OTTAWA – “Extremism” and “polarization” have become common terms framing the discussion of Canada’s political scene.
As federal political parties take turns labelling the other as extremists, there is widespread belief that political options are abandoning the middle.
New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute find many believe Canada’s two biggest political parties have moved towards the fringes and away from the middle when it comes to their political beliefs.
Half (48%) say the Conservative Party of Canada has shifted a bit (19%) or much more to the right (29%), while a plurality (43%) believe the Liberal Party of Canada has moved a bit (14%) or a lot more to the left (29%).
Meanwhile, one-third (36%) of Canadians describe themselves as “political orphans” who find that all the parties are “too extreme.”
This includes half (47%) of people who place themselves in the middle of the political spectrum.
This sense of political polarization is accompanied by a wider spread disaffection with the federal political scene.
Half (48%) say they don’t have an option to vote for what “really represents” their views.
This is a common sentiment even among likely voters, with two-in-five current Conservative (40%) and Liberal (39%) supporters – and more likely NDP (58%) and Bloc Québécois (55%) voters – believing they don’t have political options that really speak for them.
More Key Findings
A majority (53%) of those who place themselves in the middle of the political spectrum believe there should be a “mainstream centrist federal political party.”
The belief that the Liberals are moving more to the left is strongest among those who describe themselves as right-wing.
Those who describe themselves as “very left-wing” are divided between believing the Liberals have moved further right (41%) or stayed in the same spot on the political spectrum (38%).
Three-quarters of self-described “left-wingers” believe the Conservatives have moved more to the right.
A plurality (45%) of self-described “right-wingers” believe instead the Conservatives haven’t shifted at all politically.
The NDP are the most likely party of the big three to be viewed as staying in the same place on the political spectrum in recent years (36%), though as many people believe the party has shifted leftward over time (34%).
