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 t

Government is unlikely to ever agree to an issue interest groups desire to change if it threatens to change the economic system of the country, raising the real minimum standard of living for the poorest Canadian. Those in power are less inclined to deal with highly controversial issues that would result in the party losing voter support - elimination of the restrictions in the prejudice against gay and lesbian rights. Interest groups are often thought the group should be a "legitimate, wealthy, coherent interest, having access to legislative process [tend to be more influential than the] less legitimate, poor, diffused interest, having few sources of access to the legislative process."

The theory of cooporatism attempts, like pluralism, to describe the actual relationship between interest groups and government. This relationship is described as cooperative between some interest groups and government with the goal to be providing "stability in the development and implementation of policies." In theory, the government of a fascist state essentially forcefully controls state corporatism.

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.

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

Knuttila, Murray. State Theories. 3rd ed., Halifax: Fernwood Publishing, 1992.

unjust. These groups tend to disband when they reach their goals (or concede defeat). Although single interests groups are not completely ineffective, their "tendency towards fanaticism" makes them not well liked in the beacratic community and in turn do not stay around for to long. The main key to success for these groups lies within their effectiveness to appeal to public opinion.

o 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

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