Stratarchical Party Organization and Party Finance in Canada

TLDR: In this article, the authors trace the financial flows into and within the four major Canadian political parties from 2004 to 2007 with a view to identifying the model of party organization that these flows indicate.

Abstract: . Based on an examination of constitutional and other party documents, Canadian political parties have been described as stratarchically organized (Carty, 2002). We identify four models of internal party financial flows that correspond to different models of internal party organization. We then trace the financial flows into and within the four major Canadian political parties from 2004 to 2007 with a view to identifying the model of party organization that these flows indicate. Our evidence in some respects supports Carty's assertion that Canadian parties are stratarchically organized, but it also suggests that changes to the regulatory regime governing political finance have contributed to a centralization of power at the level of the national party and at the expense of candidates and local associations. This centralizing tendency is significant, as it may disrupt the bargain that underlies the stratarchical organization of Canadian parties.Resume. A la lumiere d'une revue des constitutions et de divers autres documents des partis politiques canadiens, ces derniers ont ete decrits comme etant organises de maniere stratarchique (Carty, 2002). Nous degageons quatre modeles de flux monetaires internes des partis qui correspondent a differents modeles d'organisation interne des partis politiques. Nous retracons les entrees de fonds des quatre principaux partis politiques canadiens et leur distribution interne de 2004 a 2007 en vue d'identifier le modele d'organisation de parti qui correspond a ces flux monetaires. Sous certains rapports, nos resultats appuient l'argument de Carty affirmant que les partis canadiens sont organises de maniere stratarchique, mais ils suggerent aussi que les changements apportes au regime regulateur gouvernant le financement politique ont contribue a une centralisation du pouvoir au niveau national des partis et ce aux depens des candidats et des associations locales. Cette tendance centralisatrice est importante, car elle peut rompre le compromis qui sous-tend l'organisation stratarchique des partis politiques canadiens.