New Democratic Party

The New Democratic Party (NDP, in French the Nouveau Parti démocratique) is a federal political party in Canada, widely described as social democratic and democratic socialist and placed at the centre-left to left of the Canadian spectrum, to the left of the Liberal Party. It was founded in 1961 by the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation and the Canadian Labour Congress, with Tommy Douglas as its first leader. The party has never formed a federal government and was the Official Opposition only from 2011 to 2015, but it has held the balance of power during Liberal minority governments, and its provincial and territorial branches have governed Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Yukon. It is more integrated than other Canadian parties, with some provincial parties sharing membership with the federal party. Its platform includes a mixed economy, broader welfare, Senate abolition and expanded universal healthcare.