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Elections such as the UK "Brexit" referendum, Donald Trump's ascendancy to the presidency, and the growth of the Alternative for Germany party in Germany have led to concerns about the viability of liberal democratic institutions. Voters appear increasingly drawn to populists. However, before Brexit, and before Trump, there was Toronto Mayor Rob Ford. Known equally for bizarre personal antics and outsider status, Ford is a classic case of a right-wing populist politician. We examine this relatively early manifestation of a populist by taking into account various factors. One dominant theoretical explanation is based on economic anxieties amidst increasing inequality and polarizing labor markets. A second, and perhaps more dominant theory, emphasizes working class xenophobia and racism. Results from an analysis of a 2014 survey suggest support can be explained by many factors, such as ideology, partisanship, social conservatism, education, financial stress, suburban residency, among others. Sometimes, factors show a direct link to support for Ford. In other cases, particularly as it relates to financial stress, the relationship is more complex. Also, analysis shows that visible minorities were more likely than non-visible minorities to support Ford, contrary to the general anti-immigrant and sometimes racist appeals of populists elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural theory (CT) has been widely used to explain variations in risk perception but has rarely been tested in Canada. This contribution represents the most thorough attempt to adapt CT to the Canadian context. Study results suggest that respondents' commitment to egalitarianism was strongly correlated with risks from technology, while respondents' commitment to hierarchism was strongly correlated with risks from criminal or unsafe behaviours. Respondents' commitment to individualism was also correlated with risks from criminal and unsafe behaviours but differed from hierarchism in that individualism was not correlated with risk perceptions from prostitution and marijuana use. Respondents' commitments to fatalism were strongly correlated with risk perception of vaccines. These conclusions are reinforced by results from a survey question that tests the extent to which such cultural predispositions map onto the myths of nature hypothesized by CT and by a survey experiment that tests how cultural commitments predict perceived risks from a controversial pipeline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This article examines the rise of more strategic, professional and politically sensitive communications in the Government of Alberta and argues that citizen demands for transparency and participation are also reasons for the increased importance of strategic government communications. Accommodating these demands in the context of traditional representative democracy requires politically sensitive staff who can manage processes without jeopardizing the government's re-election or policy agenda. This article draws on analyses of government documents, interviews and the archives of premiers Getty and Klein. Sommaire Cet article examine l'essor de communications plus stratégiques, plus professionnelles et plus sensibles à la réalité politique au sein du gouvernement de l'Alberta et fait valoir que les exigences des citoyens en matière de transparence et de participation expliquent également l'importance accrue de la communication gouvernementale stratégique. Pour tenir compte de ces exigences dans le contexte de la démocratie représentative traditionnelle, le personnel doit être sensible aux questions politiques et être en mesure de gérer les processus sans nuire à la réélection du gouvernement ou à son programme politique. Cet article se fonde sur des analyses de documents du budget, des interviews et des archives des Premiers ministres Getty et Klein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the role of social class differences in environmental attitudes in Canada as of 2012. It relies upon data from the 2004-2011 Canada Election Studies. According to the article, divisions among social classes become significant only when environmental issues are high on the political agenda, and that such differences are concentrated among Canadian political parties such as the Liberal Party, the Green Party, and the New Democratic Party (NDP). The article also examines the attitude of the Conservative Party in Canada concerning economic development as it relates to environmental policy.

An introduction is presented in which the editors of the journal discuss various reports within the issue on suburban development in British Columbia, North American environmental governance, and Canadian environmental politics.