
After the April 28 general election, the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) is back in power for a fourth term after coming just short of a majority, winning 170 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons. Considering that the LPC trailed the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) by over 20 points in the polls over the previous two years, its victory represented a remarkable political comeback.
This commentary is not a promotional blurb for the LPC, rather it seeks to identify the factors which enabled it to become one of the most successful parties in the democratic world. It is hard to identify another centrist party which has achieved such dominance and long-term success.
