit of party" in his 1796 Farewell Address . John Tyler was expelled from the Whig Party in September 1841, and effectively remained an independent for the remainder of his presidency. He later returned to

4446-612: The Federal Accountability Act and pushing for changes to the Clean Air Act . Following that election, the NDP caucus rose to 30 members with the victory of NDP candidate Thomas Mulcair in a by-election in Outremont . This marked the second time ever (and first time in seventeen years) that the NDP won a riding in Quebec. The party won 37 seats in the 2008 federal election , the best performance since

4560-517: The Federation of Canadian Municipalities , Jack Layton was elected at the party's leadership election in Toronto on January 25, 2003. The 2004 election produced mixed results for the NDP. It increased its total vote by more than a million votes; however, despite Layton's optimistic predictions of reaching 40 seats, the NDP only gained five seats in the election, for a total of 19. The party

4674-534: The National Assembly , such as Aytən Mustafayeva . Around half of Hong Kong 's Legislative Council is made up of independents, or members whose political groups are represented by one sole member in the legislature. They are common in functional constituencies , and are not rare among geographical constituencies . Independent candidates can contest elections on the basis of their personal appeal or to promote an ideology different from any party. In

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4788-578: The New Democratic Party of Quebec ). The NDP has never won the largest share of seats at the federal level and thus has never formed government. From 2011 to 2015, it formed the Official Opposition ; apart from this, it has been the third or fourth-largest party in the House of Commons . However, the party has held the balance of power , and with it considerable influence, during periods of Liberal minority governments . Sub-national branches of

4902-599: The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are consensus governments with no political parties. All members sit as independents. There are a few independent members of the other provincial and territorial legislatures, which are similar in principle to the federal House of Commons; for example, in the 2009 British Columbia general election , independent candidate Vicki Huntington narrowly defeated incumbent Attorney General Wally Oppal in Delta South . In

5016-511: The Ontario electoral district , or riding, of Spadina—Fort York . Vuong had originally campaigned as a member of the Liberal Party during the 2021 federal election but was ejected from the party two days prior to the end of the vote due to controversy surrounding past allegations of sexual assault. Despite his removal from the Liberal Party, Vuong won the election for his riding and chose to take his seat as an independent, though this decision

5130-532: The Outaouais . This meant that a majority of the party's MPs now came from a province where they had only ever had two candidates elected in the party's history. The NDP's success in Quebec was mirrored by the collapse of the Bloc Québécois , which lost all but four of its 47 seats, and the collapse of the Liberal Party nationally, which was cut down to just 34 seats, its worst-ever result. This also marked

5244-622: The non-confidence motion on John Crosbie 's 1979 budget that brought down the Progressive Conservative government and forced the 1980 election that brought the Liberal Party back to power. In the 1984 election , which saw the Progressive Conservatives under Brian Mulroney win the most seats in Canadian history, the NDP won 30 seats, while the governing Liberals fell to 40 seats. The NDP set

5358-547: The 12th General Elections. As of May 2018 , three independent MPs were elected in GE14 , but later joining Pakatan Harapan ( PKR ), thus causing no representation for independent MP for that time. However, as of June 2018 and December 2018, the number increased to 13 independent Members of Parliament that now currently sit in the Dewan Rakyat as of December 2018. New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party ( NDP ; French : Nouveau Parti démocratique ; NPD )

5472-516: The 1988 total of 43. This included a breakthrough in the riding of Edmonton-Strathcona , only the second time the NDP had managed to win a seat in Alberta in the party's history. In the 2011 federal election , the NDP won a record 103 seats, becoming the Official Opposition for the first time in the party's history. The party had a historic breakthrough in Quebec , where they won 59 out of 75 seats, dominating Montreal and sweeping Quebec City and

5586-407: The 21st century have noted its incredibly high party discipline. Few MPs choose to vote against their party's official stance on any given piece of legislation. Between 2011 and 2013—the first two years of the 41st Canadian Parliament , following the 2011 Canadian federal election —the elected members of the governing Conservative Party voted as a unified group on 76% of all votes, while members of

5700-753: The Atlantic ridings lost to the NDP in the 1997 election. The initial high electoral prospects of the Canadian Alliance under new leader Stockwell Day also hurt the NDP as many supporters strategically voted Liberal to keep the Alliance from winning. The NDP finished with 13 MPs—just barely over the threshold for official party status. McDonough announced her resignation as party leader for family reasons in June 2002 (effective upon her successor's election). A Toronto city councillor and recent President of

5814-573: The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation under Tommy Douglas and has won eleven of the province's elections since then. In Canada, Douglas is often cited as the "Father of Medicare" since, as Saskatchewan Premier, he introduced Canada's first publicly funded, universal healthcare system to the province. Despite the historic success of the Saskatchewan branch of the party, the NDP was shut out of Saskatchewan for

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5928-638: The Elmwood—Transcona seat, with Leila Dance elected as MP with a much reduced margin. This was the NDP's first by-election victory in five years. However, the party finished a close third in LaSalle—Émard—Verdun, behind the Liberals and the Bloc Québécois. Further to this, the NDP ended their confidence and supply agreement with the Liberal Party. The deal had run from March 2022 but was pulled nine months early. The NDP evolved in 1961 from

6042-704: The Independent Senators Group in particular as being "too quick to endorse bills from the Liberal government". Supporting this claim, a 2021 study found that members of the Independent Senators Group voted in favor of legislation proposed by the incumbent Liberal government more consistently than any other group within the Senate, including those still formally aligned to the Liberal Party. This was, however, among an overall trend in which all senators demonstrated lower levels of party loyalty, and as such its full implications are still unknown. The report also concluded that partisanship in Senate appointments

6156-403: The Liberal Party did so on 90% of all votes, and members of the New Democratic Party (NDP) did so on 100% of votes. This unity further increased in subsequent years, as in the 42nd Parliament , following the 2015 election , the governing Liberal MPs voted identically on 99.6% of all votes, Conservative MPs on 99.5% of votes, and NDP MPs on 99.8% of votes. (Conservatives, Liberals, and NDP were

6270-453: The Liberals in St. John's East and Hamilton Mountain , where incumbent NDP MPs Jack Harris and Scott Duvall did not stand for re-election. Overall, the election resulted in no change to the balance of power in the House of Commons. In March 2022, the NDP agreed to a confidence and supply deal with the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau . Among the policies included in

6384-471: The Liberals in the province. The election resulted in a Liberal majority government. Mulcair's leadership faced criticism following the election, culminating in his losing a leadership review vote held at the NDP's policy convention in Edmonton , Alberta on April 10, 2016. This marked the first time in Canadian federal politics that a leader was defeated in a confidence vote. Consequently, his successor

6498-553: The Liberals won a minority government, although it fell back to fourth place behind the resurgent Bloc Québécois. During the COVID-19 pandemic , the NDP used its leverage to lobby the Liberals to be more generous in their financial aid to Canadians, including by extending of the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) program, which was a key demand in order to provide confidence to the government in

6612-459: The NDP has been led by Jagmeet Singh , who is the first visible minority to lead a major federal party in Canada on a permanent basis. Following the 2021 Canadian federal election , it is the fourth-largest party in the House of Commons, with 24 seats. In 1956, after the birth of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) by a merger of two previous labour congresses, negotiations began between the CLC and

6726-476: The NDP have formed the government in six provinces ( Ontario , Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Alberta , British Columbia , and Nova Scotia ) and the territory of Yukon . The NDP supports a mixed economy , broader welfare , LGBT rights , international peace , environmental stewardship, and expanding Canada's universal healthcare system to include dental care, mental health care, eye and hearing care, infertility procedures, and prescription drugs. Since 2017 ,

6840-530: The NDP in first place, the party lost 59 seats in the 2015 election and fell back to third place in Parliament. By winning 44 seats, Mulcair was able to secure the second best showing in the party's history, winning one more seat than Ed Broadbent managed in the 1988 election, but with a smaller share of the popular vote. NDP seat gains in Saskatchewan and British Columbia were offset by numerical losses in almost every other region, while in Alberta and Manitoba

6954-488: The Opposition. The party confirmed his suggestion of Hull—Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel to carry out the functions of party leader in his absence. Layton died from his cancer on August 22, 2011. In his final letter, Layton called for a leadership election to be held in early 2012 to choose his successor, which was held on March 24, 2012, and elected new leader Tom Mulcair . Despite early campaign polls which showed

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7068-794: The People" parties in several states for the same purpose, even though he is Independent. Several other candidates for federal races, including Joe Lieberman (who created Connecticut for Lieberman ), have pursued a similar strategy. Illinois , Maine , Oregon , Rhode Island , Texas , Alaska , and North Dakota have elected formally independent candidates as governor: Illinois's first two governors, Shadrach Bond and Edward Coles ; James B. Longley in 1974 as well as Angus King in 1994 and 1998 from Maine; Lincoln Chafee in 2010 from Rhode Island; Julius Meier in 1930 from Oregon; Sam Houston in 1859 from Texas; and Bill Walker in 2014 from Alaska. Lowell P. Weicker Jr. of Connecticut

7182-536: The Republicans and Democrats (with a Republican Vice President, Dick Cheney , who would presumably break all ties in favor of the Republicans), to 49 Republicans, 50 Democrats, and one Independent. Jeffords agreed to vote for Democratic control of the Senate in exchange for being appointed chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee , and the Democrats held control of the Senate until

7296-482: The Republicans lost their majority in Congress in 1930. Norris won re-election as an independent in 1936, but later lost his final re-election attempt to Republican Kenneth S. Wherry in 1942. Vermont senator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party to become an independent in 2001. Jeffords's change of party status was especially significant because it shifted the Senate composition from 50 to 50 between

7410-603: The Senate and pledged to end the practice of partisan appointments for senators and transition to a new system of merit-based appointments if elected Prime Minister. Following the election of a Liberal majority government in 2015, the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments was established with the goal of filling Senate vacancies through a selection process based on political knowledge, merit, and perceived ability to act independently of partisan affiliation. This push to remove partisan ties from

7524-436: The Senate resulted in the creation of the Independent Senators Group , a coalition of both newly appointed independent senators and formally partisan senators who had relinquished their formal party ties, alongside the also independent Canadian Senators Group and Progressive Senate Group . By 2018, the majority of Canadian Senators were officially independent, though some Liberal senators continued to remain affiliated with

7638-403: The Senate seat being vacated by the retiring Jim Jeffords as an independent, subsequently reelected in 2012 , 2018 and 2024 . He was an independent member of the United States House of Representatives for Vermont-at-large from 1991 to 2007. Sanders is the longest-serving independent member of Congress in American history. Also in 2006 , Joe Lieberman was a former Democrat and ran under

7752-443: The State of Hawaii after previously campaigning in the state's Democratic primary. As a result, Democratic candidate David Ige was elected as governor with a plurality of 49%. Also in 2014, former mayor of Valdez , Bill Walker won the gubernatorial election. Walker retired before the 2018 election but ran again in the 2022 . He didn't win but received 20% of the vote. The United States House of Representatives has also seen

7866-431: The appointment of senators through the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments, there has been a noted increase in the number of amendments the Senate has proposed for legislation from the House of Commons. During the 42nd Parliament (2015–2019), the Senate attempted to amend 13 government bills, whereas during the 41st Parliament (2011–2015), it had attempted to amend only one government bill. The reformed Senate

7980-529: The autumn of 2020. In the snap 2021 federal election , the NDP made minor gains in both vote share and seat count, winning in 25 ridings. The party won a second seat in Alberta for the first time when Blake Desjarlais picked up Edmonton Griesbach and Heather McPherson won her second term at Edmonton Strathcona . The party also picked up two seats in British Columbia with Lisa Marie Barron reclaiming Nanaimo—Ladysmith and Bonita Zarrillo reclaiming Port Moody—Coquitlam. These gains were offset by losses to

8094-400: The course of the first ten Canadian parliaments as the major political parties began to form consistent identities and MPs began affiliating themselves with the parties they knew more closely shared their core values. This in turn increased cohesion between parties and MPs, and minimized the causes and motivations for MPs to act independently. Many observers of the Canadian House of Commons in

8208-524: The creation of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in 1933 and the founding of the New Democratic Party in 1961. New Democrats seek a future that brings together the best of the insights and objectives of Canadians who, within the social democratic and democratic socialist traditions, have worked through farmer, labour, co-operative, feminist, human rights and environmental movements, and with First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples, to build

8322-521: The deal were the establishment of a national dental care program for low income Canadians, progress towards a national pharmacare program, labour reforms for federally regulated workers, and new taxes on financial institutions. In September 2024, the NDP faced two competitive by-elections in Elmwood—Transcona in Manitoba and LaSalle—Émard—Verdun in Quebec . The NDP successfully defended

8436-457: The federal NDP is promoted by its riding associations, since each territory is composed of only one federal riding . In Quebec, the historical New Democratic Party of Quebec was integrated with the federal party from 1963 until 1989, when the two agreed to sever their structural ties after the Quebec party adopted a sovereigntist platform. From then on, the federal NDP was represented in Quebec only by their Quebec Section, whose activities in

8550-562: The first time in history where the Liberal Party was neither the government nor the Official Opposition, as the NDP had taken over the latter role. The NDP was now the second largest party in the House of Commons opposing a Conservative majority government. In July 2011, Layton announced that he was suffering from a new cancer and would take a leave of absence, projected to last until the resumption of Parliament in September. He would retain his position of NDP Leader and Leader of

8664-469: The first woman to lead a major federal political party in Canada. Although enjoying strong support among organized labour and rural voters in the Prairies, McLaughlin tried to expand their support into Quebec without much success. Under McLaughlin, the party did manage to win an election in Quebec for the first time when Edmonston won the 1990 Chambly by-election . McLaughlin and the NDP were routed in

8778-464: The government provided that some major concessions in the federal budget were ceded to. On November 9, 2005, after the findings of the Gomery Inquiry were released, Layton notified the Liberal government that continued NDP support would require a ban on private healthcare. When the Liberals refused, Layton announced that he would introduce a motion on November 24 that would ask Martin to call

8892-483: The independent candidacy of individuals who have the support of at least 1% of the electors able to vote in the region (city, state or country, depending on the election) in which the candidate is running. Currently, members of the legislature can leave their respective parties after being elected, as in the case of senator Reguffe, who left the Democratic Labour Party (PDT) in 2016. Jair Bolsonaro

9006-456: The judiciary, are officially nonpartisan, providing opportunities for independents to succeed. For example, state superintendents of schools or city council members are normally politicians who identify as independent or with no party at all. This system allows voters to focus on the candidate's qualifications rather than party affiliation since this should not be stressed for these positions. In Azerbaijan , there are many independent members of

9120-530: The loss of a significant portion of the Western vote to the Reform Party , which promised a more decentralized and democratic federation along with right-wing economic reforms. McLaughlin resigned in 1995 and was succeeded by Alexa McDonough , the former leader of the Nova Scotia NDP . In contrast to traditional Canadian practice, where an MP for a safe seat stands down to allow a newly elected leader

9234-423: The main contenders for the leadership. During the campaign, Barrett argued that the party should be concerned with western alienation , rather than focusing its attention on Quebec . The Quebec wing of the NDP strongly opposed Barrett's candidacy, with Phil Edmonston , the party's main spokesman in Quebec, threatening to resign from the party if Barrett won. McLaughlin ran on a more traditional approach, and became

9348-551: The minority government formed by the Pierre Trudeau –led Liberals from 1972 to 1974, although the two parties never entered into a coalition . Together, they succeeded in passing several socially progressive initiatives into law such as pension indexing and the creation of the crown corporation Petro-Canada . In 1974, the NDP worked with the Progressive Conservatives to pass a motion of non-confidence, forcing an election . However, it backfired as Trudeau's Liberals regained

9462-448: The more radical Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and specific identification of the "democratic socialist" tradition as a continuing influence on the party are part of the language of the preamble to the party's constitution: New Democrats are proud of our political and activist heritage, and our long record of visionary, practical, and successful governments. That heritage and that record have distinguished and inspired our party since

9576-401: The national health care system to include dental care, mental health care, eye and hearing care, infertility procedures, and prescription drugs. Regarding dentistry, the NDP notes that "one in three Canadians has no dental insurance and over six million people don't visit the dentist every year because they can't afford to. Too many people are forced to go without the care they need until the pain

9690-537: The northern state of Nuevo León and holds no political party affiliation. As of June 7, 2015 , he was elected Governor of Nuevo León, making history as the first independent candidate to win in the country. George Washington is the only U.S. president elected as an independent to date. Washington opposed the development of political parties , which had begun to solidify as the Federalist faction, centered around John Adams and Alexander Hamilton , and

9804-452: The only three parties with enough MPs to qualify for official party status in the 41st and 42nd parliaments.) Thanks to this strong party discipline, it is uncommon to see politicians who are otherwise affiliated with any of the main political parties act independently of their party. Though it is acceptable and accepted for politicians to serve as independent MPs, those who attempt to run as such often struggle to be elected without access to

9918-543: The only two parties to ever form government in Canada, only the Liberal and Conservative parties had been able to appoint new senators. Because Canadian senators are appointed by the Governor General of Canada on the advice of the Prime Minister rather than being elected, senators were often accused of being appointed as a "reward" for service to the party in power, and once appointed, of simply repeating

10032-720: The party and reverted to its original name, the Independence Party of Minnesota .North Dakota elected William Langer Governor in 1933 as a member of the Republican/Nonpartisan League. He was later elected Governor in 1937 as an Independent. In 1971 , State Senator Henry Howell of Virginia , a former Democrat, was elected lieutenant governor as an independent. Two years later , he campaigned for governor as an independent, but lost by 15,000 votes. There were several unsuccessful independent gubernatorial candidates in 2006 who impacted their electoral races. In Maine , state legislator Barbara Merrill (formerly

10146-399: The party are active in municipal politics, the party does not organize at that level. For example, though former Toronto mayor David Miller was an NDP member during his successful 2003 and 2006 mayoral campaigns, his campaigns were not affiliated with the NDP. Unlike most other Canadian federal parties, the NDP is integrated with its provincial and territorial parties. Holding membership of

10260-464: The party maintained its existing seat counts. The party was locked out of Atlantic Canada and the Territories, and lost over half of its seats in Ontario, including all of its seats in Toronto. In Quebec, the NDP lost seats to all three of the other major parties, namely the Liberals, Conservatives, and Bloc Québécois, though it managed to place second in both vote share (25.4%) and seats (16) behind

10374-409: The party's interim name pending a national convention. During this process, a large number of New Party Clubs were established to allow like-minded Canadians to join in its founding, and six representatives from New Party Clubs were added to the National Committee. In 1961, at the end of a five-day long founding convention which established its principles, policies and structures, the New Democratic Party

10488-532: The platforms of any political party and therefore choose not to affiliate with them. Some independent politicians may be associated with a party, perhaps as former members of it or else have views that align with it, but choose not to stand in its name, or are unable to do so because the party in question has selected another candidate. Others may belong to or support a political party at the national level but believe they should not formally represent it (and thus be subject to its policies) at another level. In some cases,

10602-463: The points and positions of their counterparts in the House of Commons rather than acting as a means of truly independent policy review. In 2014, as a response to growing public disapproval of the Senate and the perceived problems brought about by senator partisanship, Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau made the decision to expel all Liberal senators from the Liberal Party caucus. Trudeau would go on to call for an overall elimination of partisanship in

10716-560: The political party despite no longer being permitted within the party caucus. Additionally, the Conservative Party elected not to remove its senators from the party caucus, and many Conservative Party senators kept their official partisan affiliations in public. During the 2019 federal election campaign, in response to reporters' questions, Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer said that if his party were elected to form government and he became prime minister, he would reinstate

10830-667: The popular vote in his home state of Utah but received little support from the remainder of the country. Independent senator Bernie Sanders ran in the 2016 and 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries , but ultimately did not appear on the ballot in either the 2016 nor 2020 presidential elections, though he did receive more than 5% of the popular vote as a write-in candidate in his home state of Vermont . In 2008 , Nader formed Independent Parties in New Mexico , Delaware , and elsewhere to gain ballot access in several states. In 2024 , Robert F. Kennedy Jr. created "We

10944-465: The practice of partisan appointments to the Senate. The efforts to increase senatorial independence have led some to argue the Senate has developed an increase of importance and power in the legislative process. As of 2021, it was found that Canadian senators were facing increasing pressure from lobbying groups on a variety of issues, suggesting the more independent Senate has a greater perceived influence over legislative issues. Additionally, following

11058-511: The province were limited to the federal level. However, following the party's breakthrough in the province in the 2011 federal election, the NDP announced their plans to recreate a provincial party in Quebec in time for the following Quebec general election. The modern New Democratic Party of Quebec party was registered with the Chief Electoral Officer of Quebec on January 30, 2014, but it failed to nominate any candidates in

11172-659: The provinces of British Columbia and Manitoba , forms the Official Opposition in Alberta , Saskatchewan , and Ontario , and has sitting members in every provincial legislature except those of Quebec , New Brunswick , and Prince Edward Island . The NDP has previously formed the government in the provinces of Alberta, Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and the Yukon Territory. The NDP has previously had at least one sitting member in every provincial legislature except that of Quebec. While members of

11286-458: The resources of the major parties. As a result, there are seldom more than one or two independent MPs within modern Canadian Parliaments, with many who do sit as such being initially elected as a part of a major party before either leaving voluntarily or being removed. In the first year of the 44th Canadian Parliament , the House of Commons featured one sitting independent member: Kevin Vuong , from

11400-464: The rest of Ontario, while making small or no gains in the popular vote in Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and Nunavut. In British Columbia, the NDP lost three seats ( Kootenay—Columbia , Port Moody—Coquitlam , and, after having lost it at a by-election , Nanaimo—Ladysmith ) but retained most of their support in the province. Following the election, the NDP held the balance of power as

11514-561: The second case, they appear with their name only. The two options are otherwise equivalent. During the earliest Canadian Parliaments, a lack of coherent political identity among both the Liberal and Conservative parties is known to have led to Members of Parliament (MPs) occasionally demonstrating independence from their party by voting in line with the opposition. Commonly, the issues which caused these MPs to act independently were religious in nature. These tensions began to disperse over

11628-481: The seven that have been formed since the 2004 federal election ) with independent MPs sometimes sharing in the balance of power . While traditionally framed as an "independent body of sober second thought", appointments to the Senate of Canada prior to 2016 were commonly seen as highly partisan, with the majority of Canadian senators identifying themselves as members of either the Liberal or Conservative parties and serving within their party's caucus. As these have been

11742-549: The total needed for the balance of power. As has been the case with Liberal minorities in the past, the NDP were in a position to make gains on the party's priorities, such as fighting health care privatization , fulfilling Canada's obligation to the Kyoto Protocol , and electoral reform . The party used Prime Minister Paul Martin 's politically precarious position caused by the sponsorship scandal to force investment in multiple federal programs, agreeing not to help topple

11856-607: The total votes cast. Independent Senators are quite rare. In 2010, a group of independent MPs who were sacked from the People's Justice Party formed a political block called Konsensus Bebas . The members were Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru), Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju), Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim-Bandar Bharu), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai). It did not last beyond

11970-486: Was able to harness the discontent of voters in Atlantic Canada, who were upset over cuts to employment insurance and other social programs implemented by Jean Chrétien 's Liberal majority government. In the November 2000 election , the NDP campaigned primarily on the issue of Medicare but lost significant support. The governing Liberals ran an effective campaign on their economic record and managed to recapture some of

12084-455: Was born, and Tommy Douglas , the long-time CCF Premier of Saskatchewan , was elected as its first leader. At the 1971 leadership convention , an activist group called the Waffle tried to take control of the party but was defeated by David Lewis with the help of the union members. The following year, most of The Waffle split from the NDP and formed their own party. The NDP itself supported

12198-472: Was disappointed to see its two Saskatchewan incumbents defeated in close races by the new Conservative Party (created by merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties), perhaps because of the unpopularity of the NDP provincial government. The Liberals were re-elected, though this time as a minority government . Combined, the Liberals and NDP had 154 seats – one short of

12312-593: Was elected to his third term in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie , was the only NDP candidate to win a seat in Quebec, while the party lost all three of its Saskatchewan ridings ( Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River , Regina—Lewvan , and Saskatoon West ) to the Conservatives. The party remained shut out of Toronto and lost two of its MPs ( Cheryl Hardcastle in Windsor—Tecumseh and Tracey Ramsey in Essex ) in

12426-458: Was independent between 2019 and 2021. In Canadian federal politics, members of both the House of Commons and the Senate are permitted to hold office without being members of a political party. Candidates in federal elections who are not affiliated with a party have two options: independent or no affiliation. In the former case, they appear on the ballot with "Independent" following their name; in

12540-629: Was met with controversy because many voters had not known that the Liberals had expelled him before casting their votes. In 2022, Alain Rayes , MP for the Quebec riding of Richmond—Arthabaska , resigned from the Conservative caucus to sit as an independent, becoming the second independent MP of the 44th Parliament. Independent politicians have on occasion held considerable sway in the House of Commons of Canada in recent years, as Canada has been governed by successive minority governments (five of

12654-422: Was reelected in 2018 and is running again in 2024 . During the presidency of Joe Biden , former members of Democratic Party Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin joined Sanders and King and became Independent Democrats . They are viewed as moderate Democrats and cited increasing partisanship to explain their decisions. After they changed their affiliations, the Senate had the highest number of independents in

12768-543: Was the fourth-best performance in party history, approaching the level of popular support enjoyed in the 1980s. The NDP kept all of the 18 seats it held at the dissolution of Parliament. While the party gained no seats in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, or the Prairie provinces, it gained five seats in British Columbia, five more in Ontario and the Western Arctic riding of the Northwest Territories . The Conservatives won

12882-495: Was to be chosen at a leadership election to be held no later than October 2017, with Mulcair agreeing to remain as leader until then. On October 1, 2017, Jagmeet Singh , the first person of a visible minority group to lead a major Canadian federal political party on a permanent basis, won the leadership vote to head the NDP on the first ballot. In the 2019 federal election , the NDP won only 24 seats in its worst result since 2004, shedding 15 seats. Alexandre Boulerice , who

12996-424: Was undeniably down when compared to the Senate prior to the reforms. It is generally thought that it will only be possible to judge the success of the attempted reforms accurately when a non-Liberal government is elected to the House of Commons, at which point it can be observed if the noted trend in voting represents simple loyalty to the government, or loyalty to the Liberal Party. The territorial legislatures of

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