Reddit mentions: The best canadian politics books

1. My perception is that companies tend to place a much greater value on experience than schooling. The government does what it can to encourage businesses to hire inexperienced graduates, but it is up to industry to actually hire and train these people. Which is why I said it is hard to blame the govt. for the perceived skills shortage (which I think would more accurately labeled an experience shortage.) Taxes pay for schools because schools are a public good. There is far more to universities than simply skills training.
   
   
2. I wouldn't be able to comment on how accurately the market values skills. I can agree that people with power and influence will probably overvalue the fields they came from.
   
   
3. I would probably rank refugee, family, economic, investor. I put more value on family because it makes Canada an attractive place to immigrate to. If you trust the analysis in The Big Shift than there may be strong competition for immigrants in the future. If this were true then Canada would do well to remain known as an excellent country to move to. On the other hand, mass automation may reduce the need for immigrants so who really knows.
   
   
4. I was thinking more along the lines of the salary and hours quoted not being sustainable over an entire career.

For information about government institutions:

Protecting Canadian Democracy: the Senate You Never Knew---a compilation of papers on the Senate, on upper houses in general, and on Senate reform. Put together by Senator Serge Joyal.

Governing from the Bench: The Supreme Court of Canada and the Judicial Role---by Emmett MacFarlane, a very good analysis of the Supreme Court of Canada and its role in modern lawmaking.

House of Commons Procedure and Practice---also known as O'Brien & Bosc after its editors, the House of Commons procedural reference manual and roughly the Canadian equivalent of the seminal Erskine May. The manual includes a comprehensive coverage of the institutions of government, especially as they relate to Parliament and lawmaking, and good coverage of parliamentary privilege. Don't dismiss it out of hand for being a procedural manual; the parts on the structure of the government are surprisingly accessible.

Here is a short reading list that should give you the essentials:

Some of these will read like stories, others are more academic in nature. There is both Canadian and American material included. overall, you should get a pretty good impression of how political campaigns are planned and how they actually roll out.

1. Burton, M.J. & Shea, D.M. (2010). Campaign craft: The strategies, tactics, and art of political campaign management (4th ed.). Westport, Conn.: Praeger Publishers. https://www.amazon.com/Campaign-Craft-Strategies-Political-Management/dp/031338343X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1479856930&sr=8-2&keywords=campaign+craft
   
   
2. Green, D.P. & Gerber, A.S. (2015). Get out the vote: How to increase voter turnout (3rd ed.). Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. https://www.amazon.com/Get-Out-Vote-Increase-Turnout/dp/081572568X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479857921&sr=1-1&keywords=get+out+the+vote+how+to+increase+voter+turnout
   
   
3. Thurber, J.A. & Nelson, C.J. (Eds.) (2014). Campaigns and elections American style: Transforming American politics (4th ed.). Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press. https://www.amazon.com/Campaigns-Elections-American-Transforming-Politics/dp/0813348358/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479857939&sr=1-1&keywords=Campaign+And+Elections+American
   
   
4. Faucheux, R.A. (Ed.) (2003). Winning elections: Political campaign management, strategy, and tactics. New York: M. Evans & Company. https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Elections-Political-Campaign-Management/dp/1590770269/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479857978&sr=1-1&keywords=Winning+elections%3A+Political+campaign+management%2C+strategy%2C+and+tactics
   
   
5. Issenberg, S. (2012). The Victory Lab: The Secret Science of Winning Campaigns. New York: Broadway Books. https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Lab-Science-Winning-Campaigns/dp/0307954803/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479858008&sr=1-1&keywords=the+victory+lab+the+secret+science+of+winning+campaigns
   
   
6. Laschinger, J. (2016). Campaign Confessions: Tales from the War Rooms of Politics. Toronto: Dundurn. https://www.amazon.com/Campaign-Confessions-Tales-Rooms-Politics/dp/1459736532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479858025&sr=1-1&keywords=campaign+confessions
   
   
7. Delacourt, S. (2013). Shopping for Votes: How Politicians Choose us and we Choose them. Madeira Park, BC: Douglas and McIntyre. https://www.amazon.com/Shopping-Votes-Politicians-Choose-Them/dp/1771621095/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1479858059&sr=1-1&keywords=Shopping+for+votes

>America has wonderful people, but the sense of entitlement of their government when it comes to world politics is all kinds of fucked up.

It's corporations, "the government" was designed to protect the rich. America is the heart of capitalism. So it's one of the biggest meanest states on the planet.

It also fears new idealogy that might challenge it's power, that's why it's so paranoid.

The (mass surveillance) by the NSA and abuse by law enforcement is just more part and parcel of state suppression of dissent against corporate interests. They're worried that the more people are going to wake up and corporate centers like the US and canada may be among those who also awaken. See this vid with Zbigniew

Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttv6n7PFniY

Brezinski at a press conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kmUS--QCYY

The real news:

http://therealnews.com/t2/

http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Incorporated-Managed-Inverted-Totalitarianism/dp/069114589X/

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Government-Surveillance-Security-Single-Superpower/dp/1608463656/

http://www.amazon.com/National-Security-Government-Michael-Glennon/dp/0190206446/

Look at the following graphs:

IMGUR link - http://imgur.com/a/FShfb

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html
And then...

WIKILEAKS: U.S. Fought To Lower Minimum Wage In Haiti So Hanes And Levis Would Stay Cheap

http://www.businessinsider.com/wikileaks-haiti-minimum-wage-the-nation-2011-6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnkNKipiiiM

Free markets?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349

Free trade?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju06F3Os64

http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Illusion-Literacy-Triumph-Spectacle/dp/1568586132/

"We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected—presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this “other America,” serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society.

In the tradition of Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges navigates this culture—attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremonies—to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion."

Important history:

http://williamblum.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcA1v2n7WW4#t=2551

I'm personally a fan of An Introduction To Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach by Mark Dickerson, Thomas Flanagan, and Brenda O'Neill and Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches by Rand Dyck, but there are literally hundreds of other books that will fit the bill.

Honestly, the easiest way to find what you're looking for is to just head down to the nearest university bookstore and buy whatever the required books are for their intro to Canadian politics course.

In your case, since you seem to live in Toronto, I'd suggest going to the University of Toronto bookstore and picking up the required book for "POL214 Canadian Government and Politics."

i was thinking of saying the same as well. we may be more socially progressive (debatable because USA is a big place) but i think on the whole we are more conservative in our management of social institutions like the legislature, banks, etc.

edit: funny that this appears to be a controversial comment. just theorizing and starting a conversation, didn't make any value judgements! here is an interesting book on the subject:

https://www.amazon.ca/Continental-Divide-Values-Institutions-United/dp/0415903858/

For a decent online overview, this does nicely. If you care to spend a bit of money or go to a library textbooks like Bickerton or Dyck will help further.

I wrote a book about Kathleen Wynne. I published it on Amazon this week. I'm beside myself with excitement. Check it out! :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1520847777

Last Video Game: Super Smash Bros. Melee, as Kirby = not good strength. except for kicking people upwards.

Last Movie I watched: Our school has a spring Porno...so...Walter White, porn version. He has Cancer...so not good.

Last Book I read was Will War Ever End? which is a nonfiction book about a soldier's time in the army and whether it's possible for humans to be non-violent. So I can shoot well, and courageous. Oh, and good at philosophy and writing I guess.

My opponent gets the strength of either Iraq, or War...so OP.

My opponent gets the speed of a governor who bans pornography. But he's a porn character so he's not out of shape.

My opponent gets the power of Master Hand so...so OP.

Anybody see any version of this where I win?

It would have been nice to have seen the Bonnie as a museum. Have you read The Bonnie. When it was released my father got a copy sent to him. He was really happy to read that book.

I read Robert Bothwell's The Penguin History of Canada recently, thought it was great. An example: the 1967 "Vive le Quebec libre" incident.

Some other books I've enjoyed:

• Paul Wells, The Longer I'm Prime Minister (on Harper)
  
• Edward Greenspon and Anthony Wilson-Smith, Double Vision: The Inside Story of the Liberals in Power, on Chretien
  
• John Laschinger and Geoffrey Stevens, Leaders and Lesser Mortals.
  
• C. P. Stacey, The Undefended Border: The Myth and the Reality. Describes the history of relations between the US and Canada from the War of 1812 to the 1871 Treaty of Washington.
  
• Rosemary Neering, The Pig War: The Last Canada-US Border Conflict. Slight but amusing: a miniature conflict over San Juan Island.
  
• Joseph Heath, The Efficient Society. More about policy and institutions than politics.

The following is an excellent Canadian Politics 101 textbook that covers all the basics and is used at several Canadian Universities. It's affordable too.

http://www.amazon.ca/Canadian-Politics-Fifth-Edition-Bickerton/dp/1442601213

*Apparently there's a sixth edition out now.
http://www.utppublishing.com/Canadian-Politics-Sixth-Edition.html

Good read. Reminds me of this great book I recently finished.

> Yeah, it's counter-intuitive. Why would you go against consumers this way?

You're not seeing the larger picture.... this isn't about consumers, this is about control of world markets. You're missing the larger historical context, the NSA is all about control and management of information for corporate profits.

Most have no clue what's really going on in the world... the elites are afraid of political awakening.

This (mass surveillance) by the NSA and abuse by law enforcement is just more part and parcel of state suppression of dissent against corporate interests. They're worried that the more people are going to wake up and corporate centers like the US and canada may be among those who also awaken. See this vid with Zbigniew Brzezinski, former United States National Security Advisor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ttv6n7PFniY

Science on reasoning, reason doesn't work the way we thought it did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ

Brezinski at a press conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kmUS--QCYY

The real news:

http://therealnews.com/t2/

http://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Incorporated-Managed-Inverted-Totalitarianism/dp/069114589X/

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Government-Surveillance-Security-Single-Superpower/dp/1608463656/r

http://www.amazon.com/National-Security-Government-Michael-Glennon/dp/0190206446/

Look at the following graphs:

IMGUR link - http://imgur.com/a/FShfb

http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/wealth.html

And then...

WIKILEAKS: U.S. Fought To Lower Minimum Wage In Haiti So Hanes And Levis Would Stay Cheap

http://www.businessinsider.com/wikileaks-haiti-minimum-wage-the-nation-2011-6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnkNKipiiiM

Free markets?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHj2GaPuEhY#t=349

http://www.amazon.com/Empire-Illusion-Literacy-Triumph-Spectacle/dp/1568586132/

"We now live in two Americas. One—now the minority—functions in a print-based, literate world that can cope with complexity and can separate illusion from truth. The other—the majority—is retreating from a reality-based world into one of false certainty and magic. To this majority—which crosses social class lines, though the poor are overwhelmingly affected—presidential debate and political rhetoric is pitched at a sixth-grade reading level. In this “other America,” serious film and theater, as well as newspapers and books, are being pushed to the margins of society.

In the tradition of Christopher Lasch’s The Culture of Narcissism and Neil Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, Pulitzer Prize-winner Chris Hedges navigates this culture—attending WWF contests, the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, and Ivy League graduation ceremonies—to expose an age of terrifying decline and heightened self-delusion."

Important history:

http://williamblum.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcA1v2n7WW4

> Origins of Political Order[1] , Francis Fukuyama

Seconded.

My list would include:

• [Canadian Parties in Transition] (http://www.amazon.ca/Canadian-Parties-Transition-Third-Edition/dp/1551117851)
  
  
• [Canadian Foreign Policy in a Changing World] (http://books.google.ca/books/about/Canadian_Foreign_Policy_in_a_Changing_Wo.html?id=FAh6AAAAMAAJ) by John Kirton
  
  
• [On China] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_China) by Henry Kissinger
  
  Not so much related directly involved with Canadian politics, but still relevant:
  
  
• [Diplomacy] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(book)) by Henry Kissinger
  
  
• [Man, the State, and War] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man,_the_State,_and_War) by Kenneth Waltz
  
  
• [The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation] (http://www.open-spaces.com/article-v10n2-cosgriff.php) by Drew Westen - MANDATORY READING
  
  
• [The Rights of Others: Aliens, Residents, and Citizens] (http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/hypatia/v022/22.2allen.html) by Seyla Benhabib.
  
  
• [Arms and Influence] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Schelling#Arms_and_Influence_.281966.29) by Thomas Schelling
  
  
• [The Tragedy of Great Power Politics] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tragedy_of_Great_Power_Politics) by John Mearsheimer
  
  I will also be picking up Lord Black's new book on American foreign policy, [Flight of the Eagle] (http://www.mcnallyrobinson.com/9780771013713/conrad-black/flight-eagle#.UZ_eWLXvuSo), for some summer reading.

https://www.amazon.ca/Democracy-Alberta-Social-Credit-System/dp/1442615753

https://www.amazon.ca/Notley-Nation-Albertas-Political-Upheaval/dp/1459736036

https://www.amazon.ca/Patch-People-Pipelines-Politics-Sands/dp/150111509X

Here's a law suggestion, specifically about our constitution and form of government, which also touches on our culture and history: a collection of essays called The Evolving Canadian Crown.

http://www.amazon.com/Continental-Divide-Values-Institutions-United/dp/0415903858

The Big Shift - John Ibbitson and Darrel Bricker

Is this the book you are referring to?

https://www.amazon.ca/Politics-Canada-Culture-Institutions-Behaviour/dp/0131296418

Textbook used in most university Canadian politics 101 classes.

Also here is a book about Canadian foreign policy and canadian mining companies fucking up communities everywhere. https://www.amazon.ca/Ugly-Canadian-Yves-Engler/dp/1552665305

https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Citizen-Make-Politics-Work/dp/1771085312

http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Government-Surveillance-Security-Single-Superpower/dp/1608463656

You think Tom Englehardt is some lunatic conspiracy theorist too? Looks like it's time for you to shut the fuck up and educate yourself.