The Canadian federal election

The vote has been called. The electorate is mulling over its options. Let our experts put it into perspective for you.

The ethnic vote

Political science professor Jerome Black is one of Canada’s top experts on immigrant and ethnic politics and a frequent contributor to such respected journals as the International Journal of Canadian Studies and the Canadian Journal of Political Science. His research interests include political parties, political participation and voting behaviour. In a course he teaches at McGill, Black also covers the role played by the mass media in Canadian politics.

jblack [at] leacock.lan.mcgill.ca (Professor Black) can be reached at 514-398-4813.

Examining the electorate

Political science professor Elizabeth Gidengil is a principal player in the Canadian Election Study -- an examination of voting patterns in almost every major federal election campaign since 1965. The study draws funding support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and Elections Canada. Professor Gidengil is currently looking at the ongoing federal election -- 110 Canadians are being quizzed daily about their voting intentions. Recent scholarly articles by Gidengil include "Gender and Attitudes Toward Quotas for Women Candidates in Canada" and "The Gender Gap in Support for Quebec Sovereignty."

Professor Gidengil can be reached at 514-398-4805

The future of health care

Political science professor Antonia Maioni’s research on the politics of health care reform has been published in journals such as Canadian-American Public Policy and the Journal of Health Politics. Her expertise also relates to social policy, the national unity debate, the Bloc Québécois, the NDP and public opinion polling. Professor Maioni has published opinion pieces in the Gazette and La Presse, questioning the Liberal government’s approach to Quebec and lamenting the role played by extremists in Quebec politics.

maioni [at] leacock.lan.mcgill.ca (Professor Maioni) can be reached at 514-398-4814.

Then and now: The historical perspective

History professor Desmond Morton, the director of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, is one of the country’s best-known historians. A frequent commentator in print and electronic media, he writes and talks about federal politics, the constitution, defence, labour, the NDP, foreign affairs and Quebec-Canada relations. Morton was recently one of four university-based scholars and experts on the military’s future hand-picked by Defence Minister Doug Young to uncover what’s wrong with Canada’s military and what to do about it. Their report was released last March.

dmorton [at] heps.lan.mcgill.ca (Professor Morton) can be reached at 514-398-8346.

Comparing Canucks and Yanks

Historian and author Gil Troy is prepared to discuss, compare and contrast Canadian and American elections. Troy is the author of See How They Ran, a history of American presidential campaigns, and Affairs of State, a book about the powers and perceptions around American presidential couples. Troy’s books deal with the image-making that surrounds political leaders and the interesting twists and turns that can crop up during a hard-fought campaign.

troy [at] leacock.lan.mcgill.ca (Professor Troy) can be reached at 514-398-3898.

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