What to Expect When You're Electing

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to be a parliamentarian? To launch our latest book, Real House Lives: Former Members of Parliament on How to Reclaim Democratic Leadership, Research Director Mike Morden interviewed former MPs Peggy Nash, Robert-Falcon Ouellette, and the Honourable Lisa Raitt about their insights and experiences as elected representatives. In a candid discussion recorded in front of a live audience at The Royal Cinema in Toronto, they each spoke about the tremendous stress and responsibility of holding public office, but also expressed how much they loved the job. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation!

And just like that, the election is over! Listen to our final episode on what the new parliament looks like, what happens next and how you can stay involved. Dr. Paul Thomas, Senior Research Associate at the Samara Centre, tells us about majority and minority governments and what that means for our newly elected officials. He also gives tips on how to stay engaged between elections. Have a listen!

The election is less than a week away!!! This week, we have the Research Director of the Samara Centre, Dr. Mike Morden, on to tell you everything you need to know to vote on election day. Listen now!

This week on What to Expect: how to join a campaign, volunteer, and make a difference on the issues you care about. The Samara Centre's Research Analyst, Adelina Petit-Vouriot, talks to us about the multiple ways you can get involved during the election as well as every day. Have a listen!

As we reach the midpoint in this election, you may’ve found yourself in one or two heated discussions by now. After all, it’s easy to get caught up in emotion when talking about issues that matter to you. But online fights don’t lead anywhere constructive. We understand that having constructive political conversations can be tough, whether in person or on social media. This week, your host, Yvonne Su, speaks to Dr. Mike Morden, Research Director at the Samara Centre for Democracy on how to keep conversations civil. Mike covers, why it's difficult to have civil political conversation and tips for discussing politics in a constructive way so we can avoid getting into twitter flame wars. Listen now!

With the election underway, are you being inundated with wall to wall election coverage? This week on What to Expect When You're Electing: where to find information about parties, candidates, and election issues, and how to avoid being misled by bad information. Your host, Yvonne Su, speaks to Dr. Paul Thomas, Senior Research Associate for the Samara Centre for Democracy, to help you wade through it all. Listen now!

This week on What To Expect When You’re Electing: Election 2019 is officially on! With a lot of noise and confusion to filter out, you might be finding yourself a bit overwhelmed. Luckily, we’re here to help you get oriented. You’ll learn what factors to weigh when deciding how to vote, what a party platform is and how it’s created, and the difference, and importance, of local party candidates and your leaders. Your host, Yvonne Su, speaks to Adelina Petit-Vouriot, Research Analyst for the Samara Centre for Democracy, to help shed light on this exciting election season. Listen now!

Welcome to What to Expect When You’re Electing, a series of short explainers designed to help you navigate the federal election! First up: an overview of how Canadian federal elections work (and why we don’t actually elect the prime minister). Your host Yvonne Su is joined by Dr. Mike Morden, Research Director of the Samara Centre for Democracy.