The Laws of Government, 2/e

The Laws of Government is a comprehensive legal treatise on the law of Canadian democracy. This book is a one-stop-shop for an area of law and policy that is emerging quickly. Almost every year, Parliament has had to deal with controversies involving electoral reform, political fundraising rules, ethics and conflict of interest, access to information, judicial appointments, parliamentary reform, and minority governments, to name a few. The book grapples with these contemporary issues.

Each chapter deals with a discrete area in the law of democratic governance, providing a detailed account of the relevant legal and policy issues and exploring the nature and likelihood of law reform. It includes original empirical research on judicial and non-judicial governor-in-council appointments, lobbying, and legislative productivity in Parliament.

The book is intended as a rigorous legal resource, but one that is accessible to a non-legal audience. It has multidisciplinary appeal, incorporating public administration and political science themes. The Laws of Government is essential reading for journalists, elected officials, public servants, lobbyists and all who are interested in politics and Canadian democracy.

This second edition incorporates changes in the law since 2005.  In particular, the Conservative government’s Federal Accountability Act, which received royal assent in December 2006, revamped the Canadian law of government accountability – especially that dealing with ethics.  Since 2006, other refinements to the legal superstructure supporting democratic governance at the federal level have been put in place.  All of these new developments are reflected in the revised volume.

Craig Forcese is a professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa.