On 2 May 2011, Canadians watched as the Stephen Harper Conservatives won their first majority government. Jack Layton led the NDP to its best performance in history, and Michael Ignatieff and the federal Liberals had their worst showing to date. For most casual observers, this election marked a major shift in Canadian politics. In reality, the country's political landscape and national party system had been changing for quite some time.
Parties, Elections, and the Future of Canadian Politics offers the first comprehensive account of political change in Canada over the past two decades. It explores developments in the political landscape from both historical and contemporary perspectives and speculates on the future of the national party system. By documenting how parties and voters responded to new challenges between 1993 and 2011, this volume enhances our understanding of one of the most tumultuous periods in Canadian political history.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: Change and Continuity in Canadian Parties and Elections / Amanda Bittner and Royce Koop
1 Has Brokerage Politics Ended? Canadian Parties in the New Century / R. Kenneth Carty
2 Candidate Recruitment in Canada: The Role of Political Parties / William Cross and Lisa Young
3 The Effects of Constantly Campaigning upon the Canadian Parliament / Kelly Blidook and Matthew Byrne
4 Constituency and Personal Determinants of MPs' Positions on Social Conservative Issues in the 37th and 38th Canadian Parliaments / Munroe Eagles
5 City Ministers: The Local Politics of Cabinet Selection / Anthony M. Sayers
6 Women Candidates, Voters, and Legislators: A Gender Perspective on Recent Party and Electoral Politics / Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant
7 Revisiting the "Ethnic" Vote: Liberal Allegiance and Vote Choice among Racialized Minorities / Allison Harell
8 The Canadian Party System: Trends in Election Campaign Reporting, 1980-2008 / Blake Andrew, Patrick Fournier, and Stuart Soroka
9 Parties, Politics, and Redistribution: The Constitutional and Practical Challenges of Politicized Apportionment / Russell Alan Williams
10 Too Little, Too Soon: State Funding and Electoral District Associations in the Green Party of Canada / Harold Jansen and L.A. (Lisa) Lambert
11 When Partisans Are Attacked: Motivated Reasoning and the New Party System / J. Scott Matthews
12 Coping with Political Flux: The Impact of Information on Voters' Perceptions of the Political Landscape, 1988-2011 / Amanda Bittner
13 Situating the Canadian Case / Richard Johnston
14 Parties and Elections after 2011: The Fifth Canadian Party System? / Royce Koop and Amanda Bittner
About the Author :
Amanda Bittner is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Memorial University.
Royce Koop is an assistant professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba
Contributors: Blake Andrew, Kelly Blidook, Matthew Byrne, R. Kenneth Carty, William Cross, Munro Eagles, Patrick Fournier, Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, Allison Harell, Harold Jansen, Richard Johnston, L.A. (Lisa) Lambert, J. Scott Matthews, Anthony M. Sayers, Stuart Soroka, Russell Alan Williams, Lisa Young.
Review :
""Parties, Elections, and the Future of Canadian Politics "will be welcomed by many in the political science community. Examining a diverse array of topics, the volume aims to uncover evidence of change and continuity in Canadian politics over the past quarter century. Scholars will value its many insights, as will students in courses on Canadian electoral politics and political parties."
- Paul Howe, author of "Citizens Adrift: The Democratic Disengagement of Young Canadians"
