An interest group refers to "a group of individuals bound together to excerpt pressure upon the government to achieve a common goal and acquire a common benefit." The Canadian government can not deal with the immense responsibility, which is delegated to it without interacting with every "major sector of national institutional structure." The interaction gives interest groups a great deal of power because they provide the organization and the knowledge required by the government to oversee the numerous demands and then present the issues back to the government in an easily understandable process.

Single issues or individual influence groups are the basic building blocks of modern pressure groups. Every interest is "seen as expressing a combined purpose" of individuals that have come together to

Institutional groups or "superorganizational" groups have an extensive membership basis that allows for a stable membership of like-minded people. Everyone within the institutional group does not partake in the same specific interest; the members are required to share the information with others in the group to act in a common fashion. The groups have considerable resources to carry out their "concrete and immediate objectives." The resources include a highly trained staff that has extensive knowledge of the government that effects the appropriate government officials and can communicate easily with them. Unlike the single interests or organizational groups, institutional interest groups have the skills and knowledge needed to act as a "go between, keeping the political process going" among the disagreeing agencies. They have the ability to evaluate policy and develop opinions outside of party discipline. Institutional group's members follow an unwritten code of conduct that prohibits action that would make the group unfavorable to the higher up members in government.

The need for minority representation in government is the substructure of interest groups. In a pure democracy a "society consist[s] of a small number of citizens who assemble and administer the government in person" by a majority vote. The uncertainty lies in the fact that there is no protection for the smaller and weaker sections of society. The purpose of interest groups in a democratic system is to represent their members' views against the groups whom share conflicting views, even when the opposition is the majority government.

If business feel strongly about a specific desision regarding a particular issue, individual business will lobby together and form a coalition. In November of 1981 a business coalition was formed in protest of the MacEachen budget. The outrage of the business community caused the government to issue an economic statement, detailing a new budget seven months after the first budget was released. Big business does get their way. When technical issues are involved government usually follows the advise of businesses because the goverment needs an explanation on the impact new technology has on society and whom better to answer than those whom designed it.

achieve certain objectives. These groups have limited organizational skills and lack the knowledge of government to succeed in the few specific issues on their objective. Single issues interest groups usually have a fluid membership base, which use the media and extreme action to obtain their goals. The groups usually are fighting for a change in private or public policy they find unfair of

Presthus, Robert, Elite Accommodation in Canadian Politics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1973.

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Approximate Word count = 2670
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)