Continuity And Change In Canadian Politics

The state of Canadian politics is in constant flux. Current and recent issues and events have led to a host of changes in the way politics is done in this country and there are no signs of this trend coming to an end. In Continuity and Change in Canadian Politics, Hans J. Michelmann and Cristine de Clercy, along with some of the leading names in Canadian political scholarship, provide a many-sided assessment of contemporary Canadian government and politics to honour the career of their eminent colleague, David E. Smith. The contributors to this collection address a range of policy sectors and institutional features. These include the changing constitution, the senior civil service, the impact of NAFTA, federal-provincial relations, unilateralism in social policy, Aboriginal self-government, citizenship and immigration policies, coalition governments, agriculture, and, of course, Smith's impact on the political scholarship of Western Canada. Change and Continuity in Canadian Politics gets to the heart of key issues and provides important insights into contemporary Canadian government and politics. Contributors: Christine de Clercy Ken Coates Thomas J. Courchene Joseph Garcea Roger Gibbons Brooke Jeffrey Gregory P. Marchildon Hans J. Michelmann Éric Montpetit Greg Poelzer Peter H. Russell Donald J. Savoie Grace Skogstad

In a period characterized by growing social inequality, precarious work, the legacies of settler colonialism, and the emergence of new social movements, Change and Continuity presents innovative interdisciplinary research as a guide to understanding Canada's political economy and a contribution to progressive social change. Assessing the legacy of the Canadian political economy tradition – a broad body of social science research on power, inequality, and change in society – the essays in this volume offer insight into contemporary issues and chart new directions for future study. Chapters from both emerging and established scholars expand the boundaries of Canadian political economy research, seeking new understandings of the forces that shape society, the ensuing conflicts and contradictions, and the potential for social justice. Engaging with interconnected topics that include shifts in immigration policy, labour market restructuring, settler colonialism, the experiences of people with disabilities, and the revitalization of workers' movements, this collection builds upon and deepens critical analysis of Canadian society and considers its application to contexts beyond Canada. The latest in a series of related volumes on Canadian political economy, Change and Continuity explores the past, present, and potential futures of the discipline in a global context, offering insight into some of the most pressing issues of our time. Contributors include Greg Albo (York University), Hugh Armstrong (Carleton University), Pat Armstrong (York University), Simon Black (Brock University), Jacqueline Choiniere (York University), Wallace Clement (Carleton University), Tamara Daly (York University), Peter Graefe (McMaster University), Tobin LeBlanc Haley (Ryerson University), Rebecca Jane Hall (Queen's University), Stephen McBride (McMaster University), Suzanne Mills (McMaster University), Tanner Mirrlees (University of Ontario Institute of Technology), Stephanie Ross (McMaster University), Nandita Sharma (University of Hawaii at Manoa), Adrian Smith (Osgoode Hall Law School), Jim Stanford (Centre for Future Work), Steven Tufts (York University), Lesley J. Wood (York University).

On May 2, 2011, as Canadians watched the federal election results roll in and Stephen Harper’s Conservatives achieve a majority, it appeared that we were witnessing a major shift in the political landscape. In reality, Canadian politics had been changing for quite some time. This volume provides the first account of the political upheavals of the past two decades and speculates on the future of the country’s national party system. By documenting how parties and voters responded to new challenges between 1993 and 2011, this book sheds light on one of the most tumultuous periods in Canadian political history.

Changing Canada examines political transformations, welfare state restructuring, international boundaries and contexts, the new urban experience, and creative resistance. The authors question dominant ways of thinking and promote alternative ways of understanding and explaining Canadian society and politics that encourage progressive social change. They examine how the evolution of capitalism is producing new types of transformations and new forms of resistance, and show that aspects of the state and the wider society are being contested. They also discuss the often paradoxical or contradictory effects of various social forces, such as the liberating but also constraining features of new communications technologies, new employment norms, and new household forms. Contributors include Laurie E. Adkin (University of Alberta), Caroline Andrew (University of Ottawa), Pat Armstrong (York University), William Carroll (University of Victoria), Elaine Coburn (Stanford University), William D. Coleman (McMaster University), Mary Cornish (senior partner with Cavalluzzo, Hayes, Shilton, McIntyre & Cornish), Judy Fudge (York University), Christina Gabriel (Carleton University), Sam Gindin (York University), Joyce Green (University of Regina), Eric Helleiner (Trent University), Robert G. Hollands (University of Newcastle), Jane Jenson (Université de Montréal), Roger Keil (York University), Stefan Kipfer (York University), Fuyuki Kurasawa (York University), Laura Macdonald (Carleton University), Rianne Mahon (Carleton University), Wendy McKeen (Dalhousie University), Elizabeth Millar (consultant, Nelligan, O'Brien and Payne Law Firm and Labour Consulting Group), Vincent Mosco (Carleton University), Susan Phillips (Carleton University), Ann Porter (York University), Tony Porter (McMaster University), Daniel Salee (Concordia University), Vic Satzewich (McMaster University), Jim Stanford (Canadian Auto Workers' Union, Toronto), Mel Watkins (emeritus, University of Toronto), and Lloyd L. Wong (University of Calgary).

For almost its entire history, Canada has been run by the political, media and business elites of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. But in the past few years, these groups have lost their power—and most of them still do not realize it’s gone. The Laurentian Consensus, the term John Ibbitson has coined for the dusty liberal elite, has been replaced by a new, powerful coalition based in the West and supported by immigrant voters in Ontario. How did this happen? Most people are unaware that the keystone economic and political drivers of this country are now Western Canada and immigrants from China, India and other Asian countries. Politicians and businesspeople have underestimated how conservative these newcomers are making our country. Canada, with its ever-evolving economy and fluid demographic base, has become divorced from the traditions of its past and is moving in an entirely new direction. In The Big Shift, Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson argue that one of the world’s most consensual countries is becoming polarized, exhibiting stark differences between East and West, cities and suburbs, Canadianborn citizens and immigrants. The winners—in both politics and business— will be those who can capitalize on the tremendous changes that the Big Shift will bring.

Debating how Canada compares -- both regionally and in relation to other countries -- is a national pastime. This book examines how political scientists use comparison as a tool to better understand Canadian political life. Using a variety of methods, the contributors explore topics as diverse as Indigenous rights, voting behaviour, and climate policy. While their theoretical perspectives and the kinds of questions they explore vary greatly, as a whole they demonstrate how the "art of comparing" is an important strategy for understanding Canadian identity politics, political mobilization, political institutions, and public policy.

The context in which environmental policy decision-making occurs has changed, resulting from widening environmental problems, increased demands from groups and citizens, continuing pressure on the continent's resources and normative shifts. The complexity of current issues is related to an even broader contextual shift: the globalization of environmental issues exacerbated by trade liberalization, especially on a regional level and the potential contradictions between trade and the environmental international agenda that this implies. This volume studies the new dimensions of resource conflict between Canada and the United States, accounting for the emergence of new bilateral environmental issues and detailing how trade liberalization has fostered both disputes and policy convergence. It also examines the recent shifts in America towards a unilateral foreign policy and how this affects active Canadian diplomacy Ideal as a resource tool for students and academics, this book will be a key resource in the areas of global governance, US-Canadian foreign policy and environmental policy.