Description
Book SynopsisCanadian Government and Politics delivers an up-to-date and concise introduction to Canada's political institutions, processes, and issues. The text integrates theory, history, Census data, and current affairs to give students an orderly picture of the wide-ranging landscape of Canadian government and politics. This seventh edition includes coverage and analysis of the 2019 general election, as well as a preview of the new Canadian government. It also adds exciting material on Canada's cultural landscape, institutions, and policies, along with a new chapter on Indigenous Peoples.
Other chapters examine the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, the electoral system, bureaucracy, Québec nationalism, foreign policy, and much more. The authors provide trenchant coverage of many key issues of concern to Canadians, including regionalism, nationalism, climate change, defense policy, Indigenous Peoples' rights, minority rights, pipelines, and the USMCA trade deal. These topics are addressed by way of fair-minded, impartial discussions, aimed to cultivate inquisitive readers and to foster a vital and optimistic perspective on Canadian politics that will encourage critical thinking and active citizenship.
Trade Review“Canadian Government and Politics is a comprehensive and thoughtful overview of the most important institutions and processes of Canadian political life. The authors demonstrate a breadth and depth of knowledge which will help students at all levels better understand their political system and the issues facing it. This is more than a textbook. It is a thematic discourse on our political system.” — Keith Brownsey, Mount Royal University
“Canadian Government and Politics provides an in-depth, detailed introduction to the study of politics in Canada. The chapters move effectively between concepts and historical context, providing students new to the study of politics in Canada with the background they need, while providing enough detail to keep even the most knowledgeable readers interested. The integration of break-out definitions, ‘close-up’ examples, discussion questions, and other resources will help deepen readers’ understanding of often-complex concepts and will help students easily find the information they need. It is simply one of the best textbooks available in Canadian politics today.” — Alana Cattapan, University of Waterloo
“Jackson, Jackson, and Koop offer a no-nonsense, straightforward, accessible, and up-to-date introduction to Canadian politics and government. The text presents a comprehensive approach to the core concepts of Canadian political science supported by colourful examples and applications. The material is presented in a logical fashion, providing a useful teaching and learning path to both the instructor assigning the text and the student reading it.” — J.P. Lewis, University of New Brunswick
Table of Contents
- Chapter 1: The Game of Politics: Concepts and Institutions
- [the foundations of Canadian government and politics in light of current issues]
- Chapter 2: The Context and Ideas of Government: Cohesion, Division, and Identity
- [political ideas and issues vis-à-vis demography, class, gender, religion, language]
- Chapter 3: The Constitutional Framework: Rules of Government and the Political Game
- [overview of constitutional developments and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms]
- Chapter 4: Contested Federalism: The Division of Powers and Financial Resources
- [divisive issues and developments in federal politics]
- Chapter 5: Québec Nationalism: The Search for Independence and Justice
- [political history and current state of political developments in Québec]
- Chapter 6: Canada’s Indigenous Peoples: The Search for Equality and Justice
- [political history and current state of political developments of Indigenous Canadians]
- Chapter 7: The Executive: Ceremony and Leadership
- [the Crown, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet; and implementing and maintaining law]
- Chapter 8: Parliament: The Public Arena of Politics
- [the House of Commons and the Senate, and the making of laws]
- Chapter 9: Pubic Administration: Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Policy
- [brings budgetary issues up to date]
- Chapter 10: The Administration of Justice and Human Rights: Courts, Charter Cases, Police, Public Security and Terrorism
- [material on security policy, institutions and civil liberties]
- Chapter 11: Parties and Interest Groups: Teams in the Game
- [changes in political parties, political leadership in Canada’s party system, and the business of politicking]
- Chapter 12: Elections and Political Behaviour: The Contests and the Messengers
- [how the electoral system works and how it might be changed, completely revised to reflect new developments and the 2019 election]
- Chapter 13: Canadian Foreign Policy: Constraints, Opportunities, and Sacrifice
- [foreign and defense challenges, issues of political concern (pipelines, etc.)]
