Canada’s political landscape is on the brink of an historic reckoning. For decades, third and fourth parties have shaped—and often muddied—federal elections, positioning themselves as protest vehicles, ideological purists, or kingmakers in minority Parliaments. But as Election Day approaches, the NDP and Greens appear poised to collapse to their lowest popular vote shares in generations. If predictions are accurate, this won’t be a mere cyclical decline; but rather, a self-inflicted crisis born of a betrayal of principle. Their downfall, however, offers Canada an opportunity to shed the dysfunction of fragmented politics and embrace the clarity of a de facto two-party system — one that would strengthen democracy and benefit both of the major parties in the long run.

Consider the numbers. Since 1980, the NDP has averaged 16.5 per cent of the popular vote, a figure that includes the high-water mark of Jack Layton’s 2011 “Orange Wave,” when the party captured 30.6 per cent. The Greens, meanwhile, have never been more than a marginal force, peaking at 6.5 per cent in 2019. Even the Reform Party and Progressive Conservatives —precursors to today’s united Conservative Party — collectively averaged 20 to 25 per cent in the 1990s before merging to challenge Liberal hegemony. Today, the CBC’s poll aggregator puts the NDP at 8.5 per cent, almost half their historical average support, while the Greens are at........

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