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Unlike otherfederal political systems, Canadian political parties at the federal level are often loosely or not at all connected to parties at the provincial level, despite having similar names and policy positions.[1] One exception is theNew Democratic Party, which is organizationally integrated with most of its provincial counterparts.
These parties have seats in theHouse of Commons, which is Canada's only elected assembly at the federal level. Members were elected in the2025 Canadian federal election.
| Name | Founded | Leader | Ideology | Political position | MPs | Largest MP caucus | Most ridings contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party of Canada Parti libéral du Canada | 1867 | Mark Carney | Centre tocentre-left | 170 / 343 | 179 / 245 (1940)[a] | 338 / 338 2015–2021 elections[b] | ||
| Conservative Party of Canada Parti conservateur du Canada | 2003 | Pierre Poilievre | Centre-right toright-wing | 143 / 343 | 166 / 308 (2011) | 338 / 338 2015,2019 elections[b] | ||
| Bloc Québécois | 1991 | Yves-François Blanchet | Centre-left | 22 / 343 | 54 / 295 (1993)[c] | 75 / 295 1993 election[d] | ||
| New Democratic Party Nouveau Parti démocratique | 1961 | Don Davies (interim) | Social democracy | Centre-left toleft-wing | 7 / 343 | 103 / 308 (2011) | 338 / 338 2015–2021 elections[b] | |
| Green Party of Canada Le Parti Vert du Canada | 1983 | Elizabeth May | Green politics | 1 / 343 | 3 / 338 (2019) | 338 / 338 2019 election | ||
The following political parties are registered withElections Canada and eligible to run candidates in future federal elections, but are not currently represented in the House of Commons.[2]
| Name | Founded | Leader | Ideology | Political position | Largest MP caucus | Most ridings contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animal Protection Party Le Parti pour la Protection des Animaux | 2005 | Liz White | Animal rights,environmentalism | Green politics | — | 17 / 338 (2019) | |
| Canadian Future Party Parti avenir canadien | 2024 | Dominic Cardy | Centrism | Centre | — | 19 / 343 (2025) | |
| Centrist Party of Canada Parti centriste du Canada | 2020 | A.Q. Rana | Centrism | Centre | — | 19 / 343 (2025) | |
| Christian Heritage Party Parti de l'Héritage Chrétien | 1986 | Rodney L. Taylor | Social conservatism,Christian right | Right-wing | — | 63 / 295 (1988) | |
| Communist Party of Canada Parti communiste du Canada | 1921 | Elizabeth Rowley | Communism,Marxism–Leninism | Far-left | 2 / 245 (1943)[e] | 100 / 265 (1953)[f] | |
| Libertarian Party of Canada Parti Libertarien du Canada | 1973 | Jacques Y. Boudreau | Libertarianism,laissez-faire | — | 88 / 295 (1988) | ||
| Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada Parti Marxiste–Léniniste du Canada | 1970 | Anna Di Carlo | Communism,Marxism–Leninism | Far-left | — | 177 / 282 (1980) | |
| People's Party of Canada Parti populaire du Canada | 2018 | Maxime Bernier | Conservatism,right-libertarianism,right-wing populism | Right-wing tofar-right | 1 / 338 (2018) | 315 / 338 (2019) | |
| Rhinoceros Party Parti Rhinocéros | 2006 | Chinook B. Blais-Leduc | Satirical politics | — | 39 / 338 (2019) | ||
| United Party of Canada Parti uni du Canada | 2024 | Grant Abraham | Social conservatism,fiscal conservatism,right-wing populism | Right-wing tofar-right | — | 16 / 343 (2025) | |
Eligible parties have applied to Elections Canada and met all of the legal requirements to be registered, other than running a candidate in a general election or by-election.[3] Such parties are eligible to run candidates in federal elections but are not be considered "registered" by Elections Canada until they have registered a candidate in an election or by-election.[3] There are currently no eligible parties at the federal level.
At various points both the House of Commons and Senate have included non-partyparliamentary groups, also called caucuses. These groups are unaffiliated with registered political parties, are not registered with Elections Canada, and do not run candidates in Canadian federal elections. Essentially, these parliamentary groups are equivalent to political parties in the legislative context, but do not exist in an electoral capacity.
Parliamentary groups in theHouse of Commons of Canada are typically made up of MPs that separate from a party over leadership conflicts. Notable past parliamentary groups in the House of Commons include theGinger Group (1924–1932; split fromProgressive Party),Democratic Representative Caucus (2001–2002; split fromCanadian Alliance), andQuébec debout (2018; split fromBloc Québécois).
TheSenate of Canada is Canada's unelected upper chamber. It currently has three non-partyparliamentary groups: theIndependent Senators Group (ISG), theCanadian Senators Group (CSG), and theProgressive Senate Group (PSG). These three groups do not share a formal ideology, platform, or membership in any one political party; the caucuses primarily serve to provide organizational support and better leverage parliamentary resources. Conservative senators remain formally affiliated with theConservative Party of Canada.[4][5]
| Name | Founded | Facilitator / Leader | Ideology | Senators in October 2025[update] | Most senators | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Senators Group Groupe des sénateurs indépendants | 2016 | Raymonde Saint-Germain | Non-partisantechnical group | 43 / 105 | 59 / 105 (2019) | |
| Canadian Senators Group Groupe des sénateurs Canadiens | 2019 | Scott Tannas | Non-partisantechnical group | 19 / 105 | 21 / 105 (2025) | |
| Progressive Senate Group Groupe progressiste du sénat | 2019 | Pierre Dalphond | Progressivism,Non-partisantechnical group | 16 / 105 | 18 / 105 (2025) | |
| Conservative Party of Canada Parti conservateur du Canada | 2003 | Leo Housakos | Conservatism,economic liberalism | 13 / 105 | 65 / 105 (2013) | |
| Government Representative’s Office Bureau du représentant du gouvernement | 2025 | Pierre Moreau | 5 / 105 | 5 / 105 (2025) | ||
These are political parties which held seats in the House of Commons and either ceased to exist beforeElections Canada was formed, or were once registered with Elections Canada but have become de-registered or ceased to exist due to dissolution.[2]
| Name | Founded | Dissolved | Ideology | Largest MP caucus | Most ridings contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abolitionist Party | 1993 | 1996 | Social credit,monetary reform, social liberalism | — | 80 / 295 (1993) | |
| Anti-Confederation Party | 1867 | 1867 | Opposition to Confederation (membership in Canada), Nova Scotiaseparatism | 18 / 181 (1867) | 20 / 181 (1867) | |
| Bloc populaire | 1943 | 1949 | Anti-conscription,Canadian nationalism,isolationism, French Canadian rights | 4 / 245 (1943) | 35 / 245 (1945) | |
| Canada Party (1993) | 1993 | 1996 | — | 56 / 295 (1993) | ||
| Canadian Action Party Parti action canadienne | 1997 | 2017[6] | Canadian nationalism,anti-globalization | — | 70 / 301 (2000) | |
| Canadian Nationalist Party Parti nationaliste canadien | 2017 | 2022 | White nationalism | — | 3 / 338 (2019) | |
| Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance Alliance réformiste-conservatrice canadienne | 2000 | 2003 | Conservatism,right-wing populism,social conservatism[7][8][9] | 66 / 301 (2001) | 298 / 301 (2000) | |
| Co-operative Commonwealth Federation Parti social démocratique | 1932 | 1961 | Social democracy,democratic socialism,agrarianism[10] | 31 / 245 (1948) | 205 / 245 (1945) | |
| Confederation of Regions Party | 1984 | 1988 | Regionalism, conservatism | — | 55 / 282 (1984) | |
| Conservative Party (1867) | 1854 | 2003 | Canadian conservatism,British loyalism,Canadian nationalism (particularly underJohn Diefenbaker),Red Toryism,economic liberalism (underBrian Mulroney), moderation, occasionalpopulism | 209 / 265 (1958)[g] | 301 / 301 (1997) | |
| Democratic Party | 1945 | 1945 | — | 5 / 245 (1945) | ||
| Direct Democracy Party | 2019 | 2023 | Direct democracy | — | 7 / 338 (2019) | |
| Equal Rights | 1890 | 1891 | — | 2 / 215 (1891) | ||
| First Peoples National Party | 2005 | 2013[6] | Aboriginal rights advocacy | — | 6 / 308 (2008) | |
| Free Party Canada Parti Libre Canada | 2019 | 2024 | Direct democracy Vaccine hesitancy | — | 59 / 338 (2021) | |
| Labour Party | 1926 | 1968 | Trade unionism,socialism | 4 / 245 (1926) | 28 / 235 (1921) | |
| Marijuana Party Parti Marijuana | 2000 | 2025 | Cannabis law reforms | — | 73 / 301 (2000) | |
| Maverick Party | 2020 | 2025 | Western separatism,conservatism,right-wing populism | — | 29 / 338 (2021) | |
| McCarthyite | 1896 | 1898 | Anti-Catholic, anti-French, British imperialism | 1 / 213 (1896)[h] | 11 / 213 (1896) | |
| National Citizens Alliance Alliance Nationale des Citoyens | 2014 | 2023 | White nationalism | — | 4 / 338 (2015, 2019, 2021) | |
| National Party (1991) | 1991 | 1994 | Canadian nationalism,protectionism,progressivism | — | 170 / 295 (1993) | |
| Nationalist (1873) | 1873 | 1910 | Socialism, nationalization of industries | 2 / 215 (1889) | 6 / 215 (1887) | |
| Natural Law Party Parti de la loi naturelle | 1992 | 2004[6] | New age | — | 231 / 295 (1993) | |
| New Capitalist Party | 1965 | 1965 | — | 3 / 265 (1965) | ||
| Newfoundland and Labrador First Party | 2007 | 2011[6] | Newfoundland and Labrador advocacy | — | 3 / 308 (2008) | |
| Non-Partisan League | 1917 | 1917 | Agrarianism | — | 3 / 235 (1917) | |
| Parti de la Démocratisation Économique | 1968 | 1968 | — | 5 / 264 (1968) | ||
| Parti Nationaliste du Quebec | 1983 | 1987 | Quebec independence | — | 74 / 282 (1984) | |
| Party for the Commonwealth of Canada | 1984 | 1993 | LaRouchite | — | 66 / 282 (1984) | |
| Parti Patriote | 2019 | 2022 | Quebec nationalism,Quebec sovereignty,right-wing populism | — | 2 / 338 (2021) | |
| Patrons of Industry | 1890 | 1900 | Pro-labour | 2 / 213 (1896) | 31 / 213 (1896) | |
| People's Political Power Party Pouvoir Politique du Peuple | 2006 | 2011[6] | Feminist, centrist, populist | — | 2 / 308 (2008) | |
| Pirate Party Parti Pirate | 2010 | 2017 | Pirate politics | — | 10 / 308 (2011) | |
| Parti pour l'Indépendance du Québec | 2019 | 2022 | Québec independence | — | 13 / 338 (2019) | |
| Progressive Canadian Party Parti Progressiste Canadien | 2004 | 2019 | Red Toryism | — | 25 / 308 (2006) | |
| Progressive Party Parti progressiste | 1921 | 1948 | Agrarian,free trade,progressivism | 58 / 235 (1921) | 137 / 235 (1921) | |
| Protestant Protective Association | 1892 | 1898 | Anti-Catholic, Anti-French | — | 5 / 213 (1896) | |
| Radical chrétien | 1958 | 1967 | — | 3 / 265 (1967 by-elections) | ||
| Ralliement créditiste Union des électeurs | 1963 | 1971 | Split from the Social Credit Party; seeSocial Credit Party of Canada split, 1963. | 14 / 264 (1968) | 77 / 265 (1965) | |
| Reconstruction Party | 1935 | 1938 | Keynesianism,national conservatism,isolationism | 1 / 245 (1935) | 172 / 245 (1935) | |
| Reform Party Parti réformiste | 1987 | 2000 | Fiscal conservatism, regionalism,social conservatism, democratic reform | 60 / 301 (1997) | 277 / 301 (1997) | |
| Republican Party (1967) Parti republicain | 1967 | 1968 | — | 2 / 264 (1968) | ||
| Republican Party (1971) Parti republicain | 1971 | 1971 | — | 2 / 264 (1971 by-elections) | ||
| Rhinoceros Party (1963) Parti Rhinocéros | 1968 | 1993 | Satirical | — | 121 / 282 (1980) | |
| Social Credit Party Parti Crédit social | 1935 | 1993 | Canadian social credit,Canadian conservatism,right-wing populism,social conservatism | 30 / 265 (1962) | 230 / 265 (1962) | |
| Socialist Labour Party | 1945 | 1968 | Socialism | — | 2 / 245 (1945) | |
| Socialist Party (1904) | 1904 | 1925 | Socialism, Classical Marxism, Anti-Leninism | — | 6 / 221 (1911) | |
| Socialist Party (1931) | 1931 | 1961 | Socialism, Classical Marxism, Anti-Leninism | — | 2 / 265 (1958) | |
| Stop Climate Change | 2019 | 2021 | Environmentalism | — | 2 / 338 (2019) | |
| Strength in Democracy Forces et Démocratie | 2014 | 2016[6] | Social democracy,regionalism | 2 / 338 (2015) | 17 / 338 (2015) | |
| Union Populaire | 1979 | 1981 | Quebecois independence (precursor ofBloc Québécois) | — | 69 / 282 (1979) | |
| United Party (2009) Parti Uni | 2009 | 2016[6] | Centrism | — | 3 / 308 (2011) | |
| United Party (2018) Parti Uni | 2018 | 2020 | — | 4 / 338 (2019) | ||
| United Reform | 1939 | 1940 | Left-wing populism,reformism | 2 / 245 (1939) | 5 / 245 (1940) | |
| Veterans Coalition Party Parti de la coalition des anciens combattants | 2019 | 2023 | Single issue | — | 25 / 338 (2019) | |
| Western Block Party | 2005 | 2014[11] | Western separatism,paleoconservatism,libertarian conservativism | — | 4 / 308 (2006) | |
These caucuses were formed by sitting members of the House of Commons, but never ran in an election as a unified party.
| Name | Founded | Dissolved | Description | Largest caucus | Most ridings contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic Representative Caucus | 2001 | 2002 | Formed in the37th Canadian Parliament by MPs who left theCanadian Alliance due to the leadership ofStockwell Day. The group was dissolved after Day lost the party leadership toStephen Harper. | 13 / 301 (2002) | — | |
| Ginger Group | 1924 | 1932 | Split from the Progressive Party. SupportedProgressivism andsocialism. In 1932 formed the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation. | 15 / 245 (1926) | Likely some number ofLabour candidates | |
| Liberal–Progressive | 1925 | 1955 | Nominated jointly by or aligned with both theLiberal Party andProgressive Party. | 8 / 245 (1926) | 12 / 245 (1926) | |
| Liberal–Unionist | 1917 | 1921 | Members of the Liberal Party who supportedRobert Borden's coalition government. | 11 / 235 (1917) | Likely some number of Unionist candidates | |
| Nationalist Conservative | 1878 | 1911 | Used by Quebec Members in order to distinguish themselves from what has been referred by the party as the "British imperialist" reputation of the Conservative Party. | 2 / 215 (1887) | 2 / 215 (1887) | |
| Nationalist Liberal | 1867 | 1921 | 1 / 215 (1891) | — | ||
| Parti canadien | 1942 | 1944 | Anti-conscription. In addition to the MP who adopted this label, two candidates ran in by-elections using this label. | 1 / 245 (1942) | — | |
| Progressive–Conservative | 1925 | 1935 | Probably indicates that these candidates were supporters of both the Progressive Party of Canada and the historical Conservative Party. | 1 / 245 (1930) | 2 / 245 (1926) | |
| Québec debout | 2018 | 2018 | Formed when several MPs left theBloc Québécois due to the leadership ofMartine Ouellet. The group was dissolved after Ouellet lost a leadership review vote and resigned. | 7 / 338 (2018) | — | |
These titles appear in official records, and may have appeared on ballots, but were only ever used as a personal brand by lone candidates.
These groups of Senators each sat together as a caucus, but were not affiliated with an active political party.
| Name | Founded | Dissolved | Ideology | Largest caucus | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberal–Unionist | 1917 | 1921 | Members of the Liberal Party who supportedRobert Borden's coalition government. | 4 / 96 (1919) | |
| Nationalist Liberal | 1867 | 1921 | 2 / 72 (1867) | ||
| Senate Liberal Caucus Caucus libéral du Sénat | 2014 | 2019 | Members of theLiberal Party who formed their own caucus afterJustin Trudeau removed all senators from the Liberal Party's parliamentary caucus. | 32 / 105 (2014) | |
| Senate Progressive Conservative Caucus Caucus progressiste-conservateur du Sénat | 2003 | 2016 | Members of the formerProgressive Conservative Party who retained the caucus name after the party itself dissolved in 2003. | 5 / 105 (2005) | |
The following parties do not appear on the federal election archive.[13] They either did not run candidates in any election or ran candidates as independents.
| Name | Founded | Dissolved | Description | Largest MP caucus | Most ridings contested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aboriginal Peoples Party of Canada | 2005 | 2005 | Attempt to found a party that fizzled when theFirst Peoples National Party of Canada became a registered party. | — | — | |
| Canadian Labour Party | 1917 | 1929 | Attempt to unite the disparateLabour candidates and parties in Canada. | — | some non-affiliated candidates in 1917–1926 | |
| Canadian Renewal Party | 1993 | 1993 | Advocate fordirect democracy; affiliated with theMarxist–Leninist Party | — | some non-affiliated candidates in 1993 | |
| Canadian Union of Fascists | 1934 | 1940 | Breakaway wing of theCanadian Nationalist Party (1933) | — | — | |
| Christian Credit Party | 1982 | 1983 | — | — | ||
| Christian Freedom Party of Canada | c. 1988 | c. 1996 | Rebrand of the moribund Social Credit Party | — | some non-affiliated candidates in 1993 | |
| Revolutionary Workers League | 1977 | c. 2019 | Merger of theLeague for Socialist Action, theRevolutionary Marxist Group, and theGroupe Marxiste Revolutionaire. | — | 3 / 308 (2006) | |
| Liberal Protectionist | 1925 | 1930. | Supporters of the Liberal Party who opposed the party's free trade policy. | — | 2 / 245 (1925) | |
| The Waffle Movement for an Independent Socialist Canada | 1969 | 1974 | Breakaway wing of New Democratic Party. | — | some non-affiliated candidates in 1974 | |
| National Party of Canada (1979) | 1979 | late 1980s | Left-wing nationalist party. | — | 2 / 282 (1980) | |
| North American Labour Party | c. 1975 | c. 1980 | Canadian affiliate of the Lyndon LaRouche movement; later became theParty for the Commonwealth of Canada | — | some non-affiliated candidates in 1970s | |
| Workers' Communist Party of Canada | 1975 | 1983 | One of several early attempts to create aMarxism–Leninism party in Canada. | — | 30 / 282 (1980) | |
The Communist Party of Canada changed its name multiple times in its history. It was founded as the Communist Party of Canada in 1921. It was underground until 1924, and founded a public face, "Workers' Party of Canada", from 1922 until 1924 when the Communist Party was legalised. From 1938 until 1943 its candidates ran under the banner "Unity" or "United Progressive", and won two seats, both in Saskatchewan. The Communist Party was again banned in 1940, but from 1943 operated under the name "Labor-Progressive Party" (Parti ouvrier-progressiste). It won one seat under this name in a 1943 by-election, which it retained in 1945. In 1959 it reverted to the name Communist Party of Canada and has kept that name to the present.
The Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada unofficially uses the name "Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist)", but Elections Canada does not allow it to be registered by that name because of potential confusion with the Communist Party of Canada.
Labour Party candidates ran under numerous different designations:
During Robert Borden's coalition government of 1917–1920, the Liberal Party of Canada split into two groups: theLiberal–Unionist who supported the coalition and theLaurier Liberals who opposed it.
Some Liberal-Progressive candidates used the designations:
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation used the nameNew Party from 1958 to 1961 while it was transitioning to become the New Democratic Party. In French, the party used a literal translation of its name,Fédération du Commonwealth Coopératif, from until 1955.
The first Conservative Party used several different names during its existence:
The second (and current) Conservative Party of Canada was a merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party.
Some candidates for the Progressive Party of Canada used United Farmer designations:
The first Rhinoceros Party disbanded in 1993. When it was revived in 2006 it used the name "neorhino.ca". The party changed its name to Rhinoceros Party in 2010.
SomeRalliement créditiste used the nameRalliement des créditistes from 1963 to 1967. One candidate used the designationCandidats des électeurs in 1957 and 1958. Others used the name Union des électeurs, although this was never formally registered.
In the 1940 election, 17 candidates ran jointly with the Social Credit Party under the nameNew Democracy.
Although there are often provincial parties with similar names or aims as national political parties, Canadian parties are not generally well-integrated ... Despite the general lack of formal ties, however, there is often significant overlap between supporters of provincial and national parties of the same name.
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