POL490H1S L0101

Topics in Canadian Politics I

Themes

Canada’s federal and provincial legislatures are supposed to be the centre-piece of our democracy. Yet recently questions regarding the stability of minority governments, the use of prorogation, and the general need for parliamentary reform have become ongoing topics of debate. This course equips students to explore these issues by examining the role of Canada’s legislatures, how they operate, and what drives the behaviour of legislators. It begins by reviewing the functions of legislatures within a political system, and then explores how these tasks are achieved within the Westminster model. Canada’s parliamentary system is then analyzed, with particular attention being paid to procedure, party discipline, engagement with citizens, and the role of individual politicians. The course concludes with a discussion of potential institutional reforms. Due to time constraints, it focuses primarily on the federal Parliament, but devotes one week exclusively to the provincial and territorial legislatures and considers them wherever possible.

Texts

David Docherty. Legislatures (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2005); additional readings assigned each week.

Format and Requirements

Two seminars per week. Course requirements include participation, a critical response paper, a research essay, and a final examination.

Prerequisites

POL214Y1 or POL214Y5 or POLB50Y3 or POL224Y1 and 1.0 other POL credit in Canadian Politics. See Department's website for POL courses by area group: http://politics.utoronto.ca/undergraduate/courses/fallwinter-timetable/