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The Working Class and Politics in Canada

The Working Class and Politics in Canada

Edited by Jacob Robbins-Kanter, Royce Koop and Daniel Troup

Published by: University of British Columbia Press

Imprint: UBC Press

352 Pages, 152.00 × 229.00 mm, 25 figures, 17 tables

Hardcover
9780774871785
Published: July 2025

£88.00

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Description
Contents
Authors

Working-class Canadians are often overlooked by politicians, policy makers, and political scientists. However, the working class accounts for a substantial share of Canada's population, and class differences have enduring relevance for how people relate to politics. The Working Class and Politics in Canada argues that changing labour-market patterns, shifting electoral alignments, and increased socio-economic inequality make it essential to revisit the political importance of class.

The contributors to this indispensable volume re-examine the experience of workers in Canadian politics and society, considering the relationship between the working class and political science, political parties, voting patterns, and democratic engagement. How do class status and other aspects of identity – such as region, language, and gender – determine voting behaviour? What happens to working-class representation when the country's political institutions primarily reflect the priorities of affluent constituents?

Drawing on new data and original insights, The Working Class and Politics in Canada offers an up-to-date and much-needed assessment of class and its place in contemporary Canadian politics.

Introduction: Where Is the Class in Canadian Politics? / Jacob Robbins-Kanter, Royce Koop, and Daniel Troup

Part 1: Political Science, Capitalism, and the Working Class

1 Is Class Political? Challenges to Studying the Working Class and Politics in Canada / Dennis Pilon

2 Beyond the Blue-Collar Vote: Non-Enfranchised Labour and Canada's Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program / Daniel Troup

Part 2: Political Parties and the Working Class

3 Working-Class Descriptive Representation in Canada's Federal Parties / Jacob Robbins-Kanter and Semra Sevi

4 The New Democratic Party's Protean Relationship with the Working Class / Daniel Troup and Bryan Evans

5 Electoral Coalitions and the Working Class: The Case of the Liberal Party / Daniel Westlake

6 Blue-Collar Tories: Symbolism, Populism, and Economic Nationalism on the Contemporary Canadian Right / Royce Koop and Jim Farney

Part 3: Voting Behaviour and the Working Class

7 The Long and Short View of Working-Class Voting in Canada / Matthew Polacko, Simon Kiss, and Peter Graefe

8 Gender, Class, and Voting Behaviour / Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant

9 Does Quebec Nationalism Crowd Out Class Politics? / Alex B. Rivard and Jocelyn McGrandle

Part 4: Democracy and the Working Class

10 Participation (In)equalities: A Portrait of Canadians' Political Participation / Valérie-Anne Mahéo and Marie Fester

11 Democratic Innovations and the Working Class / Spencer McKay

Conclusion: The Working Class and Politics in Canada / Royce Koop, Jacob Robbins-Kanter, and Daniel Troup

Index

Jacob Robbins-Kanter is an assistant professor in the Department of Politics and International Studies at Bishop's University, specializing in Canadian politics. He is the author of Local Campaign Behaviour in Canadian Elections: The Contours of Centralization.

Royce Koop is a professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. He is a co-author, with Heather Bastedo and Kelly Blidook, of Representation in Action: Canadian MPs in the Constituencies, and the author of Grassroots Liberals: Organizing for Local and National Politics. He is a 2024 recipient of the John McMenemy Prize for best article in the Canadian Journal of Political Science.

Daniel Troup is an assistant professor of political science and Canadian studies at the University of Maine, where he is a faculty member of the Canadian-American Center. His work has appeared in International Journal and the Canadian Political Science Review.

Contributors: Bryan Evans, Jim Farney, Marie Fester, Elizabeth Goodyear-Grant, Peter Graefe, Simon Kiss, Valérie-Anne Mahéo, Jocelyn McGrandle, Spencer McKay, Dennis Pilon, Matthew Polacko, Alex B. Rivard, Semra Sevi, and Daniel Westlake