Young and old, Canadians are disconnected from our Parliamentarians and, more than ever, Canadians are simply opting out of politics. In order to find out why, Samara has gone to both sources – the Canadian public and Members of Parliament. To get a better understanding of our MPs and how they see our democracy, with her colleagues at Samara, Alison travelled across Canada and conducted a series of “exit interviews” with 65 former MPs from all regions and political parties, the first project of its kind in the world. In terms of what they tell us about the health

Many political observers point to signs that indicate our democratic political system is in trouble. These include: low participation in politics, negative opinions and lack of trust in politicians and political institutions, lack of interest in politics and knowledge about the political system on the part of the public, disregard of constitutional and ethical norms by political leaders, the erosion of civil liberties, suppression and misrepresentation of information, and poor scrutiny by the media, which frequently focuses on the sensational at the cost of providing a deeper understanding and analysis of political events. Using a series of recent examples, this

The United States Constitution was constructed to require compromise. For most of its history this was possible because the two political parties were broad coalitions which overlapped ideologically in the centre. This is no longer the case. The current polarization of the parties reflects a nation bitterly divided over its future direction and the ways in which the country is changing, demographically, culturally.

When we think of the term ‘rogue state’, the most common assumption by many of us would be a reference today to a state such as Syria, North Korea or Iran; or in the past, to Liberia, Sudan, Libya, Iraq, Myanmar/Burma, or apartheid South Africa. Rwanda today faces strong criticism by the United Nations Security Council (on which it currently also sits as a non-permanent member) due to allegations of its support for the M23 militia operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo. For many others, however, that term would be used to describe the United States of America under

Terrorism is not a threat that we can eliminate entirely–but even more than a decade after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, some of our government policies seem to want to try. What does our overwhelming focus on the threat of terrorism mean for our democracy? How does the tendency to view problems through the lens of security change the way citizens interact with their governments? What are the consequences of sharing information across borders? Drawing on research on mega-event security, urban security, and counter-terrorism policy in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, this talk will investigate the complicated

Three years ago, the Arab Spring shook a region of the world already known for its instability. The events in Tunisia and Egypt demonstrated the people’s desire for freedom from the political indignities of the past. Regrettably, two further developments compromised any progress that might have been made. The first was the strong ideological polarization between secular and religious parties that is typical of politically immature states and often prevents significant change from occurring.  The second development – the militarization of the uprising in Libya and subsequent foreign intervention – provided an opportunity for extremists to introduce themselves as key

We are long beyond a debate about engaging China. The fact is that China is engaging us across a wide spectrum of interests. China’s economic impact on Canada is significant and growing. We also need to be aware of its profound influence on global health, food safety and the environment, and should think carefully about how this affects us, and what we should do about it. China is a leading source of new citizens, students, tourists and investment dollars. How well are we preparing young Canadians for a future in which China becomes steadily more important to us?

While China

I will be speaking about my personal experiences in Iran and how our newly-found democracy there in 1979 was extremely short lived. Then I will connect that experience to what is going on in the world today, including in the West and the Middle East, and how things can be helped. What is the role of the “average” citizen in this mess? What is the role of governments? What is the role of the UN?