Reforming Canada's Political Institutions for the Twenty-First Century

Abstract

In autumn of 1998, Journal of Studies determined to celebrate advent of twenty-first century by launching millennium project. This is fourth and concluding issue of special millennium volume that has evaluated accomplishments of Studies enterprise and considered its future possibilities and practices (Campbell, Canadian). This collection of essays confronts question of whether Canada's political institutions have capacity to deal effectively and authoritatively with challenges facing Canada in new millennium. The essays assembled here address many of issues that were raised in first issue of series, Studies at Millennium: The Journey Continues (35.1, Spring 2000). In his introductory essay, Robert M. Campbell identified number of critical themes that were raised by articles in that collection. Two issues are particularly germane as we reflect on messages delivered by contributors to this volume. Campbell identified widely held view that Studies had to confront, assess, challenge and possibly jettison received wisdom and traditional approaches if Studies project were to survive. And, he noted contributors' insistence that Studies had to return to its activist roots. The essays here are presented in spirit of these insights. The Journal of Studies was launched in May 1966. In retrospect, it is noteworthy extent to which political agenda and politics generated momentum for its founding. Indeed, style and approach of JCS was highly political and provocative, progressive and passionate. In lead article in first issue, founding editor, Denis Smith, apologized for passionate (non-academic) tone of his message, tone that was shaped by political circumstances of time. We wish that moment of Journal's birth were more for country's future than it actually seemed to be; but moment is clearly not auspicious (1-2). The mid-1960s were a time of considerable political turbulence, experience degraded by petty but destructive party politics of Pearson-Diefenbaker era and unsettled by social revolution building momentum in Quebec (Campbell, Canadian 5). Canada's political experience over last 35 years has been mixed one at best and our collective political malaise has not been remedied to any great extent, so that present moment is hardly less inauspicious than when Smith wrote. Indeed, as we write this introductory note, Canadians have been witnessing ongoing trivialization of political realm, in form of perpetual outsiders - dying Conservatives and inept Alliance - beating up on perpetual insiders or government party - Liberals over so-called Shawinigate affair. The structure, narrative and content of this event - and related criticisms of cabinet ministers from Hedy Fry to Sheila Copps are spookily reminiscent of John Diefenbaker's scurrilous but crowd-pleasing ad hominem attacks on Prime Minister Lester Pearson and Liberals in 1960s. Nothing seems to have changed. Politics in year 2001 remains very much spectator sport, with parliamentary government reduced to kind of cynical politics and manipulation associated with an episode of Survivor. The global, socio-economic circumstances in which early twenty-first-century politics is playing out, however, are tremendously different from - and potentially more consequential than - those in 1960s. To what extent have Canada's political institutions been part of ongoing political malaise? I Canada enters new millennium intact and, in eyes of some, in remarkably good health. For seven years in row United Nations has ranked Canada as country with the best quality of life, an accomplishment trumpeted constantly by Prime Minister Jean Chretien (Office of Prime Minister). …