Mount A Libraries: POLS 1001 Winter 2015: Online Sources

Featured E-books

Learning to School by Jennifer Wallner
Call Number: E-book (one copy only)
ISBN: 9781442647817
Publication Date: 2014-07-18
Among countries in the industrialized world, Canada is the only one without a national department of education, national standards for education, and national regulations for elementary or secondary schooling. For many observers, the system seems impractical and almost incoherent. But despite a total lack of federal oversight, the educational policies of all ten provinces are very similar today. Without intervention from Ottawa, the provinces have fashioned what amounts to a de facto pan-Canadian system. Learning to School explains how and why the provinces have achieved this unexpected result. (--from the publisher)

The Development of Post-Secondary Education Systems in Canada: A Comparison Between British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec, 1980-2010
Edited by Donald Fisher, Kjell Rubenson, Theresa Shanahan, and Claude Trottier. (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2014)

Significant public investment and increased access to higher education lead to economic development -- governments across the political and ideological spectrum believe this and have designed and implemented policy based on this understanding. The Development of Postsecondary Education Systems in Canada examines how these policies affect the structure and performance of postsecondary education.
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The book presents policy and education as a multidimensional exchange between the postsecondary community, policy makers, and the behaviour and performance of educational systems and concludes that higher education is a key actor in the restructuring of the state. [The book] shows how higher education policy has been driven by a changing political and economic imperative and examines the contradictions and unintended consequences of education policy. (--from the publisher)

The State of Education in Canada by Thomas T. Schweitzer
Call Number: E-book
ISBN: 0886451590
Publication Date: 1995-01-01
When Canadians ask "What kind of a report card should we give our schools?" it is difficult to get a clear answer. For most of us, evaluating our schools is an impossible task as we have little or no basis for comparison beyond our own experiences. Tom Schweitzer, a former Senior Economist with the Economic Council of Canada and now independent consultant on education, has produced a monograph to provide some benchmarks to make that job of comparing schools possible.

Online Sources

Hansard: Debates of the House of Commons
Hansard is the name given to the official debates within the Canadian Parliament's House of Commons and the Senate. Hansards are the recorded transcript of what was said, by whom, and at what time for each day Parliament is in session.

You can also find print copies of Hansard in the library's government documents section (basement floor).

PROVINCIAL HANSARDS: With the exception of New Brunswick, all of the provinces and territories post their legislative debates as well as other documents such as committee reports on their websites. An Internet search for: provincename legislature is a quick way to access them.
CanLII: Canadian Legal Information Institute
The Canadian Legal Information Institute (CANLII) provides access to court judgments from various federal and provincial courts and tribunals. It also provides access to federal and provincial statutes.
Library of Parliament Research Publications
A collection of background papers, current issue reviews, legislative summaries, etc. on all major issues affecting Canadians. Issues covered include: aboriginal issues, crime, culture and communication, and foreign affairs
Library of Parliament Research Publications (older publications)
An old but user-friendly catalogue of Library of Parliament publications such as backgrounders and legislative summaries. Can be easy to search by topic.
Our Schools, Our Selves: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Quarterly journal on education issues covering topics such as commercialization of education, standardized testing, Aboriginal education, anti-racism classroom programs, sex education, peace studies, environmental education, child care, and authentic classroom assessment. Available through ProQuest database.
Canadian Political Science Review
The Canadian Political Science Review is an open-access, peer-reviewed electronic review of political science research undertaken by Canadians or about Canada.
Chronicle of Higher Education
Source for news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty members and administrators. Based in Washington, D.C.

POLITICAL PARTIES:

News releases on political parties’ websites can provide clues about dates on which federal or provincial politicians engaged in debates about certain issues in the House or in committee. You can then look up these debates in Hansard. You can also look up party policies, their constitutions, and platforms online. (Note: availability is inconsistent. Also check the library catalogue for print copies of political documents.) Federal party links are below. Check provincial party websites for provincial information.

Conservative Party of Canada: http://www.conservative.ca/?page_id=54

Green Party of Canada: https://www.greenparty.ca/

Liberal Party of Canada: http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/

New Democratic Party of Canada: http://www.ndp.ca/news/recent/press-release

Link back to main Political Science Subject Guide:

Political Science Subject Guide