When Canadians switched party loyalties 'as though they were hats'

In 1980, The National was examining a perceived decrease in party loyalty among Canadian voters.

Because it wasn't like the old days, and that was a problem for the people trying to vault their parties to political power.

"Canadian voters used to stay loyal to one political party through all, or most of their lives. Sometimes, those loyalties were passed on within families from generation to generation," said anchor George McLean, introducing the story on Feb. 15, 1980.

"Now, though, Canadians switch party loyalties as though they were hats."

Swings in support

Less loyalty among Canadian voters

45 years ago

Duration 3:51

By 1980, Canadians were gradually becoming less loyal voters, in terms of their support for political parties.

The National's look at the issue came just a few days ahead of the 1980 election the one that would see Canadians send a new Liberal government to Ottawa less than a year after the Joe Clark-led Progressive Conservatives had won a minority government.

Reporter David Haltonexplained that polls suggested Pierre Trudeau and the Liberals would return to power amid dissatisfaction with Clark's short-livedgovernment.

But Halton said there were other factors making for a less predicable election environment than had traditionally existed.

"Voting patterns in recent Canadian elections show a dramatic weakening of our ties and identification with one or other of the political parties," said Halton.

Less differentiation

Halton said political scientists theorized that Canada's parties weren't so ideologically distinct in some respects, which made them appealing to a wider variety of voters under the right circumstances.

"In the last Liberal cabinet, at least half a dozen ministers ... believed in emphasizing free enterprise and fiscal responsibility. It wasn't difficult to imagine them at home in the Conservative party," Halton said.

"In the Clark cabinet, so-called Red Tories among them David MacDonald, Flora MacDonald and David Crombie leaned towards a relatively strong government role in the economy and society. They'd never admit it, but there's little in their political philosophy to make them uncomfortable in the Liberal party."

Similarly, Halton said the New Democrats had softened their own political leanings under the leadership of Ed Broadbent.

"With the blurring of ideological divisions, our politicians have tended to define their differences in terms of short-term stands on current issues," Halton said.

A lot of negativity

Jon Pammett, a political scientist at Ottawa's Carleton University, said many Canadians had negative feelings about politicians in general.

"Canadians are very negative towards politics," said Pammett.

"Politicians, in general, get a negative response from about three-quarters of the population when that word comes up. It's a bad word in Canada."

Halton said the negative feelings Canadians apparently harboured did not suggest they were disengagingfrom the voting process. But he suggested they might explain thebehaviour of the electorate.

"More and more Canadians, it seems, are going to the polls to punish parties they don't like," Halton said. "And the fact that the party in power tends to be the prime target may explain the apparent large swing away from the Conservatives in so short atime."