The requirement in our political system that the government retain the confidence of a majority of Members of the House of Commons meant that the only way for a government to achieve some sort of political stability was to convince MPs to form into a political party on which the government could rely. [...] In this model of party organization, which emerged in the era prior to mass electronic media, party members were essential resources for a party, providing the volunteer labour that allowed the party to get out its message to the electorate. [...] However limited and imperfect parties are, the ways in which party members engage in party life creates a mechanism through which Canadians can influence the direction of their political parties and thus the choices available to them at the ballot box. [...] The absence of young party members on the right of the political spectrum was unavoidable and certainly has implications for the interpretation of our findings. [...] The greater religiosity of the party members in the study is suggestive of a more traditional profile among young party members than non-members.