Canadian Parties in Transition, Fifth Edition

The fifth edition of Canadian Parties in Transition continues and enriches the work of earlier editions in bringing together a highly respected group of scholars to offer a comprehensive account of the development of party politics in Canada.

The book addresses the origin and the evolution of the Canadian party system and discusses how that system has been impacted by regionalism, brokerage politics, and political marketing. It focuses on the competing ideological currents that occupy the political stage while also paying attention to the role of third parties in federal politics. Contributors address the representation and democracy through an exploration of voting systems, direct democracy, the role occupied by constituencies, gender politics, and the distinct Quebec dynamics in the federal party system. Finally, the book analyses topical issues, such as electoral participation, social movements, right-wing populist parties, political campaigning, and digital party politics.

This new edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to reflect ongoing transformations and includes nineteen new contributing authors and coverage of seven new topics. Canadian Parties in Transition presents a multi-faceted image of party dynamics, electoral behaviour, political marketing, and representative democracy.

Alain-G. Gagnon is Canada Research Chair in Quebec and Canadian Studies and professor in the Department of Political Science at the Université du Québec à Montréal.


A. Brian Tanguay is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University.