The NDP and the Third Party Curse in Canada

Abstract

This thesis evaluates the position of the NDP as Canada’s third party in federal electoral politics. It analyzes three external factors, the electoral system, the party finance system and the effects of voter behaviour and low voter turnout on the electoral success of the NDP. This work aims to discover why the NDP is seemingly caught in what this thesis refers to as a third party curse. Each of the three external factors which are susceptible to change are analyzed individually to discover whether they have a negative effect on the electoral success of the party.