Canadian Democracy

by Brooks, Stephen

• ISBN13: 9780199011155
• ISBN10: 019901115X
• Edition: 8th
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2016-01-01
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Author Biography

Stephen Brooks, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Windsor

Table of Contents

Part I: Introduction
1. An Introduction to Political Life
What is Politics?
Power
State and Government
Democracy
Political Identities
Political Fault Lines, Old and New
Part II: The Societal Context of Politics
2. Political Culture
Ideologies, Values, and Institutions
Explaining Ideas and Institutions
The Political Ideas of Canadians
Citizen Expectations for Government
3. The Social and Economic Setting
Material Well-Being
Equality
Quality of Life
Independence
4. Diversity and Multiculturalism
From Founding Nations to Multiculturalism: The Changing Ethnic Demography of Canada
Official Recognition and the Institutionalization of Diversity
Diversity and Political Representation
Other Models of Integration and Accommodation
Immigration and Economic Integration
5. Regionalism and Canadian Politics
The Unexpected Persistence of Regionalism
Mapping Regionalism in Canada
Canada's Cultural Regions
Cross-Border Regions
Regional Identities and Western Alienation
Part III: The Structures of Governance
6. The Constitution
Constitutional Functions
Community and Identity
Canada's Constitution
The Charter of Rights and Freedoms
Parliamentary Government in Canada
Changing the Constitution
Citizen Participation in Constitutional Reform
7. Rights and Freedoms
Coming to Terms: What Do Rights and Freedoms Mean?
On the Origins and Meanings of Rights
Rights and Their Protection
The Pre-Charter Era: 1867-1981
Life Under the Charter
Applying the Charter
Has the Charter "Americanized" Canadian Politics?
8. Federalism
What Is Federalism?
The Origins, Maintenance, and Demise of Federal States
The Origins of Canadian Federalism
The Federal Division of Powers
The Courts and Federalism
Evolving Federalism
The Federal Spending Power, National Standards, and the Social Union
Current Challenges of Fiscal Federalism
9. The Machinery of Government
The Executive Branch
The Legislature
The Democratic Deficit?
The Courts
Appendix: How a Law Is Passed
10. The Administrative State
Professionalization of the Public Service
Efficiency and Accountability
Globalization and the State
The Structure of Canadian Bureaucracy
Part IV: Participation in Politics
11. Parties and Elections
Parties: Definitions and Functions
The Origins and Evolution of Canada's Party System
The 1993 and 1997 Elections: The End of Brokerage Politics?
The 2000 Election: Alliance Stalled?
The 2004, 2006, and 2008 Elections: A Divided Electorate
The 2011 Election: A 60/40 Country?
Selecting Party Leaders in Canada
The Electoral System and Its Consequences
Voting Behaviour
Party Finances and Special Interests
12. Interest Groups
Charting the Territory
The Bias of the Interest Group System
Analytical Perspectives on Interest Groups
The Ingredients of Interest Group Success
The Impact of Federalism on Interest Groups
Strategies for Influence
13. The Media
"The Pictures in Our Heads"
What Do the Media Produce?
What Determines the Mass Media Product?
The Media and Democracy
Part V: Contemporary Issues in Canadian Political Life
14. Language Politics
The Demographics of Language Politics
The Trajectory of Nationalism
The Quiet Revolution and Its Legacy
A Distinct Society?
Appendix: Proposals for a Distinct Society Clause
15. Women and Politics
The Social Construction of Gender Differences
The Under-representation of Women in Canadian Public Life
Women in Politics
Organizing for Influence
Appendix 1: Selected Women's Organizations in Canada
Appendix 2: Selected Dates in Women's Progress towards Legal and Political Equality
16. Aboriginal Politics
Aboriginal Demographics: Who and How Many?
The Language of Aboriginal Politics
Who Is an Indian?
The Reserve System
Assimilation, Integration, Self-Determination
Organizing for Political Influence
Sovereignty, Landownership, and Aboriginal Rights: The Battle in the Courts
The Institutionalization of Aboriginal Affairs
The Way Forward
17. Canada in the World
The Meaning and Consequences of Globalization for Canada
Globalization and Canada-US Relations
Integration and Independence: Finding the Right Balance
Appendix: Timeline of Canada in the World