A University of Waterloo professor has teamed up with other researchers to create a massive online database as a way to hold political parties accountable for their deleted digital history.
History professor Ian Milligan and his team created a website called WebArchives.ca, which allows users to search through 14 million documents cached and collected from webpages of 50 different political parties and interest groups.
The website allows searchers to review a party’s history from 2005-15 and see how election platforms have shifted over time or whether a party has kept their promises.
“We really just want to give information to voters to help them make the best decision as they go into the election,” Milligan said.
A search of “post-secondary education” has 192,356 hits, and “university” 1,208,897. “Carleton University” has 23,917 hits.
Milligan said the ultimate purpose of this project transcends beyond this year’s election—it allows for Canada’s online political history to be documented and accessible for historians in the future.
“If we go back to 1960, people left behind pamphlets. Nowadays we leave behind websites and comments and that sort of thing,” he said.
The database also reveals patterns with words used over time by each political party and the prominence of new and old politicians.
The Conservatives have never used the term “tar sands” on their website and opt for using “oil sands,” whereas the NDP used to use “tar sands” but have more recently described them as “oil sands,” according to Milligan.
“By searching Justin Trudeau in the database, there is a clear trajectory of his career outlined,” Milligan said. “In 2005, he is not mentioned at all, but as he begins running for elections his name is mentioned more and more frequently, and then he becomes the party leader.”
Searches also show how a political leader can continue to be influential even after they have passed away.
Late NDP leader Jack Layton is still mentioned frequently after his death as his memory is an important part of the NDP’s legacy, Milligan said.
Searches also show how in 2005, the Conservatives accused the Liberal government of ignoring violence against Aboriginal women and in recent years, the opposition parties have accused the Conservatives of not doing enough.
Milligan said his database could be used as an accessible educational tool.
“We really want to make sure people can get as educated as possible,” Milligan said. “You shouldn’t need to know how to program to locate your cultural record.”
