In 2011, the NDP stunned political pundits by becoming the Official Opposition in the House of Commons. After near collapse in the 1993 election, how did the NDP manage to win triple the seats of its Liberal rivals and take more than three-quarters of the ridings in Quebec? This book examines the federal NDP's transformation from "nearly dead party" to new power player within a volatile party system. Its early chapters - on the party's emergence in the 1960s, its presence in Quebec, and the Jack Layton factor - pave the way for insightful analyses of issues such as party modernization, changing ideology, voter profile, and policy formation that played a significant role in driving the "Orange Crush" phenomenon.

Grassroots Politicians is the first systematic account ofparty activists at the provincial level in Canada. To understand thepattern of political polarization in British Columbia, the authorsexamine the values and beliefs of those at the party cores -- thepeople behind the party images who elect leaders, nominate candidates,and work in electoral campaigns. In the New Democratic Party they playa crucial role in determining policy, in the Social Credit they help toshape party direction and governing style by their choice of leader,and, among the Liberals, they form the small band that keeps the partyalive in the province.