Canadian Government and Politics delivers an up-to-date and concise introduction to Canada’s political institutions, processes, and issues. The text integrates theory, history, Census data, and current affairs to give students an orderly picture of the wide-ranging landscape of Canadian government and politics. This eighth edition includes coverage and analysis of the 2025 general election, as well as a preview of the new Canadian government. It also adds exciting material on Canada’s cultural landscape, institutions, and policies, along with a full chapter on Indigenous Peoples in Canada.
Other chapters examine the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, the electoral system, bureaucracy, nationalism and regionalism, foreign policy, and much more. The authors provide trenchant coverage of many key issues of concern to Canadians, including Indigenous justice and rights, regionalism, housing policies, and demographic representation. These topics are addressed by way of fair-minded, impartial discussions, aimed to foster an optimistic perspective on Canadian politics that will encourage critical thinking and active citizenship.
Chapter 1: The Game of Politics: Concepts and Institutions
Chapter 2: The Context and Ideas of Government: Cohesion, Division, and Identity
Chapter 3: The Constitutional Framework: Rules for Government and the Political Game
Chapter 4: Contested Federalism: The Division of Powers, Financial Resources, and Regionalism
Chapter 5: Nationalism and Regionalism: Territorial Identities in Québec and the West
Chapter 6: Indigenous Peoples in Canada: The Search for Equality and Justice
Chapter 7: The Executive: Ceremony and Leadership
Chapter 8: Parliament: The Public Arena of Politics
Chapter 9: Public Administration and Public Policy: Democracy, Bureaucracy, and the Public Service
Chapter 10: The Administration of Justice and Human Rights: Courts, Charter Cases, Police, Prisons, Public Security, and Foreign Interference
Chapter 11: Parties and Interest Groups: Teams in the Game
Chapter 12: Elections and Political Behaviour: The Contests and the Messengers
Chapter 13: Canadian Global Policy: Opportunities and Sacrifices
Robert J. Jackson is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Carleton University and Fletcher Jones Professor of Government at the University of Redlands. He has been employed in various senior government positions, including as Senior Policy Advisor to two Canadian prime ministers. He has published over 40 books in Canadian politics, comparative politics, and international relations.
Doreen Jackson is a writer and consultant. She has co-authored 23 books in Canadian, comparative, and world politics, including a number of widely adopted textbooks.
Royce Koop is Professor of Political Studies and Coordinator of the Canadian Studies program at the University of Manitoba. He has authored or edited several books, including Grassroots Liberals: Organizing for Local and National Politics (UBC Press, 2012), which won the 2014 Seymour Martin Lipset Best Book Award.
Tamara A. Small is Professor of Political Science at the University of Guelph. She is co-author of Fighting for Votes: Parties, the Media and Voters in an Ontario Election (UBC Press, 2015) and co-editor of several books, including Digital Politics in Canada: Promises and Realities (University of Toronto Press, 2020), Political Communication in Canada: Meet the Press and Tweet the Rest (UBC Press, 2015), and Mind the Gaps: Canadian Perspectives on Gender and Politics (Fernwood Publishing, 2013).
