Parliamentary Democracy Book Launch

PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY IN CRISIS: The Dilemmas, Choices and Future of Parliamentary Government in Canada

Edited by Lorne Sossin and Peter Russell, published by University of Toronto Press

Faculty of Law, Flavelle House, Rowell Room

Our distinguished panelists discussed the future of Canada’s democracy: lessons learned and where to we go from here. This is the third in our series on the topic and celebrated the book that came out of our December 5th event on the Governor General’s decision to prorogue Parliament. The discussion was followed by a wine and cheese reception to celebrate the publication and the accomplishments of the Asper Centre in its first year. Our panelists included:

Peter Hogg is the Scholar in Residence of the law firm Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP (Blakes). He is professor emeritus at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University. Peter is the leading constitutional law scholar in Canada. He is the author of the only comprehensive treatise, namely, Constitutional Law of Canada.

Michael Valpy is an award-winning Canadian journalist and author. He writes for the Globe and Mail newspaper where he made his reputation on both political and human interest stories. Through a long career at the Globe, he has been a reporter, Ottawa-based national political columnist, member of the editorial board, deputy managing editor, Africa-based correspondent during the last years of apartheid, and religious affairs columnist.

David Cameron is a Professor of Political Science at U of T, and is renowned for his significant career in public service at both federal and provincial levels of government. Professor Cameron’s interests include Canadian government and politics, questions of federalism and Quebec nationalism, ethnocultural relations, and the politics and constitution-making of emerging federal countries such as Sri Lanka and Iraq.

Barbara Cameron is an Associate Professor of Political Science at York University where she teaches courses on public policy and Canadian government at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Her current research focuses on the challenges of democratic accountability in the context of Canada’s system of federalism and the growing power of the executive branch of government. In addition to her academic publications, she works with non-governmental organizations on public policy issues, including the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada.

Sujit Choudhry (moderator) holds the Scholl Chair and is Associate Dean (First Year Program) at the U of T. He is cross-appointed to the Department of Political Science, the School of Public Policy and Governance, and the Department of Health Management, Policy and Evaluation. He is a Senior Fellow of Massey College, and a Member of the University of Toronto Centre for Ethics and Joint Centre for Bioethics.

With an introduction and concluding remarks from the editors:

Lorne Sossin is a Professor at the U of T’s Faculty of Law. His teaching interests span administrative law, public administration, professional regulation, civil litigation, ethics and professionalism, and legal process. He was the recipient of the Mewett Teaching Award in 2003 and 2004.

Peter Russell is a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto. He has published widely in academic journals and intervened in many instances of constitutional crisis and development. He is the author of several books on the constitution, democracy and the judiciary, including Two Cheers for Minority Government: The Evolution of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy.

(2009)