“A national emergency is an urgent and critical situation of a temporary nature that (a) seriously endangers the lives, health or safety of Canadians and is of such proportions or nature as to exceed the capacity or authority of a province to deal with it …” – from Article 3, Emergencies Act of 1988.
“The happy Union of these States is a wonder; their Constitution a miracle; their example the hope of Liberty throughout the world.”– James Madison, 1829.
Madison, who became the nation’s fourth president (1809-1817), is widely celebrated as the “Father of the Constitution” for his crucial role in drafting that famous document – a charter that would stand the test of time as an enduring beacon of democracy. And it did for a remarkable period.
“The fabric of democracy is always fragile everywhere because it depends on the will of citizens to protect it, and when they become scared, when it becomes dangerous for them to defend it, it can go very quickly.” – Margaret Atwood, interview, Dec. 2, 2010.
The fabric of American democracy was put to the test and its fragility exposed to the world again last week. And what a week it was! It took six exhausting days for a winner to emerge.
Informed Consent Forms (ICFs) are an essential component of research involving human subjects. ICFs provide participants with general information about the study, participant expectations, risks/benefits, compensation/expenses and privacy safeguards. In an effort to provide additional information for ethical and legal purposes, the length of ICFs have significantly increased over recent decades (Albala, Doyle & Appelbaum, 2010; Kass, et al, 2011; Corneli & Sugarman, 2017).
“Could you imagine if I lose? My whole life, what am I going to do? I’m going to say I lost to the worst candidate in the history of politics. I’m not going to feel so good. Maybe I’ll have to leave the country. I don’t know.” – Donald Trump, Oct. 18, Macon, Georgia
Hmm! By all means leave your country, Mr. President, if you must. In time, the American people, with the support of grief counsellors, could learn, as Hoagy Carmichael sang, to get along without you very well.
American Politics and the Polarization Paradox: Is the Divide as Wide as we Think?
By Victoria Parker
Doctoral Student, Social Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Anne Wilson
Professor, Social Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University
Parts of Canada are already battling a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and the struggle promises to be at least as difficult as it was in the first wave, if not more so.
Probably all of us have had an experience was so unexpected or startling that we were able to remember years later where we were and what we were doing when it happened.
In my case, one such memorable moment happened 50 years ago this coming Saturday. It was at the height of what became known as the “October crisis.” I was asleep at home in Manotick, south of Ottawa, when the phone rang from the New York news desk of my employer, Time magazine:
This is the second in LISPOP’s series of three blog posts examining important issues in the American presidential election. Here, Associate Professor of Political Science, Dr. Jason Roy examines some of the important issues related to contemporary polling.
Pre-election polls: It’s not how you ask, it’s who you ask
By Jason Roy
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Wilfrid Laurier University
George Will, the great Washington Post political columnist, has a way with words. Consider the opening sentence from his column on the ghastly Donald Trump-Joe Biden debate last week:
“The putrescence of America’s public life was pitilessly displayed Tuesday when, for 98 minutes, whatever remains of the nation’s domestic confidence and international stature shriveled like a brittle autumn leaf.”
Opinion-Policy Nexus is a forum of opinion and commentary on topics related to public opinion and public policy. Views expressed in any blog entry are those of the author and do not reflect LISPOP's positions.
