Substantial changes have occurred in the nature of political discourse over the past thirty years. Once, traditional media dominated the political landscape, but in recent years Facebook, Twitter, blogs and Blackberrys have emerged as important tools and platforms for political campaigns. While the Canadian party system has proved surprisingly resilient, the rhythms of political life are now very different. A never-ending 24-hour news cycle has resulted in a never-ending political campaign. The implications of this new political style and its impact on political discourse are issues vigorously debated in this new volume of How Canadians Communicate, as is the question on every politician's mind: How can we draw a generation of digital natives into the current political dialogue? With contributions from such diverse figures as Elly Alboim, Richard Davis, Tom Flanagan, David Marshall, and Roger Epp, How Canadians Communicate IV is the most comprehensive review of political communication in Canada in over three decades - one that poses questions fundamental to the quality of public life.

List of Illustrations viiAcknowledgements ix
The Past and Future of Political Communication in Canada:
An Introduction , David Taras
Part Ipart I The Changing World of Media and Politics
1 The Uncertain Future of the News, Florian Sauvageau
2 On the Verge of Total Dysfunction: Government, Media, and Communications, Elly Alboim
3 Blogs and Politics, Richard Davis
4 The 2011 Federal Election and the Transformation of Canadian Media and Politics, David Taras and Christopher Waddell
5 Berry'd Alive: The Media, Technology, and the Death of Political Coverage, Christopher Waddell
6 Political Communication and the "Permanent Campaign" , Tom Flanagan
7 Are Negative Ads Positive? Political Advertising and the Permanent Campaign, Jonathan Rose
8 E-ttack Politics: Negativity, the Internet, and Canadian Political Parties, Tamara Small
9 Myths Communicated by Two Alberta Dynasties, Alvin Finkel
10 Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater: Canadian Forces News Media Relations and Operational Security,
Robert Bergen
Part IIpart II Citizens and Politics in Everyday Life
11 Exceptional Canadians: Biography in the Public Sphere, David Marshall
12 Off-Road Democracy: The Politics of Land, Water, and Community in Alberta, Roger Epp
13 Two Solitudes, Two Québecs, and the Cinema In-Between, Dominique Perron
14 Verbal Smackdown: Charles Adler and Canadian Talk Radio, Shannon Sampert
15 Contemporary Canadian Aboriginal Art: Storyworking in the Public Sphere, Troy Patenaude
16 Intimate Strangers: The Formal Distance Between Music and Politics in Canada, Richard Sutherland
Final Thoughts: How Will Canadians Communicate About Politics and the Media in 2015? Christopher Waddell
Contributors
Index