This book examines the 2019 Canadian federal election, maintaining an excellent balance of information and analysis. This edited volume is remarkably cohesive, with the chapters seamlessly weaving together a narrative of coexisting influences that provides readers a complete overview of the election. The book analyzes a wide range of factors that resulted in a minority government victory for the Liberal party in 2019. Rather than attributing the election outcome to a specific issue or party, it clearly demonstrates how an array of contextual events, political strategies, social conditions, media lenses, legislative regulations and public habits all exerted an influence. It also shows how the parties were forced to carefully manage their public image after political missteps or reputational accusations from opposing parties.
The opening chapters, which focus on Canada's three major parties, convey how significant issues, policy proposals and party leader conduct influenced how each party was received in different regions and by different demographics. These chapters are useful for students of political science, revealing how party strategy translates into electoral outcomes. For example, Faron Ellis provides a detailed analysis of the Conservative party platform, discussing how its six “planks” were designed to shift the balance of power in the electoral race (56–58). He argues that this broad platform did not achieve its goals, since it ultimately lacked “specifics on issues of interest to voters in regions where the party needed to make gains” (58).
Cultural studies scholars will benefit from the book's efforts to situate social issues within the election, which illustrate how the social perspectives of parties are firmly rooted in the strategy of appearing morally virtuous to the public. The chapter by Brooke Jeffrey provides a situated account of Justin Trudeau's blackface/brownface revelations, illustrating its impact on the “chastened” Liberal party (33–34). The prominence of race and culture in the election is also explored in Eric Montigny's chapter, which analyzes how the intense debate surrounding Bill 21 (the wearing of religious symbols by public officials) shaped the contest in Quebec (110–11). The chapter by Éric Grenier demonstrates how campaign polls allowed the public, media and politicians to understand voter approval of parties and their leaders, as well as revealing the political issues most important to citizens. In the context of current debates, in which the accuracy and value of opinion polls is questioned, Grenier advances the strong argument that “thanks to public polling, the Canadian electorate in 2019 was an informed electorate” (171). The chapter's nuanced analysis of how poll results influence party strategy and the media agenda is particularly useful for public relations educators.
The chapter by Paul Adams provides an accessible glimpse into the successes and shortcomings of media coverage of the election. The author presents many examples of news stories that prioritized political substance over sensationalism and negativity, adding that “the major media devoted considerable resources . . . to analysis, fact-checking, social-media monitoring, and enterprise stories” (177). Critical concerns of modern political journalism are also emphasized—such as “news deserts” (communities lacking any local political coverage) and the weakened gatekeeping function of journalists (180, 185–88).
Building on questions of information access, the chapter by Tamara A. Small unpacks the role of dis/misinformation during the election and assesses steps taken to regulate digital advertising through the Election Modernization Act of 2018. Referring to the 2019 election as “the first one in which the digital space is truly subject to electoral law,” the chapter examines platform governance as the Canadian strategy to combat online advertising fraud (199). The importance of regulatory standards is emphasized, as “cyber threats . . . call into question the integrity of the electoral process,” which can erode public trust in the democratic system (201).
A limitation of the book is a tendency for overlap across some sections, although this is mitigated by the fact that each author has a clearly defined purpose in analyzing the election. In addition, while the studies are strong on quantitative data and media/policy references, the inclusion of semistructured interviews with political or media actors may have deepened the observations in some cases.
As a whole, The Canadian Federal Election of 2019 should be considered essential reading for both undergraduate learners and graduate students and faculty looking to develop a deep understanding of the election. The text has clear applicability to a range of academic fields, given the variety of perspectives from which the election is analyzed. By regularly connecting the details of the election to a range of germane academic theories, this book constitutes a valuable source of understanding beyond the election itself.
