Reconsidering provincial and federal debates about democratic reform alternatives.

At a time of rising political discontent and declining voter turnout, basic structures and principles of Canadian democracy are being scrutinized as never before by governments and citizens alike. Since 1999, the Institute for Research on Public Policy has contributed to this growing public debate with research and reflection from leading commentators. Strengthening Canadian Democracy brings together many of the papers from this initiative. Updated to reflect ongoing changes in the political landscape, the contributors offer both analysis and prescription aimed at fortifying a flagging...

In October 1992 Canada's political leaders asked voters to accept the Charlottetown Accord, a comprehensive package of constitutional amendments that was the product of years of negotiation, consultation, and compromise. Canadians rejected it outright, effectively halting the country's formal constitutional evolution. But what did the No vote mean? Were voters making a considered judgment after thorough consideration of the package or were they expressing their anger with politicians, particularly Prime Minister Brian Mulroney? The Challenge of Direct Democracy provides the definitive account...

A timely evaluation of Canadian social welfare policy.

The authors have based the book primarily on data derived from the 1988 Canadian Election Study, for which they were co-investigators. The survey was a "rolling cross-section": a daily tracking of the campaign designed explicitly to monitor electoral dynamics. The multivariate techniques commonly involved in the analysis of campaign data are presented here in an accessible way, as graphs rather than tables. Videotapes of prime time news analyses on CBC, CTV, and SRC outlets, as well as some newspaper commentaries, have been integrated into the survey. This information is contrasted with...