Canadian Political Science Association

Canadian Political Science Association
Name	Canadian Political Science Association
Native name	Association Canadienne de Science Politique
Founded	1912
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario
Location	Canada
Fields	Political science, public policy, comparative politics, international relations
Leader title	President

Contents

Canadian Political Science Association

The Canadian Political Science Association is a national scholarly association that brings together scholars, researchers, and practitioners from across Canada and internationally to study Parliament of Canada, Constitution of Canada, Federalism in Canada, Quebec sovereignty movement, Indigenous governance in Canada. It serves as a hub linking university departments such as the University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Science, McGill University Department of Political Science, University of British Columbia, Université de Montréal with policy institutions like the Privy Council Office (Canada), Library and Archives Canada, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and international organizations including the United Nations, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

History

Founded in 1912, the association emerged amid debates involving figures associated with Wilfrid Laurier, Robert Borden, World War I, Conscription Crisis of 1917 (Canada), and institutions such as the Dominion Bureau of Statistics. Early membership included academics connected to McMaster University, Queen's University, University of Ottawa and political thinkers influenced by the British Empire, Imperial Federation, and the Statute of Westminster 1931. Through the interwar period and after World War II, the association engaged with themes reflected in writings by scholars who participated in commissions like the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism and worked alongside ministries such as Department of External Affairs (Canada). During the Cold War era, members debated issues tied to the Suez Crisis, NATO, Korean War, and comparative studies involving the Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, and United States Department of State. In recent decades the association has expanded bilingual programming, partnered with provincial groups like the Ontario Historical Society and organizations such as the Canadian Political Science Review contributors affiliated with Harvard University, London School of Economics, Sciences Po, and University of Oxford.

Governance is vested in an elected executive and board modeled on associations like the American Political Science Association and the Royal Society of Canada, with officers drawn from institutions including Dalhousie University, University of Calgary, Simon Fraser University, University of Saskatchewan, and Université Laval. Committees address ethics akin to standards in the Canadian Human Rights Act context and coordinates relations with bodies such as the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The association’s constitution and bylaws reflect practice seen in the Order of Canada honours system and administrative structures comparable to the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

Membership encompasses faculty from departments at Carleton University, Brock University, University of Victoria, Concordia University, graduate students from programs at York University and University of Manitoba, and independent scholars in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Winnipeg. Provincial and regional chapters collaborate with organizations such as the Alberta Historical Resources Foundation and the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities, while student chapters liaise with bodies like the Canadian Federation of Students and provincial student unions. International affiliate members include scholars associated with European Consortium for Political Research, Latin American Studies Association, African Studies Association, and think tanks such as the Brookings Institution and Chatham House.

Programs include annual meetings, workshops on methods connected to tools used at Statistics Canada and training in research ethics reflecting Tri-Council Policy Statement standards. Outreach initiatives partner with media outlets like the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and policy networks including Institute for Research on Public Policy and Munk School of Global Affairs. The association contributes to curriculum development in departments influenced by texts published by Cambridge University Press, Oxford University Press, and collaborates on public lectures with venues such as the National Arts Centre and the Canadian Museum of History.

The association supports peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes akin to titles from Routledge and University of Toronto Press, and members contribute to journals such as Canadian Journal of Political Science, International Journal of Canadian Studies, Publius, Canadian Public Administration, Journal of Commonwealth & Comparative Politics. Monographs by members appear alongside works from scholars at Princeton University Press and Columbia University Press, while conference proceedings have been cited in reports by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (Canada), Canadian War Museum studies, and briefs to the Supreme Court of Canada.

The association administers prizes modeled on awards like the Governor General's Awards, naming winners for best book, best article, graduate student paper, and lifetime achievement, comparable to honours from the Royal Society of Canada and fellowships resembling those of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Recipients have included scholars affiliated with Brown University, Princeton University, Université de Sherbrooke, and recipients who later served in institutions such as the House of Commons of Canada, the Senate of Canada, provincial legislatures, and international posts at the United Nations Development Programme.

The flagship annual conference rotates among host institutions including University of Ottawa, McMaster University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, University of Winnipeg, and occasionally partners with international meetings like the International Political Science Association World Congress, regional gatherings of the Association for Canadian Studies, and thematic symposia linked to milestones such as Canadian Confederation anniversaries and commissions like the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples.

Category:Academic organizations based in Canada