Stand and deliver: Godbout does a deep dive on party discipline and the influence of government in Parliament
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—In recent years, a Université de Montreal trailblazer has been publishing sophisticated research about the history of party discipline in Canada. Jean-François Godbout compiles and analyzes complex datasets. His findings have appeared in a number of highly regarded journals to bring attention to the operations of legislatures in multiple countries, particularly the Parliament […]
Jury reform ‘not nearly enough,’ says law professor in book meant to fill gaps after no appeal in Stanley acquittal
When Saskatchewan farmer Gerald Stanley was acquitted of second-degree murder in the death of Colten Boushie, the major missteps made in that courtroom proved to law professor and author Kent Roach that jury reform was only one step in the “fundamental change” needed to make the legal system fair for Indigenous people in Canada. The […]
Canada’s first female chief justice still hasn’t shaken the impostor syndrome
Former Supreme Court chief justice Beverley McLachlin’s journey to the highest position on the highest court has been nothing short of extraordinary. From humble beginnings as a bookish Prairie girl, growing up in the 1940s in the small town of Pincher Creek, Alta., where she was raised by deeply religious parents whose educational opportunities were […]
Canada long overdue for ‘more populist voices’ to take up cause of ‘expendables’, says economist Rubin
Economist Jeff Rubin’s prescient book about the hollowing out of the middle class, or the “expendables,” as he’s phrased it, couldn’t have landed at a more opportune time. The pandemic-induced panic that led countries en masse to shutter their borders, to limit, and even ban, exports of critical personal protective equipment, and to shore up […]
Five political scientists offer fresh insights into election campaigning in three provinces
ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—If all goes according to plan, on Oct. 26 voters in Saskatchewan will head to the polls, grab some hand sanitizer, and vote while wearing a face mask. In the weeks leading up to election day, the campaign will largely be conducted online, with candidates shaking hands on doorsteps and kissing babies a […]
Great defining event of 21st century expected to occur in three decades
The great defining event of the 21st century—one of the great defining events in human history—will occur in three decades, give or take, when the global population starts to decline. Once that decline begins, it will never end. We do not face the challenge of a population bomb, so rampant in the popular imagination, but […]
Wiseman surveys history of Canada’s political parties in engaging new book, Partisan Odysseys
Nelson Wiseman, director of the Canadian studies program at the University of Toronto and a longtime political science professor, says he realized Canadians weren’t terribly aware of some of the historical forces that have shaped our country’s federal political parties, so he wrote Partisan Odysseys: Canada’s Political Parties. The book, published by the University of […]
Cross-party Parliamentarians to urge feds to take strong response to new Hong Kong security law
As Chinese lawmakers have moved forward with national security legislation that threatens Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” bedrock, Parliamentarians across the partisan spectrum will be participating in a virtual press conference to urge the federal government to take strong action in opposition to the new law. Alongside human rights activists, such as Alex Neve […]
‘The rise of China is a central geoeconomic issue of our time’
The emergence of the coronavirus pandemic has put a spotlight on China’s changing role in the world. It has revealed the crucial role China plays in the dense global supply chain networks of a wide range of industries, raising new anxieties about globalization. It has provoked intense debate about how China handled the outbreak and […]
Flanagan documents how successful First Nations are achieving prosperity
Prior to the 19th century, the large majority of human beings lived in what today would be considered poverty. In all complex societies, an elite stratum used its control of political and economic institutions to enjoy a varied diet, clean water, formal education, and relief from long hours of manual labour, but such luxuries were […]
