University of British Columbia Press
Constitutional Politics in Canada after the Charter
Liberalism, Communitarianism, and Systemism
Distributed for University of British Columbia Press
Constitutional Politics in Canada after the Charter
Liberalism, Communitarianism, and Systemism
Since the Charter of Rights and Freedoms was introduced, Canada has experienced more than twenty-five years of constitutional politics and countless debates about the future of Canada. There has, however, been no systematic attempt to identify general theories about Canada’s constitutional evolution. Patrick James corrects this oversight. By adding clarity to familiar debates, this succinct assessment of major writings on constitutional politics sharpens our vision of the past – and the future – of the Canadian federation.
Table of Contents
1 Constitutional Politics in Canada: The Charter and Beyond
2 Systemism and Canadian Constitutional Politics
3 Identifying Concepts and Theories
4 Liberal Theories: Negative Identity, Megapolitics, and Institutional Imbalance
5 Communitarian Theories: Asymmetrical Federalism and the Citizens’ Constitution
6 A Critique and Comparison of Liberal and Communitarian Theories
7 Conclusion
Notes
References
Index