Session: J9(b) - Roundtable: Regional Battles, National War?

Date: Jun 1, 2016 | Time: 02:00pm to 03:30pm | Location: Science Theatres 129

Chair/Présidente: Laura Stephenson (University of Western Ontario)

Discussant/Commentateur - 1: Gideon Rahat (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Discussant/Commentateur - 2: Patrick Fournier (Université de Montréal)

Elisabeth Gidengil (McGill University)

François Gélineau (Université Laval)

Andrea Lawlor (King's University College)

André Blais (Université de Montréal)

To what extent are federal elections true cross-Canada contests? We know that pressing political issues vary by province, and that those differences are often reflected in the leadership of provincial governments. We also know that the federal political parties have regionalized support bases. But we do not know the extent to which this affects the federal election campaigns experienced by voters. Do the parties adjust their campaigns to address regional variations? Does the media tailor reporting to reflect the interests of their audience? And how regionalized are the outcomes of federal elections, really? The participants on this roundtable will each discuss one aspect of these questions, drawing upon unique data about parties, the media and voters gathered in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec over the course of the 2015 election.