Politique canadienne

A12(a) - Federal Leadership Races

Date: May 31 | Heure: 02:00pm to 03:30pm | Location: Classroom - CL 345 Room ID: 15720

Chair/Président/Présidente : Tyler Chamberlain (Trinity Western University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Cristine de Clercy (Western University)

Performing Populism Poorly: An Analysis of Kellie Leitch's Failed 2017 Conservative Leadership Campaign: Brian Budd (University of Guelph)
Abstract: A new wave of populist leaders, parties and movements have emerged across establish Western democracies. These leaders have received considerable support while challenging the socio-political status quo at both national and global levels of governance. While largely a spectator to the rise of some of the more notable populist leaders, Canada has not been immune to the current global populist zeitgeist. Notably, the campaign of 2017 Conservative Leadership Candidate Kellie Leitch relied heavily on a populist discourse and policy agenda. Leitch’s campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, as her rhetoric and policies were widely condemned among members of her own party and the Canadian public. My paper examines why Leitch’s populist campaign failed to resonate with and appeal to Conservatives. Using Moffitt’s (2016) theoretical framework that conceptualizes populism as a distinct political style that is performed, embodied, and enacted across different political and cultural contexts, I argue that the failure of Leitch’s campaign is due largely to her inability to convincingly perform core tenants of a populist style of politics. I analyze how the language, imagery, symbolism and behaviour used by Leitch in her campaign failed to position her as a leader of “the people” who stands in opposition to the political establishment and status quo. Additionally, I will show how Leitch’s performance failed to convincingly portray a perception of crisis or institutional breakdown necessary to justify the adoption of unconventional and extreme populist policies. My paper will contribute to the growing literature on populism both Internationally and in Canada.

“Tory, Tory, Tory:” Leadership Rules and Electoral Dynamics in the 2017 Federal Conservative Leadership Race: Geoffrey Hale (University of Lethbridge)
Abstract: This paper explores the implications of leadership voting rules on the dynamics and outcome of the 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership race. In particular, it contrasts the effects of party rules distributing votes cast proportionately to their internal distribution within 338 separate constituencies across Canada with a hypothetical “one-member, one-vote” system in which votes are cast in proportion to CPC votes cast during the 2011 and 2015 federal elections. (Should internal party membership data become available, this data will be incorporated into the author’s analysis.) It tests the relevance of four major organizational factors which have been advanced to explain the outcome of the May 2017 leadership race: a) endorsements by elected members of the federal CPC caucus; b) relative candidate support in strong and marginal Conservative constituencies, compared with relatively non-competitive constituencies, as demonstrated by recent election results; c) relative support by demographic composition of constituencies, as measured by degree of urbanization; d) relative capacity to consolidate support from other candidates on a provincial / regional and national level.

Conspicuous Faith or Racial Bias? Language, Media, and the 2017 New Democratic Party Leadership Race: Jerald Sabin (Western University)
Abstract: This paper analyzes English-Canadian and French-Canadian media responses to the candidacy of Jagmeet Singh, a turbaned Sikh, during the 2017 federal New Democratic Party leadership race. Drawing upon critical race and political communications literatures, this paper argues that Mr. Singh’s candidacy was framed differently in French and English language media in Canada. In French Canada, Mr. Singh’s candidacy was framed as an issue of religious accommodation and tied to debates about Bill 62, an act designed to limit the wearing of face coverings when providing or receiving pubic services in Quebec. In English Canada, by contrast, media accounts cast his candidacy along racial lines, including labelling one high profile event where the candidate was accosted for being a “Muslim” as a racist attack. The paper theorizes that distinct media cultures — and, by extension, political cultures — of English and French Canada led to these differences in framing. It suggests that candidates with intersecting identities could expect different framing effects depending on the language of coverage in Canada.