Future students

Graduate students from across Canada are invited to submit a proposal to present their research at the annual conference held by the University of Waterloo’s Political Science Graduate Student Association. This year’s conference will be centred on the theme “Shifting Power in the 21^st Century”. The conference will be held on March 6, 2018 from 9AM to 4PM at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (room 1-42) in Uptown Waterloo, ON.

In this talk, Dr. Macfarlane will speak on to the relationship between specific governments and the judiciary. Extending a previous study of the records of the Mulroney, Chrétien, and Harper governments before the Supreme Court of Canada, and applying a conception of political regimes adapted from American scholarship, this paper analyzes the impact of judicial review on the Trudeau governments’ legislative agenda. The paper draws on a dataset of all Supreme Court cases involving federal legislation challenged on Charter grounds during the Trudeau era (2015-2025), as well as a handful of relevant lower court cases involving highly salient policies. In so doing, the paper also re-examines the relevance of a ‘regimes’ lens of analysis in light of criticisms that the concept does not translate to the context of a parliamentary system.

Join us in the lobby of Dana Porter Library for a showcase of ongoing graduate student political science research. This poster session highlights emerging scholarship from the PSCI 601 class (Research and Writing in Political Science) and leverages the Library as a hub for research connections, interdisciplinary dialogue, and knowledge mobilization. All members of the academic community—undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and faculty are invited to engage with the presenters and learn about current political science inquiry.

Dr. Do will be speaking on her book, Process as Power, published at UBC Press. The book examines how Indigenous consultation is implemented in B.C.’s Environmental Assessment Process. Drawing on analyses of judicial decisions, environmental assessment reports, and interviews, it demonstrates how the process of Indigenous consultation is a key site where state legitimacy is contested.

Anna Drake will be speaking on a new approach to deliberative consociationalism. She combines critical work on structural injustice and deliberative democracy with intersectional feminist interventions into power-sharing. Drawing from the radical analysis in the Combahee River Collective statement (1977) and their argument that intersectional identity is a source of knowledge and the impetus for much-needed structural change, she argues post-conflict societies should focus not on power-sharing, but on a transformation of power.

Online MS Teams Link: Scholar Spotlight: Anna Drake | Meeting-Join | Microsoft Teams

In a time of drastic geopolitical change, Canada is re-evaluating its relationships. Are the Prime Minister's comments about a new global order accurate, and if so, should Canada side with Europe? Come and see Dr. Patricia Goff, Dr. David Welch, Dr. Ken Jackson, and Dan Ciuriak debate this issue. Don't hesitate to bring your questions to the post-debate Q&A. 

An opportunity to meet with the Political Science Chair and fellow students, graduate and undergraduate, to discuss current events happening on our campus, in our community, and around the globe. All are welcome!