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Melissa Haussman, Carleton University, melissa_haussman@carleton.ca
The opportunity for those participating in the Canadian Section in its inaugural meeting as an organized section is to share our research with each other and the rest of the organization, to promote what we all know: that Canada is the most important neighbor that the US has, economically, socially and politically, and that this will continue for decades. The 2009 APSA theme says that "the theme of change draws our attention to what is new, different and unusual in politics today." While the importance of the Canadian-US relationship has not changed, the manifestations continue to change and we ask researchers in this section to develop roundtables, and paper and panel presentations around these ideas. Next time APSA meets, it is conceivable that both the Canadian Prime Minister and US President may be of different parties from 2008. Internal change regarding party systems, electoral laws, voter groups, campaign financing, types of advertising, social movements and their strategies, the way that national and subnational institutions relate to each other and the role of the leader have been observed in both countries. Either single-country related or comparative research is welcome under this umbrella. Similarly, with the 2008 elections in the US and Canada questioning the Afghanistan policy, the role of these two countries as partners on the world stage has been undergoing re-evaluation. Thus, papers, panel and roundtable presentations are welcome on aspects of Canada's changing relationship to the international political, legal and economic infrastructure, as well as comparisons that include Canada. These themes are meant to stimulate ideas and we welcome proposals (including those to be panel chairs and discussants) on the theme of "Canada and change" writ large. |
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The overall theme of the 2009 APSA call for papers is, "politics in motion: change and complexity in the contemporary era." It also notes that APSA is "on the move." Taking these statements literally and figuratively, those who either live in Canada or conduct research on it know that the placement of APSA 2009 in Toronto is a path-breaking, page-turning step for the organization.