It was 20 years ago today… This is not just the first line of a favourite Beatles song; it also symbolizes the quiet revolution that occurred in 2006. That was the year that began the world’s second modern citizens’ assembly. The Ontario Citizens Assembly on Electoral Reform sowed the seeds of a worldwide movement that… Continue reading “It was 20 years ago today….”
Category: Research
Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
In the 2024, I was asked to help with the learning phase of the Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform. Like its Ontario and BC versions, this was a demographically diverse group of citizens assembled to learn, deliberate and make recommendations on what would be the ideal electoral system for the Yukon. One member was… Continue reading Yukon Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform
Can Justin Trudeau be safe and sorry?
Here is an op-ed that Bob Pickard and I wrote for the Globe & Mail on September 23, 2019 in the midst of a federal election about the nature of political apologies.
Was the Demise of Electoral Reform Inevitable?
After answering, more than a few times, what I thought of the prime minister’s decision to abandon electoral reform, I decided to put my thoughts to paper. Some tentative reasons for the demise of electoral reform were published in the Ottawa Citizen on February 3.
Electoral Reform should focus on Principles not Systems
I’ve been asked to be an expert witness at the ERRE (The House of Commons Special Committee on Electoral Reform) on July 28 where I will be elaborating on my thoughts in this column on the importance of focussing on principles in the debate on electoral reform. I will also be discussing what citizens’ assemblies… Continue reading Electoral Reform should focus on Principles not Systems
The pre-eminence of advertising in Canadian elections
The three national parties have filed their election expenses and there are some surprises but the most important message from the filings with Elections Canada is the central role that advertising plays in modern election campaigns. While no one would doubt its importance, the Liberals took it to a new level spending 64% of… Continue reading The pre-eminence of advertising in Canadian elections
Who should decide if we have ranked voting in Kingston?
Mayor Paterson of Kingston recently posted an on-line poll to ask Kingstonians what they thought of the prospect of ranked ballots for municipal elections. While I think it’s a good idea for the Mayor to solicit feedback on such an important initiative, such polls can easily be hijacked by those in favour or opposed to… Continue reading Who should decide if we have ranked voting in Kingston?
Electoral Reform at the Manning Centre Conference
On February 27, I was asked to speak on a panel about electoral reform with former B.C. MLA, Nick Loenen and Conservative critic for Democratic Institutions, Scott Reid at the Manning Centre Conference in Ottawa. Nick made the case that single transferable vote would be the best option for any reform while Scott argued that there were many… Continue reading Electoral Reform at the Manning Centre Conference
Discussing Elections at John Wesley Dafoe Conference, U of Manitoba
I am really looking forward to talking about elections at the John Wesley Dafoe Conference at the University of Manitoba, January 28-29, 2016. The conference is titled “Elections: Democratic Tools or Democracy Denied?” My panel on ‘Future Challenges’ is with Richard Balasko the former CEO of Elections Manitoba and Prof. Tamara Small, with whom I… Continue reading Discussing Elections at John Wesley Dafoe Conference, U of Manitoba
Political Advertising in the 2015 Election
I don’t think that many academics do a good job in communicating their findings to a broader public. When we apply for grants or research funds, we are often asked to discuss how we would disseminate our findings. A SSHRCC funding officer once said to me that academics don’t give this much attention. It’s such… Continue reading Political Advertising in the 2015 Election