Canada Research Articles

Personality and (Negative) Partisanship in Canadian Federal Politics

This piece provides an in-depth examination of the relationship between personality and affective orientations (both positive and negative) towards political parties in a multi-party system. Using data from an original survey of nearly 1500 Canadians, it considers the questions of how personality traits are related to positive and negative partisanship, as well as how these traits drive partisanship towards the four major parties in English Canada’s national party system. It uses more comprehensive measures of personality than does similar previous work – specifically, it employs the HEXACO model of personality, measured through a 60-item battery. Data reveal that personality is an important driver or both positive and negative partisanship, that it effect the two types of partisanship differently and that different traits are associated with support for, or opposition to, each of Canada’s major political parties. These findings demonstrate the importance of personality for understanding partisanship, but these relationships are complex and party-specific in a multi-party setting.

Prompting the Machine: Introducing an LLM Data Extraction Method for Social Scientists

This research note addresses a methodological gap in the study of large language models (LLMs) in social sciences: the absence of standardized data extraction procedures. While existing research has examined biases and the reliability of LLM-generated content, the establishment of transparent extraction protocols necessarily precedes substantive analysis. The paper introduces a replicable procedural framework for extracting structured political data from LLMs via API, designed to enhance transparency, accessibility, and reproducibility. Canadian federal and Quebec provincial politicians serve as an illustrative case to demonstrate the extraction methodology, encompassing prompt engineering, output processing, and error handling mechanisms. The procedure facilitates systematic data collection across multiple LLM versions, enabling inter-model comparisons while addressing extraction challenges such as response variability and malformed outputs. The contribution is primarily methodological—providing researchers with a foundational extraction protocol adaptable to diverse research contexts. This standardized approach constitutes an essential preliminary step for subsequent evaluation of LLM-generated content, establishing procedural clarity in this methodologically developing research domain.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Assessing the Potential of Controlled Digital Lending for Filipiniana Collections in the Philippines: A Content Analysis

We, the Author, the Editor and the Publisher of the journal, Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, have retracted the following article: de Leon, L. C. R. (2025). Assessing the Potential of Controlled Digital Lending for Filipiniana Collections in the Philippines: A Content Analysis. Journal of the Australian Library and Information Association, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/24750158.2025.2475588 Since publication, the author noticed errors in the references cited in the article. The following references could not be found or verified: Adams, C. (2021). Howard university joins open libraries: A case study in CDL. Journal of Digital Library Services, 14(1), 22–35. Alcantara, L. M. (2022). Library funding and budget issues in the Philippines. Philippine Journal of Library and Information Science, 47(1), 34–45. Caron, J. (2018). Controlled Digital Lending: A New Approach to Copyright Law. Harvard Journal of Law & Technology, 31(2), 425–450. Hildebrandt, T. (2021). Controlled Digital Lending and Canadian Copyright Law. Canadian Journal of Law & Technology, 38(2), 87–102. Lemieux, C. (2021). CDL pilot projects in Canadian libraries. Canadian Federation of Library Associations Report. Lemley, M. A. (2020). Copyright law and libraries in the digital Age: A Canadian perspective. McGill Law Journal, 65(3), 561–580. Park, J. (2022). Controlled Digital Lending in South Korea: Emerging Trends and Developments. Korean Library Review, 24(1), 33–47. Philippine Association of Academic and Research Librarians (PAARL). (2022). The state of library technology in the Philippines. Quezon City: PAARL. Philippine Publishers Association. (2022). The State of Filipiniana Publishing in the Philippines. Saito, H. (2023). Adapting CDL Practices in Japan: A Digital Library Perspective. Japanese Library Journal, 22(2), 45–59. Simmons, C. (2021). HathiTrust: A case study in digital library development. D–Lib Magazine For the above-mentioned references, the author confirmed that the use of a generative AI tool had not been declared. Undeclared use of generative AI tools is a breach of our Editorial Policies. In addition, the reliance on sources that cannot be verified throughout the article means that the validity of the published work cannot be verified. As the editorial team no longer have confidence in the reported conclusions within the article, the decision has been made to retract the article. All have agreed to the retract the article to ensure the integrity of the scholarly record. We have been informed in our decision-making by our editorial policies and the COPE guidelines.

Reducing Risks to Native Pollinators by Introduced Bees: A Review of Canada's Legislation with Recommendations for Yukon Territory.

Imported, non-native honey bees and bumble bees threaten native pollinators by spreading pathogens (disease and parasites) and outcompeting native pollinators for nectar and pollen. We reviewed Canadian federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal legislation to find governance requirements that potentially reduce these threats. We classified the requirements as follows: tracking the number and location of honey bee hives (registry); controlling the spread of pathogens (registry with inspections, quarantines, and cleaning regimes); controlling the competition with native pollinators (limiting shared use of space); and making regulations applicable to all domesticated bees in addition to honey bees. Policies and regulations to control the competition from honey bees are generally lacking. So, we propose the concept of "foraging leases" to manage the location and duration of honey bee apiaries on public lands. Based on the identified requirements, we recommend amendments to the legislation in Yukon Territory, a jurisdiction that still has healthy native pollinator communities that pollinate various human food and medicine crops. Recommendations include tracking hives and their pathogen status with beekeeping regulations enabled by the Animal Health Act, controlling the use of imported bumble bees with changes to the Animal Protection and Control Act and/or the Wildlife Act, and restricting use of public lands for apiaries with the Public Lands Act.

Politicization within Government Agencies in the Canadian Federal Government

AbstractThe proliferation of agencies and arm's-length bodies provides opportunities for elected governments to reassert political control in a fragmented public service through staffing and board appointments. We have little basis to make systematic claims about the politicization of agencies in Canada. This study addresses this gap by drawing on the Government of Canada's Staffing and Non-Partisanship Survey (SNPS) micro data from 2018 and 2021, which surveys employees in departments and agencies with questions related to political impartiality in carrying out government duties. We ask: Do employees in agencies in the Government of Canada report a climate of less political impartiality than those working in conventional departments? The data reveals that those working in agencies are less likely to report their organizations acting impartially politically in carrying out their duties than those in conventional departments, though this is driven largely by particular types of agencies, namely those focused on enforcement.

Working the Crowd: Citizen Forecasting, Sophistication and Diversity in Canadian Federal and Provincial Elections

AbstractAccording to the “miracle of aggregation” principle, in the absence of systematic biases, errors in individual judgments within a population should cancel each other out and lead to a correct decision at the aggregate level. This article explores potential individual- and group-level correlates of the accuracy of citizens’ electoral expectations and investigates how potential markers of political sophistication—namely, educational attainment and political interest—could be used to improve upon the raw aggregation of citizens’ forecasts using massive survey datasets collected during six Canadian national and provincial election campaigns between 2011 and 2022 (n = 279,003). We find that while educational attainment and interest increase the probability of a correct forecast at the individual level, delegating the forecasting task based on these variables does not necessarily lead to improvements in the accuracy of aggregate-level predictions. At the group level, we fail to uncover any evidence that sociological or informational diversity increases forecasting accuracy.

Libraries On the Hill:

This exploratory study analyzes the advocacy practices and outputs of three national associations representing libraries and organizations of various types: the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC), and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations-Fédération canadienne des associations de bibliothèques (CFLA-FCAB). Data was collected from a variety of sources, including the associations’ websites, records of federal government consultations and lobbying activities. A thematic analysis was conducted using open coding and visual theme mapping, and the results analyzed using Schein’s model for understanding organizational culture. The results provide important insights into publicly available advocacy work by these associations since 2016. By providing the first step of quantifying advocacy work by Canadian library associations, this study lays the groundwork for further investigation to explore the impact of library association advocacy and to identify successful patterns and strategies for advocacy initiatives in the future.

Provincial diffusion, national acceptance: the transfer of conservation easement policy in Canada

Conservation easements (CEs) are a private land conservation (PLC) tool, with landowners voluntarily selling property rights to an outside entity (governmental or nongovernmental). Pioneered in the USA, CEs were operationalized in the late 1980s, and by 2001, legislation had swept across Canada. I asked how did subnational Canadian CE policy develop? I analyzed Hansard records and interviewed government officials, finding coercion from the Federal government and environmental nongovernmental organizations (eNGOs), with transfer being ideologically, geographically, and temporally uneven. CE legislation reveals a fundamental shift in how subnational governments were trying to enhance biodiversity conservation, specifically by legitimizing PLC and non-state partners. Interestingly, this study both confirms, and pushes back against, previous Canadian policy transfer studies. I found a lack of formal subnational policy networks and an increased role of subnational policy innovators unlike previous studies, while the substantial U.S. influence align with older policy cases. ENGOs were the most active proponents to push for CE legislation, not policymakers or foreign states. Ultimately, Canadian federalism creates unique subnational policy arenas that require further study to understand the movement of conservation policy, especially with the crises of biodiversity and climate.

International Investment Treaty Compliance in Canadian Federalism: A Multidimensional Challenge

Abstract Canada’s federal system raises challenges for its compliance with international investment law obligations. The federal executive branch holds the power to enter into treaties on behalf of Canada, but treaty implementation depends on a variety of actors within the Canadian federal system, many under provincial jurisdiction. Provinces can take measures that violate Canada’s international investment treaty obligations. The federal executive has no ability to stop them, yet Canada remains liable for such violations internationally. Often, it does not know about the measures until they materialize. Rarely is it able to anticipate all the possible measures that could breach these obligations at the time it signs treaties. International investment arbitration raises specific challenges regarding treaty compliance for States—federal and unitary—both procedurally and substantively. This article examines how Canada’s federal design adds further complexity to this challenge. It proposes a fresh perspective to designing solutions that address these challenges, with the recognition that Canadian federalism offers no foolproof responses.

Federalism and Social Policy Expansion in Canada during the Justin Trudeau Era

Abstract Canadian federalism entrusts subnational entities with responsibility over most social policy areas. Yet, the federal government wields influence over social policy through different institutional paths, including the ability to spend in policy areas located outside its jurisdiction. In this article, we analyze the relationship between federalism and social policy during the successive Justin Trudeau Liberal governments by examining key areas that have witnessed expansion, including childcare, pensions, and health care. Illustrating all three models of federal-provincial social policy relations identified by Banting (2005), these policy areas feature varied institutional configurations that point to the diversity of the relationship between federalism and social policy expansion in Canada. Building on the work of Graefe and Fiorillo (2023), we show that—despite communicating a desire for collaboration and cooperation—the Trudeau governments have advanced a top-down federal social policy agenda in key policy areas.

Bringing Order to Chaos Ethically: “Cataloging Code of Ethics” and Critical Cataloging

Goal: The goal of this paper is to address the ethics in cataloging and the concept of critical cataloging, as a sub-movement of critical librarianship, as well as to highlight the intersection of ethics with critical in cataloging. It also provides an overview of the most relevant academic papers, articles, and documents in this field, with a special focus on the Cataloging Code of Ethics, the first comprehensive, collaborative, and internationally accepted Code specific to the profession. This code was published in 2021 by the Cataloging Ethics Steering Committee (CESC), which includes representatives from three library associations from three different countries: the American Library Association (ALA), the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), and the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA-FCAB). Approach/methodology/design: Using content analysis, this paper presents relevant research on ethical cataloging. Through the methods of comparison, analysis, and synthesis, an inductive approach is used to establish a theoretical framework for the subject of the research. Results: The results show that, particularly in the last two decades, this topic has gained significant attention within the cataloging community. Catalogers, aware of their role in building information architecture, have begun to critically reflect on their profession and articulate the need for a document that provides guidelines for ethical organization of metadata. Social relevance: The research advocates that the power to organize knowledge and the power to name, held by catalogers, must be balanced with professional ethics. A critical approach to the profession and the Cataloging Code of Ethics can aid in this process, which could have positive implications for society as a whole. Originality/value: The originality of this paper lies in its critical examination of a cataloging trend that has not yet been discussed in our region.

The Annual Canadian Sociological Association Conference 2023. Research Cluster: Sociology of Housing

From May 29 to June 2, 2023, the Annual Conference of the Canadian Sociological Association was held at York University in Toronto, where various academic, research, educational, and administrative topics were discussed. The conference was part of the Congress of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and attracted speakers and attendees from Canada and other countries. Notably, for the first time since 2003, a research cluster focusing on the sociology of housing was presented, which had been initiated within the association at the end of 2021. Participants included scientific and pedagogical professionals, students, practitioners, and independent researchers, who engaged in two sections dedicated to sociological studies of housing and homelessness. Discussions covered a range of topics including chronic homelessness among women, mobile homelessness, the risk of homelessness among youth, attitudes towards the homeless, housing conditions of different social groups, and housing precarity. Special attention was given to state housing policy and the federal 'Housing First' strategy, the outcomes of which are subject to debate. The reports presented by the Sociology of Housing Research Cluster are of great interest to researchers focusing on housing issues in liberal democratic countries, including Canada, and to sociologists interested in developing housing sociology in Russia based on international experiences.

Neoliberal growth vs food system democratization: narrative analysis of Canadian federal and civil society agri-food policy

Neoliberal growth vs food system democratization: narrative analysis of Canadian federal and civil society agri-food policy

The Canadian Government: How to Cope with the Canadian Winter

The Canadian Federal Government has several responsibilities towards the cold season in this country. Several agencies, departments and other institutions are in charge for everything from stamps, money, passport, Environment Canada and Climate change, National Defence, Natural Resources, Fisheries and Oceans. This article analyzes the work done for each of them when it comes to winter, snow and cold in a modern perspective.

Navigating Governance Paradigms: A Cross-Regional Comparative Study of Generative AI Governance Processes & Principles

As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies evolve at an unprecedented rate, global governance approaches struggle to keep pace with the technology, highlighting a critical issue in the governance adaptation of significant challenges. Depicting the nuances of nascent and diverse governance approaches based on risks, rules, outcomes, principles, or a mix, across different regions around the globe, is fundamental to discern discrepancies and convergences, and to shed light on specific limitations that need to be addressed, thereby facilitating the safe and trustworthy adoption of GenAI. In response to the need and the evolving nature of GenAI, this paper seeks to provide a collective view of different governance approaches around the world. Our research introduces a Harmonized GenAI Framework, “H-GenAIGF”, based on the current governance approaches of six regions: (European Union (EU), United States (US), China (CN), Canada (CA), United Kingdom (UK), and Singapore (SG)). We have identified four constituents, fifteen processes, twenty-five sub-processes, and nine principles that aid the governance of GenAI, thus providing a comprehensive perspective on the current state of GenAI governance. In addition, we present a comparative analysis to facilitate identification of common ground and distinctions based on coverage of the processes by each region. The results show that risk-based approaches allow for better coverage of the processes, followed by mixed approaches. Other approaches lag behind, covering less than 50% of the processes. Most prominently, the analysis demonstrates that amongst the regions, only one process aligns across all approaches, highlighting the lack of consistent and executable provisions. Moreover, our case study on ChatGPT reveals process coverage deficiency, showing that harmonization of approaches is necessary to find alignment for GenAI governance.

A Tale of Two Centuries? Expanding Constitutional Labour Rights in Canada and Their Impact on Legislation, Conflict and Wages

ABSTRACTUsing collective agreement and strike data from the Canadian Federal and provincial jurisdictions for the years 1978–2019, this study examines the effect that various legislative regimes that govern public‐sector bargaining disputes have on the incidence, duration and cost of conflict. This study seeks to replicate and improve previous estimates related to this topic but also extends the analysis to examine changes to the legal environment in Canada in which labour rights have been increasingly enshrined in constitutional law through the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This study finds, in contrast to previous studies, that the legislative regime impacts the way agreements are settled when disputes occur but not the likelihood of a directly negotiated agreement prior to impasse. It also highlights some differences in contract and wage settlements prior to and after the constitutionalization of labour rights in Canada.

Prediction of Canadian Federal Election Results Based on Multilevel Regression and Post-Stratification

In democratic countries like Canada, elections provide eligible citizens (aged 18 or older) the opportunity to vote and elect their leader. Since different political parties have distinct ideologies, election outcomes have significant societal impacts, making election result predictions crucial. This study aims to predict whether the Liberal Party will maintain its victory in the 2025 Canadian federal election using a multilevel regression model combined with post-stratification. The data for this research comes from the 2021 Canadian Election Study (CES) and the General Social Survey (GSS), with the cleaned datasets including variables such as age, gender, education, and province. Through the constructed multilevel logistic regression model and post-stratification adjustments, the results show that approximately 26.63% of Canadian citizens will vote for the Liberal Party in the next Canadian federal election. This prediction aligns with the hypothesis that the Liberal Party will not win the upcoming federal election. However, some variables in the model are not statistically significant, and the data is somewhat outdated. Future research should consider incorporating more variables and updated data.

Personal Information of Medical Learners in Canada: A Review of Policies and Expectations

ABSTRACTThis paper explores whether the Canadian medical universities' policies on personal information to protect and provide access meet the expectations of their learners. An overview of the current legislation is presented in the order of federal, provincial/territorial, and university level. This is followed by a process of reviewing a paper published by the Canadian Federation of Medical Students and conducting thematic analysis on pertinent court judgements to understand Canadian medical learners' expectations of personal information handling practices. Through this process, we develop a list of nominal variables that represents learner expectations. For analysis, we conduct descriptive research to review medical universities' policies and utilize a matrix to cross‐check the policies against the list of variables. The resulting matrix presents a visualization that highlights areas where the policies and medical learners' expectations converge and diverge. Our findings indicate that most universities acknowledge the importance of responsibly handling personal information but did not touch on certain variables, such as oversight of third‐party data stewards and information transfer processes within the medical education community. Insights from our findings may contribute to the development of policies and participation from professional regulatory authorities.

Sleeping Dogs. Quebec and the Stabilization of Canadian Federalism after 1995. Andrew McDougall

<i>Sleeping Dogs. Quebec and the Stabilization of Canadian Federalism after 1995</i>. Andrew McDougall

Treatment characteristics and outcomes in lower-risk, non-del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes: findings from a medical record review in the USA, Canada and Europe.

Aim: To assess treatment patterns and outcomes in patients with non-del(5q) lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.Methods: Patient medical records were reviewed in the USA, Canada (CAN), UK and the EU.Results: Analysis included 119 patients in the USA/CAN (median age, 61.5years) and 245 patients in the UK/EU (median age, 67.3years). Most patients received erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) as first-line (1L) therapy (USA/CAN: 89.0%; UK/EU: 90.2%). A substantial proportion of 1L erythropoiesis-stimulating agent-treated patients were transfusion dependent before 1L (USA/CAN: 37.1%; UK/EU: 51.2%); a small percentage of these patients achieved transfusion independence during 1L therapy (USA/CAN: 2.8%; UK/EU: 14.4%).Conclusion: These findings highlight an unmet need for more effective treatments among patients with non-del(5q) lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.