Since 2003, the
Canadian Study of Parliament Group has held an essay competition on a
parliamentary theme open to university students across Canada. This competition was created to
promote research in all political fields relating to Parliament,
legislatures or legislators. Papers may focus on any one jurisdiction. At the same time, we welcome comparative analysis or either a
federal-provincial or international focus.
Each winning author will receive a
$1000 prize and public recognition at a suitable event and time. All winning
essays will be published on our Web site and may also be published in
various print forms.
- Melissa Bonga, “Leadership and the Coalition Crisis: An Analysis of the November 2008 Attempt to Form a Coalition Government”, 2009 - 2010
- Given the exceptionally high quality of papers, the committee felt it necessary to provide honourable mentions for the following papers: “Governor General Michaëlle Jean’s prorogation of parliament: An injudicious decision” by Alexandra Aliferis; “Significant or Sacrificial? Targets and Gains for Female Candidates in the 2008 Canadian Election” by Kelly Ann Murdock; and, “Legislative Coalitions and Government Effectiveness: An International Comparative Analysis” by Scott Martin, 2009 - 2010
- Jessica Nasrallah, “To Vote or Not to Vote”, 2008
- Frances H. Ryan, “The Ineffectiveness of Question Period”, 2008
- Christopher Forrest, “Bringing Section 33 Back Into the Constitutional Fold With Honour and Enthusiasm”, 2007
- Wendy Hepburn, “A Question of Confidence: Parliamentary Scrutiny of the Estimates of the Government of Canada in Theory and Practice”, 2006
- Chris Berube, “Legislating Accountability: a Study.”, 2006
- Ekaterina Stepanova, “Party discipline does not hinder good governance: Allowing free votes in the House of Commons is not a good idea for reform”, 2005
- Rhiannon Stromberg, “An Opportunity for Change in the Functioning of Legislatures. Examining the Policy Field Committee System in Saskatchewan”, 2005
- Cheryl Bjornson, “Supreme Court Appointments: It's Time for a Change”, 2004
- Hilary Pearse, “MPs as Constituency Representatives: Evaluating Geographic Representation in an Era of Electoral Reform”, 2004
- Shawn Friel,
, “An Ephiphany for
Canadian Democracy”, 2003 - David Litvak , “The Electoral Reform Process in British Columbia and Quebec: A Critical Comparison”, 2003
The CSPG James R. Mallory Research Grant is dedicated to the late Professor Mallory who was a member of the Department of Political Science at McGill University as well as a founder, former president and long-time member of the Canadian Study of Parliament Group. He was a leading scholar of parliamentary government, and wrote many sound and widely read analyses of the institution and issues related to it. His text, The Structure of Canadian Government, is still consulted by students of Canadian government today.
- Dr. Kelly Bildook, 2008 - 2010
- Dr. David Pond, 2006 - 2008
- Dr. Donald Desserud, 2004 - 2006
