What a Toronto Election in 2014 Reveals About Democracy in Canada

Patrice Dutil talks with Michael McGregor about the controversial electoral campaign that took place in Toronto in 2014 when the Mayor, Rob Ford, suddenly resigned. The battle between Olivia Chow, Doug Ford and John Tory attracted unprecedented levels of attention and interest. The particularities of that race, as well as the condition of democracy at the municipal level across Canada is discussed. Among the topics are voter knowledge, the power of incumbency, issue ownership and “correct voting.” Voter behavior at the municipal level is also compared with voting in provincial and federal contests. The book Electing a Megamayor: Toronto 2014 is by Michael McGregor, Aaron Moore and Laura Stephenson. It is published by the University of Toronto Press. This podcast was produced by Jessica Schmidt. If you like our work, please consider supporting it: https://bit.ly/support_WTY. Your support contributes to the Champlain Society’s mission of opening new windows to directly explore and experience Canada’s past.