• PREFACE PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Chapter One: Opposition: 'Somebody Has To Do It' PART TWO: PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION Chapter Two: From Coalition to Coalition, 1867-1920 Chapter Three: The Liberal Ascendancy, 1921-1956 Chapter Four: Minorities and Majorities, 1957-1992 Chapter Five: The Mill of Opposition, 1993-2011 PART THREE: CHALLENGES FOR PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION Chapter Six: Opposition, More or Less Chapter Seven: Opposition in the Federation Chapter Eight: Whither Parliamentary Opposition? PART FOUR: CONCLUSION Chapter Nine: The Problem of Parliamentary Opposition Today NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

How do parties with official opposition status influence Canadian politics? Across the Aisle is an innovative examination of the theory and practice of opposition in Canada, both in Parliament and in provincial legislatures. Extending from the pre-Confederation era to the present day, it focuses on whether Canada has developed a coherent tradition of parliamentary opposition. David E. Smith argues that Canada has in fact failed to develop such a tradition. He investigates several possible reasons for this failure, including the long dominance of the Liberal party, which arrested the tradition of viewing the opposition as an alternative government; periods of minority government induced by the proliferation of parties; the role of the news media, which have largely displaced Parliament as a forum for commentary on government policy; and, finally, the increasing popularity of calls for direct action in politics. Readers of Across the Aisle will gain a renewed understanding of official opposition that goes beyond Stornoway and shadow cabinets, illuminating both the historical evolution and recent developments of opposition politics in Canada.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• PREFACE PART ONE: INTRODUCTION Chapter One: Opposition: 'Somebody Has To Do It' PART TWO: PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION Chapter Two: From Coalition to Coalition, 1867-1920 Chapter Three: The Liberal Ascendancy, 1921-1956 Chapter Four: Minorities and Majorities, 1957-1992 Chapter Five: The Mill of Opposition, 1993-2011 PART THREE: CHALLENGES FOR PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION Chapter Six: Opposition, More or Less Chapter Seven: Opposition in the Federation Chapter Eight: Whither Parliamentary Opposition? PART FOUR: CONCLUSION Chapter Nine: The Problem of Parliamentary Opposition Today NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

How do parties with official opposition status influence Canadian politics? Across the Aisle is an innovative examination of the theory and practice of opposition in Canada, both in Parliament and in provincial legislatures. Extending from the pre-Confederation era to the present day, it focuses on whether Canada has developed a coherent tradition of parliamentary opposition. David E. Smith argues that Canada has in fact failed to develop such a tradition. He investigates several possible reasons for this failure, including the long dominance of the Liberal party, which arrested the tradition of viewing the opposition as an alternative government; periods of minority government induced by the proliferation of parties; the role of the news media, which have largely displaced Parliament as a forum for commentary on government policy; and, finally, the increasing popularity of calls for direct action in politics. Readers of Across the Aisle will gain a renewed understanding of official opposition that goes beyond Stornoway and shadow cabinets, illuminating both the historical evolution and recent developments of opposition politics in Canada.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• The Monarchichal Idea
• The Crown
• Canadianizing the Crown
• Government of the Day
• The Culture of Administration
• The Crown-in-Parliament
• Law, Judiciary, and the Crown
• Compound Monarchy and Canadian Federalism
• Conclusion.

The Crown is not only Canada's oldest continuing political institution, but also its most pervasive, affecting the operation of Parliament and the legislatures, the executive, the bureaucracy, the courts, and federalism. However, many consider the Crown to be obscure and anachronistic. David E. Smith's The Invisible Crown was one of the first books to study the role of the Crown in Canada, and remains a significant resource for the unique perspective it offers on the Crown's place in politics. The Invisible Crown traces Canada's distinctive form of federalism, with highly autonomous provinces, to the Crown's influence. Smith concludes that the Crown has greatly affected the development of Canadian politics due to the country's societal, geographic, and economic conditions. Praised by the Globe and Mail's Michael Valpy as "a thoroughly lucid, scholarly explanation of how the Canadian constitutional monarchy works, " it is bolstered by a new foreword by the author speaking to recent events involving the Crown and Canadian politics, notably the prorogation of Parliament in 2008.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• The Monarchichal Idea
• The Crown
• Canadianizing the Crown
• Government of the Day
• The Culture of Administration
• The Crown-in-Parliament
• Law, Judiciary, and the Crown
• Compound Monarchy and Canadian Federalism
• Conclusion.

The Crown is not only Canada's oldest continuing political institution, but also its most pervasive, affecting the operation of Parliament and the legislatures, the executive, the bureaucracy, the courts, and federalism. However, many consider the Crown to be obscure and anachronistic. David E. Smith's The Invisible Crown was one of the first books to study the role of the Crown in Canada, and remains a significant resource for the unique perspective it offers on the Crown's place in politics. The Invisible Crown traces Canada's distinctive form of federalism, with highly autonomous provinces, to the Crown's influence. Smith concludes that the Crown has greatly affected the development of Canadian politics due to the country's societal, geographic, and economic conditions. Praised by the Globe and Mail's Michael Valpy as "a thoroughly lucid, scholarly explanation of how the Canadian constitutional monarchy works, " it is bolstered by a new foreword by the author speaking to recent events involving the Crown and Canadian politics, notably the prorogation of Parliament in 2008.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface
• * Primary Matters: Federalism and the Constitution * The Measure of Freedom *'A Constitution in Some Respects Novel' * Parliamentary Federalism * The Practice of Federalism * Courts and Charter: Constitution and Federalism * The Habit of Federalism * Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The Canadian system of federalism divides the power to govern between the central federal parliament and the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies. In what can be seen as a double federation, power is also divided culturally, between English and French Canada. The divisions of power and responsibility, however, have not remained static since 1867. The federal language regime (1969), for example, reconfigured cultural federalism, generating constitutional tension as governments sought to make institutions more representative of the country's diversity. In Federalism and the Constitution of Canada, award-winning author David E. Smith examines a series of royal commission and task force inquiries, a succession of federal-provincial conferences, and the competing and controversial terms of the Constitution Act of 1982 in order to evaluate both the popular and governmental understanding of federalism. In the process, Smith uncovers the reasons constitutional agreement has historically proved difficult to reach and argues that Canadian federalism 'in practice' has been more successful at accommodating foundational change than may be immediately apparent.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Preface
• * Primary Matters: Federalism and the Constitution * The Measure of Freedom *'A Constitution in Some Respects Novel' * Parliamentary Federalism * The Practice of Federalism * Courts and Charter: Constitution and Federalism * The Habit of Federalism * Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

The Canadian system of federalism divides the power to govern between the central federal parliament and the provincial and territorial legislative assemblies. In what can be seen as a double federation, power is also divided culturally, between English and French Canada. The divisions of power and responsibility, however, have not remained static since 1867. The federal language regime (1969), for example, reconfigured cultural federalism, generating constitutional tension as governments sought to make institutions more representative of the country's diversity. In Federalism and the Constitution of Canada, award-winning author David E. Smith examines a series of royal commission and task force inquiries, a succession of federal-provincial conferences, and the competing and controversial terms of the Constitution Act of 1982 in order to evaluate both the popular and governmental understanding of federalism. In the process, Smith uncovers the reasons constitutional agreement has historically proved difficult to reach and argues that Canadian federalism 'in practice' has been more successful at accommodating foundational change than may be immediately apparent.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
• PREFACE
• PART I INTRODUCTION
• 1. Transformation of an Unnatural Country
• JOHN C. COURTNEY AND DAVID E. SMITH
• PART II THE CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER
• 2. Constitution
• PETER H. RUSSELL
• 3. Courts
• JAMES B. KELLY AND CHRISTOPHER P. MANFREDI
• 4. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• JANET L. HIEBERT
• PART III CANADIAN FEDERALISM
• 5. Canada: A Double Federation
• DAVID E. SMITH
• 6. Quebec
• ALAIN NOEL
• 7. Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations: Workhorse of the Federation
• HARVEY LAZAR
• 8. Local Government
• ANDREW SANCTON
• PART IV GOVERNING INSTITUTIONS
• 9. Parliament and Legislatures: Central to Canadian Democracy?
• PAUL G. THOMAS
• 10. First Ministers, Cabinet, and the Public Service
• DONALD J. SAVOIE
• PART V POLITICAL PROCESSES
• 11. Political Parties and the Practice of Brokerage Politics
• R. KENNETH CARTY AND WILLIAM CROSS
• 12. Political Parties and the Electoral System Richard Johnston
• 13. Challenge and Change: Elections and Voting
• ELISABETH GIDENGIL
• 14. The Deliberative and Adversarial Attitudes of Interest Groups
• ERIC MONTPETIT
• 15. Public Opinion and Public Policy
• STUART SOROKA AND CHRISTOPHER WLEZIEN
• 16. Politics and the Media: Culture, Technology, and Regulation
• JONATHAN ROSE AND PAUL NESBITT-LARKING
• PART VI CANADIAN SOCIETY
• 17. Ethnic, Linguistic, and Multicultural Diversity of Canada
• WILL KYMLICKA
• 18. Women in Canadian Politics
• BRENDA O'NEILL AND LISA YOUNG
• 19. Beyond the 'Indian Problem':
• ABORIGINAL PEOPLES AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF CANADA
• DAVID NEWHOUSE AND YALE BELANGER
• PART VII CANADA IN THE WORLD
• 20. Canada and the World: Beyond Middle Power
• JENNIFER M. WELSH
• 21. Canada-United States Relations
• STEPHEN BROOKS
• 22. Trade, Globalization, and Canadian Prosperity
• MICHAEL HART
• PART VIII MAJOR ISSUES OF THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
• 23. Continuities and Change in the Design of Canada's Social Architecture
• JANE JENSON
• 24. Health Care
• GREGORY P. MARCHILDON
• 25. Science and Technology: Politicians and the Public
• GRACE SKOGSTAD
• 26. Canadian Environmental Politics and Policy Michael Howlett and Sima Joshi-Koop
• 27. Defence and Security
• ELINOR SLOAN
• 28. Democratic Reform: The Search for Guiding Principles
• F. LESLIE SEIDLE
• INDEX
• LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES.
• (source: Nielsen Book Data)

Canada officially achieved legislative autonomy in 1931 and has since developed into one of the world's most prosperous democracies. Though its political system is widely commended for its stability and fairness, it is nonetheless extremely complex. Particularly within the past five decades, Canada has undergone a vast social and political revolution, as exhibited by events such as the Quiet Revolution in Quebec, the ratification of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Medical Care Act of 1966 and the official adoption of bilingualism and multiculturalism. As the world moves towards globalization, technology has likewise facilitated communication between previously isolated provinces and territories within Canada. Such developments hold significant implications for the role of Canadian politics, both domestically and internationally. The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Politics provides a comprehensive overview of the transformation that has occurred in Canadian politics since the country acheived autonomy, examining the institutions and processes of Canadian government and politics at the local, provincial and federal levels. It analyzes all aspects of the Canadian political system: the courts, elections, political parties, Parliament, the constitution, fiscal and political federalism, the diffusion of policies between regions, and various aspects of public policy. The Handbook examines recent trends such as the movement towards minority Parliaments and extrapolates potential developments. This handbook represents the work of a distinguished array of contributors, including some of the world's most prominent scholars of political science. This volume renders an objective, authoritative portrait of the Canadian political system: it is indispensable to anyone interested in the topic.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• The State of the Commons
• Parliamentary democracy
• Constitutional democracy
• Electoral democracy
• What is the house?
• Who are the people?
• The people's House of Commons and its study.

"Through an examination of academic, judicial, political, and legal commentary, The People's House of Commons explores the role of the House as a public institution. While addressing much of the criticism that has been levelled at the House, political scientist David E. Smith considers the competing political models and inherent tensions and their effect on public understanding. Smith maintains that court decisions are transforming the political system from one dominated by parties to one that promotes individual participation. He argues that reforms such as fixed election dates or stronger parliamentary committees have constitutional significance since their implementation would alter the practice of responsible government, which for more than a century has been party government."--Jacket.

• ""Cover""; ""Contents""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Introduction""; ""1 Constitutional Politics: In a New Era Canada Returns to Old Methods""; ""2 The North American Free Trade Agreement and Canadian Federalism""; ""3 Intrastate Federalism and the Civil Service""; ""4 Declining Legitimacy and Canadian Federalism: An Examination of Policy-Making in Agriculture and Biomedicine""; ""5 From Collaborative Federalism to the New Unilateralism: Implications for the Welfare State""; ""6 Aboriginal Peoples and the Crown in Canada: Completing the Canadian Experiment""

• ""7 Provincial Coalition Governments in Canada: An Interpretive Survey""""8 The Third Phase of the Canadian Citizenship Project: Reform Objectives and Obstacles""; ""9 The Liberal Party, Insensitivity, and Western Canadian Agriculture: Does the Account Still Stand Up?""; ""10 The West in Canada: Through the Scholarship Lens of David E. Smith""; ""Conclusion""; ""Contributors""

Change and Continuity in Canadian Politics gets to the heart of key issues and provides important insights into contemporary Canadian government and politics.

The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective is the first scholarly study of the Senate in over a quarter century and the first analysis of the upper house as one chamber of a bicameral legislature. David E. Smith's aim in this work is to demonstrate the interrelationship of the two chambers and the constraints this relationship poses for Senate reform. He analyses past literature on the Senate and current proposals for reform - such as a Triple-E Senate - and compares Canada's upper chamber with those of Australia, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, noting a revival of interest in Canada and abroad in upper chambers and bicameralism. Drawing on parliamentary debates and committee reports, as well as a range of broad secondary sources, The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective examine the Canadian Senate within the international context, shedding light on its role as a political institution and arguing for a renewed investigation into its future.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• ""Contents""; ""Preface""; ""Part I""; ""1 Bicameralism: A Concept in Search of a Theory""; ""2 Bicameral Perspectives""; ""3 The Senate as an Object of Study""; ""Part II""; ""4 Representation""; ""5 Federalism""; ""6 Legislation""; ""7 Responsible Government""; ""Part III""; ""8 The Canadian Senate: What Is to Be Done?""; ""9 Conclusion""; ""Notes""; ""Bibliography""; ""Index""; ""A""; ""B""; ""C""; ""D""; ""E""; ""F""; ""G""; ""H""; ""I""; ""J""; ""K""; ""L""; ""M""; ""N""; ""O""; ""P""; ""Q""; ""R""; ""S""; ""T""; ""U""; ""V""; ""W""; ""Y""

The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective is the first scholarly study of the Senate in over a quarter century and the first analysis of the upper house as one chamber of a bicameral legislature. David E. Smith's aim in this work is to demonstrate the interrelationship of the two chambers and the constraints this relationship poses for Senate reform. He analyses past literature on the Senate and current proposals for reform - such as a Triple-E Senate - and compares Canada's upper chamber with those of Australia, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom, noting a revival of interest in Canada and abroad in upper chambers and bicameralism. Drawing on parliamentary debates and committee reports, as well as a range of broad secondary sources, The Canadian Senate in Bicameral Perspective examine the Canadian Senate within the international context, shedding light on its role as a political institution and arguing for a renewed investigation into its future.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

• Why is there no Republicanism in Canada?
• The appeal of Republicanism
• Canadian attitudes: the search for constitutional balance in pre-confederation Canada
• Representation
• Participation
• Federalism
• Citizenship
• Contexts and contrasts
• Conclusion.

Canada is one of a declining number of monarchies in the world, yet Canadians have never seriously considered a republican alternative. The nature of Canada's monarchy and the question of whether a republican form of government might prove superior are, in fact, subjects that are all but ignored in Canadian constitutional discussions. This study explores why this is so and what it reveals about Canadian political culture. David E. Smith examines the history, prospects, and implications of republicanism in Canada. With reference to classical, French, and American republican theories, he traces the ambivalence of Canadians to the concept and demonstrates the conflict republican theories and practices present for parliamentary systems of the British model. Smith offers an impressive, thorough, and fresh analysis of the implications of the republican option.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)

The Crown is not only Canada's oldest continuing political institution, it is also its most pervasive, touching the operation of Parliament and the legislatures, the executive, the bureaucracy, the courts, and federalism. However many consider the Crown remote and anachronistic, requiring explanation. There are few studies of the Crown in Canada; the few that exist tend to see the Crown in symbolic terms, such as a bond of national unity. David E. Smith adopts a new perspective on the place of the Crown in Canadian politics - not in the form of the office of governor general nor in the person of the sovereign, but as a structuring principle of government in Canada.The influence of the Crown, he argues, pervades all aspects of government, be it the legislative or administrative process, the legal system or the conduct of Canadian federalism. Yet, despite this essential place in the constitutional order, its influence remains largely invisible behind the shield of responsible government. In fact, Smith traces Canada's distinctive form of federalism - with highly autonomous provinces - to the influence of the Crown. Canada, he states, is best understood as a system of compound monarchies.Based on archival research in Canada, and in Australia, The Invisible Crown assesses the contribution the Crown makes to a powerful executive in a system of parliamentary government. It concludes that the Crown has influenced the development of Canadian politics, and, the strength of that influence is a function of Canada's unique societal, geographic, and economic conditions.
(source: Nielsen Book Data)