Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa
Life in the House of Commons
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of British Columbia Press
Published:15th Sep '97
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
In Mr Smith Goes to Ottawa, the author compares the 34th(1988-93) and the 35th (1993-97) Parliaments. The former, the secondconsecutive Conservative-led majority government, could not appear moredifferent from the Liberal one which followed. Over two-thirds of itsmembers were rookies. More significantly, over one-third representedtwo new political parties - the Bloc Quebecois and the Reformparty.
Yet, for all this change, Docherty shows that the new agendas of the35th Parliament have not translated into changes in the legislativebehaviour or socialization of new members. Unlike Jimmy Stewart inWashington, the majority of the men and women who go to Ottawa end upaccepting a limited policy role.
The book is a unique and important contribution to the literature on po,itical parties and legislatures, especially in the Canadian context. Canada might be served well if MPs were to read it as thoroughly as the scholarly community should. -- A.F. Johnson * Choice, Vol. 35, No. 9 *
David Docherty’s Mr. Smith Goes to Ottawa examines, more comprehensively than any previous published work, the journey made by those elected to the House of Commons. -- Patrick Boyer * Literary Review of Canada, Volume 7, No. 1, January/February 1998 *
David Docherty has produced a book that contributes to our understanding of parliamentary careers. It is a well-written, original and thoughtfully conceived interpretation. * CJPS *
ISBN: 9780774806381
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 560g
320 pages