Political Law in Canada
- Publisher
- University of Toronto Press
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2023
- Category
- General, Election Law, General, Federal, Constitutional
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781552216422
- Publish Date
- Sep 2023
- List Price
- $41.00
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Description
Democracy implies the primacy of law over discretion and power. Several disciplines, in particular constitutional law and political science, offer traditional analyses of this reality. Political law is a new way of looking at the state and at statecraft. Gregory Tardi’s Political Law in Canada explains that this subject matter is an interdisciplinary combination of the elements of statecraft. This book proposes a new form of analysis, one necessary to a better understanding of the modern Democratic state. It recognizes that the allure of influence and power requires a constant struggle for legality to occupy its rightful role as the cornerstone of Democracy. To achieve this, political law first examines the entire body of instruments of governance — namely, the law of public institutions and administration, policy instruments, and political instruments. It compares and contrasts the impact of each, based on the binding nature of each type of instrument. Political Law in Canada adds to the understanding of public life by approaching the various instruments as the appropriate vehicles for Democratic governing, rather than merely as constraints on the use of power. It deals with elections; the legislative, executive, and judicial branches; and the accountability to law. The aim of political law is to offer to citizens greater understanding of the conduct of public affairs and of their role as knowledgeable participants in it.
About the authors
Gregory Tardi is a member of the Québec Bar and has served as legal counsel for Elections Canada and senior parliamentary counsel at the House of Commons.
Patrick Monahan is Deputy Attorney General of Ontario and a Professor of Law (on leave) from Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, where he served as Dean from 2003–2009. He also served as Vice President Academic and Provost of York University from 2009–2012. He has written widely on constitutional and public policy issues and was awarded the David Mundell Medal for excellence in legal writing in 2008.
Editorial Reviews
Gregory Tardi’s new book is so timely and important. . . . It is essential reading for those concerned over the need to defend and improve the functioning of democratic political institutions worldwide in the third decade of the twenty-first century.
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