Full Description
Working-class Canadians are often overlooked by politicians, policy makers, and political scientists. However, the working class accounts for a substantial share of Canada's population, and class differences have enduring relevance for how people relate to politics. The Working Class and Politics in Canada argues that changing labour-market patterns, shifting electoral alignments, and increased socio-economic inequality make it essential to revisit the political importance of class.
The contributors to this indispensable volume re-examine the experience of workers in Canadian politics and society, considering the relationship between the working class and political science, political parties, voting patterns, and democratic engagement. How do class status and other aspects of identity - such as region, language, and gender - determine voting behaviour? What happens to working-class representation when the country's political institutions primarily reflect the priorities of affluent constituents?
Drawing on new data and original insights, The Working Class and Politics in Canada offers an up-to-date and much-needed assessment of class and its place in contemporary Canadian politics.
Contents
Introduction: Where Is the Class in Canadian Politics? / Jacob Robbins-Kanter, Royce Koop, and Daniel Troup
Part 1: Political Science, Capitalism, and the Working Class
1 Is Class Political? Challenges to Studying the Working Class and Politics in Canada / Dennis Pilon
2 Beyond the Blue-Collar Vote: Non-Enfranchised Labour and Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program / Daniel Troup
Part 2: Political Parties and the Working Class
3 Working-Class Descriptive Representation in Canada's Federal Parties / Jacob Robbins-Kanter and Semra Sevi
4 The New Democratic Party's Protean Relationship with the Working Class / Daniel Troup and Bryan Evans
5 Electoral Coalitions and the Working Class: The Case of the Liberal Party / Daniel Westlake
6 Blue-Collar Tories: Symbolism, Populism, and Economic Nationalism on the Contemporary Canadian Right / Royce Koop and Jim Farney
Part 3: Voting Behaviour and the Working Class
7 The Long and Short View of Working-Class Voting in Canada / Matthew Polacko, Simon Kiss, and Peter Graefe
8 Gender, Class, and Voting Behaviour / Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant
9 Does Quebec Nationalism Crowd Out Class Politics? / Alex B. Rivard and Jocelyn McGrandle
Part 4: Democracy and the Working Class
10 Participation (In)equalities: A Portrait of Canadians' Political Participation / Valérie-Anne Mahéo and Marie Fester
11 Democratic Innovations and the Working Class / Spencer McKay
Conclusion: The Working Class and Politics in Canada / Royce Koop, Jacob Robbins-Kanter, and Daniel Troup
Index
