section_path: Abstract
section_name: Abstract
paragraph_text: The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC; French: Parti libéral du Canada, PLC) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism, and generally sits at the centre to centre-left of the Canadian political spectrum, with their main rival, the Conservative Party, positioned to their right and the New Democratic Party positioned to their left. The party is described as " big tent ", practising "brokerage politics", attracting support from a broad spectrum of voters. The Liberal Party is the longest-serving and oldest active federal political party in the country, and has dominated the federal politics of Canada for much of its history, holding power for almost 70 years of the 20th century. As a result, it has sometimes been referred to as Canada's "natural governing party".
  
  Founded in 1867, the party first came into power in 1873 under Alexander Mackenzie. However, the Liberals were voted out five years later due to the economic conditions at the time. They would not come back to office until 1896; Wilfrid Laurier was prime minister from that year until the party's defeat in 1911 and his tenure was marked by several compromises between English and French Canada. The party then governed again from 1921 to 1926, from 1926 to 1930, and from 1935 to 1948 under William Lyon Mackenzie King and then under Louis St. Laurent from 1948 to 1957, both of whom gradually built a Canadian welfare state. Lester B. Pearson expanded the welfare state during his tenure as prime minister from 1963 to 1968, while his successor, Pierre Trudeau, continued this expansion while promoting economic nationalism, social progressivism, and a more independent foreign policy during his governance from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. After electoral defeats in 1984 and 1988 led by John Turner, the party returned to power in 1993 under Jean Chrétien, who combined social liberalism with fiscal conservatism through a Third Way philosophy, a tradition which continued under his successor, Paul Martin, until the party lost power in 2006. The party regained power under Justin Trudeau in 2015, who brought the Liberals from third place to majority government. Trudeau was succeeded by Mark Carney as party leader and prime minister in 2025.
  
  The Liberals' signature policies and legislative decisions include universal health care, the Canada Pension Plan, Canada Student Loans, the establishment of the Royal Canadian Navy in 1910, the unification of the armed forces in 1968, multilateralism, official bilingualism, official multiculturalism, gun control, the patriation of the Constitution of Canada and the establishment of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Clarity Act, legalizing same-sex marriage, medical assistance in dying (MAID) otherwise known as euthanasia, cannabis, national carbon pricing, expanded access to abortion, national dental care, national pharmacare, a national school lunch program, and a national early learning and child care program.