| abstracts. |
2004 Canadian Studies Section Abstracts Running on Empty? Alberta at 100 years As the province of Alberta approaches its centennial, it faces the prospect of running out of sufficient water for its burgeoning population. In addition to population growth, demand for water is being driven up by livestock operations, thirsty tar sands plants and irrigation. The government has responded by extensive consultations on a water strategy for the province. The strategy includes a proposal to move towards more realistic pricing. The paper will examine Alberta 's water strategy and try to explain the implications of moving towards the commodification of such a vital substance. The Good, the Bad, and the Outrageous: Canadian Literary Women of the West Some theorists divide women into three categories: the virgin, the mother, and the crone. The female characters who people Canadian literature set in western Canada have too much complexity to fit neatly into these categories. The point of reading literature is to expand, not contract, our perceptions of human nature. Reading offers opportunities to practice understanding and tolerance, learn sisterhood and brotherhood, and exercise moral judgments--but only after defining such abstract terms in actions from the daily lives of characters. This presentation will look at many literary characters who live in the West to see ways in which they fit the archetypes, challenge them, or change and renew them. Children of a Common Mother? (abstract submitted to ABS Section Chair) Federal Legislative Harmonization in Canada : ‘Bijuralism' or, Making Two Legal Systems Work In 2001 the Parliament of Canada passed the Federal Harmonization Act. For over 200 years Canada enjoyed the privilege of having two functioning legal systems, the Common Law and the code civil . Yet, while the civil code was the applicable law in Quebec problems regularly emerged when federal law either conflicted with provincial law or where federal law superceded provincial law. Historically, when issues were contested , Canada 's courts would search for guiding principles from, and develop concepts based upon, the common law. The principle that all federal laws should be bilingual was established many years ago. However, bilingualism does not ensure that a court will interpret a phrase or a concept in the same manner irrespective of language. ‘Bijuralism' means not only that federal statutes be bilingual but, more importantly, that concepts and terminology within those status must be susceptible to interpretation by the courts in a manner which is consist ent with the basic premises of both legal systems. The Paper will provide background to the emergence of bijuralism in Canada and it will explain and illustrate how the concept seeks to fully engage two profound legal traditions within the same federal country. Managing the Sacred: A Comparative Study of US and Canadian Policies Regarding Sacred Sites on Public Lands The question of religion and politics has always been contentious. In modern liberal democracies such as the United States and Canada this issue often reached a head over the management of public lands. Indigenous peoples have a long and well-documented set of claims to the sacredness of particular places, many of which are located on public lands. Many other groups within the US and Canada have also made claims to these sites; many of these claims are in conflict with indigenous claims.This research proposes a comparison of public policies regarding claims of sacred sites on public land in the United States and Canada. To understand the similarities and differences in these two approaches, this research examines public land management policies, constitutional law and relevant court cases as well as the claims made (by indigenous peoples and others) regarding sacred places on public lands. It is hoped that through such a comparison we will better understand the nature of the problem, and the merits of the variety of solutions offered. Assessing Proportional Representation's Potential in Canada Canadians intent on reforming their politics now direct close attention to their electoral system. Electoral reformers led by Fair Vote Canada argue that proportionality in some form, preferably a mixed-member system resembling Germany's or New Zealand's, would enhance representation, accountability, and participation in Canada's plurality politics both in the provinces and in Ottawa. They maintain that proportional representation can alleviate Canada 's divisive regionalism and its Western alienation from a sense of powerlessness in federal policy making, while it increases the parliamentary representation of women and minorities. At the same time it can reverse Canadians' well-documented decline in their support for, and participation in, their political system. We use well-established characteristics of Canada 's politics, and New Zealand 's unique experience with a Westminster parliament through three elections under proportionality, to speculate how Canada might operate under proportional representation for the House of Commons. We consider how a proportionally elected Commons would affect plurality elections' perceived deficiencies. The paper concludes with proposals for reforms likeliest to address those features of Canada 's politics that reformers consider most in need of changes. The Elusive Border: Identity and State at Odds in Detroit , 1763 – 1796 (abstract provided to ABS) Ebb and Flow: Cross-border Relations along Canada - United States Border in the St. Mary's River and Lake Huron Borderlands, 1780 - 1860. The purpose of this study is to investigate the formation and maintenance of the Canada-U.S. border in the St. Mary's River and Lake Huron borderlands. The temporal focus spans the border negotiations in the late 1770s and early 1780s, through the resolution of the major border disputes and emergence of a nascent Great Lakes economy in the 1850s. I argue that processes of political border formation and maintenance in this region, such as cross-border contact and permeability, can be understood via a series of non-directional stages of border relations. The ethno historical and archaeological data presented reveal a growing consciousness among manufacturers toward their products and the expansion of markets. As some industries embraced expanding regional and international cross-border markets, others either did not flourish, or chose not to participate in the atmosphere of this newly emerging market capitalism. Further, issues of nationalism and its material expression did not supersede the market forces of supply, costs, and personal preferences. Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce, Baron de Lahontan: Liar and Traitor The Baron de Lahontan served in the French army in Canada in the late seventeenth century. His memoirs, which were published in Holland in 1702, offer a vastly different portrait of the colony of Nouvelle-France than is portrayed in other sources from the period, notably the Jesuit Relations. His Dialogues avec un sauvage , offered a stunning critique of French society, laws, and governance, and much of the thinking of later writers, including Voltaire and Rousseau, is foreshadowed in Lahontan. Perhaps not surprisingly, Lahontan, though immensely popular at the time, was reviled by later authorities, including the Jesuits. His reputation as a liar and traitor continued to dominate until very recently. Regardless, it is clear from the Baron's work that the colony was much more than the religious, agricultural, ideal all too often portrayed. Theorizing Institutional Influence:The Impact of the WTO on Canadian Trade Policy It is well-recognized that multilateral trade rules have created a new set of opportunities and constraints, that are often imposed on the Canadian political economy from outside. However, little research has been conducted into how the World Trade Organization influences domestic decision-making in Canada . Preliminary research suggests that an emergent set of legal norms and political values at the WTO competes with Canadian decision-making processes. With respect to trade policy, the WTO has developed a characteristic interpretation of international trade law, often at odds with Canadian domestic priorities. The lengthening reach of the WTO into domestic policy areas requires that neo-institutional methodology take international institutions into account when explaining national institutional change. More empirical research is required to adequately explain the role of international governance institutions in national processes of trade policy convergence. The Gendering of Bingo in Alberta An examination of bingo in the province of Alberta reveals two distinct categories of participation. First, bingos held primarily for fundraising purposes and for which the social aspect of community enjoyment was secondary. Second, bingos held for the enjoyment of the community and for which profits were an expected but minor benefit. Bingo in Alberta appears to have become a popular activity for both fundraising and social purposes only after the Second World War. Social bingo was usually a function held by the ladies auxiliaries of a variety of men's groups such as the Elks, or church groups in small communities. Though much smaller than fundraising bingos, social bingos tended to include a much larger cross section of the community, an indication that there was a difference in public opinion over the moral issues surrounding the acceptability of bingo, seemingly dependent upon the reasons for which individual bingos were held and who was holding them. Consequently, understanding this gendering of bingos may help us to understand the process by which bingo, and gambling more generally, became more acceptable to post -1945 Albertan society. Disaster Planning and Response: A Comparison of the Canadian and US Models Canada and the US are both federal systems and as northern American countries suffer from some of the same major natural disasters including wildland and wildland/urban interface fires, volcanoes, floods, and earthquakes. Because of their lengthy shared border, they experience some of the same public health concerns such as SARS, West Nile Fever, and Mad Cow Disease, and are working to deal with issues concerning terrorism. This paper looks at the similarities and differences in how Canada and the US structure their planning and response to major disasters and crisis. Borders in Contested Zones: the Old Northwest and Oregon Territories in North America (abstract sent to ABS) Transgenerational Medical and Psychological Issues in Aboriginal/ This paper has developed from a course on Comparative Health Care Practices at the University of Washington which analyses the contrasting health care systems in Canada and the USA . Although Canada has a holistic one-payer system, the First Nations health care is delivered by 141 autonomous providers. Ironically, the USA , which has no general population holistic health care system, has a central Indian Health Service organization which has existed from 1958. Both countries however have aboriginal populations of women and children with similar problems in medical and psychological issues. These problems have extended through many generations and many have their roots in the legacy of colonization which introduced new diseases such as Tuberculosis, diabetes and alcoholism. Chronic depression, domestic violence, suicide and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder continue to overwhelm communities. The paper reviews the differing methods traditional and western which are being employed to break this transgenerational cycle of disadvantage borne by the mothers and children. A New Direction for Canada : The Diefenbaker Government's "Northern Vision" and Its Legacy The paper examines the origins and implementation of the Diefenbaker government's "Northern Vision", a program for the development of Canada 's northlands. Using the Diefenbaker papers at the University of Saskatchewan , Saskatoon , as source material, it considers the political motives for the program's adoption as a key plank in the Conservative Party's election campaign in 1958 and also probes Diefenbaker's own background for clues regarding its origins. The paper assesses the results of the program in terms of resources and transportation development, settlement, its impact on native peoples, as well as the general increase in knowledge and understanding of the country's northern hinterland. It concludes with an evaluation of the program's relevance in terms of strengthening Canada 's sovereignty over this immense region. Establishing a Professional Presence on the Internet: TransBorder Issues. Professions - personal injury law, plastic surgery, real estate - rely a great deal uponthe World Wide Web for attracting clients. Joe Blow, Q.C., may think that joeblowqc.ca is a great address on the web, but the client facing criminal prosecution may be looking for something like manitobacriminaldefence.ca We will examine marketing of professional services in Canada as well as the United States . To what extent does the international regulatory scheme protect domain names? What hurdles must the aspiring professional leap before a presence is established, and how do the various professional associations, such as Law Societies, limit the advertising of professional services on the Internet and otherwise? Borders in Contested Zones: The Old Northwest and Oregon Territories in North America (abstract supplied to ABS) |
