Week 4 Lecture F2023 1030A Part 1

Lecture Overview

The lecture introduces Canadian political economy and previews a focus on Harold Innis’s Staples Theory, an approach used to explain how Canada’s economy and political system developed together.

Test Announcement

The first test is scheduled for Friday, October 6 and may be started on OWL any time from 6:00 a.m. It is a one-hour test with 60 questions, covering lectures from Weeks 1–4 and the readings.

Students are expected to complete the test independently, without aids or help.

Review of the Canadian Political System

Canada’s democratic system compares relatively well with those of many countries, though it may not perform as highly as some Canadians expect. It draws on different influences:

• The Westminster parliamentary system comes from the United Kingdom.
• Federalism is associated with the American model, though some argue that the United States drew inspiration for it from the Haudenosaunee.

The instructor highlights two problems discussed the previous week:

• Concentration of power: Important authority is held by a relatively small number of people and institutions, including the prime minister and cabinet, and the nine Supreme Court judges.
• Declining formal political participation: Canadians appear to participate less in activities such as voting, although participation may also take other forms, such as protests.

These trends may weaken confidence in political institutions and their perceived legitimacy. The instructor suggests that post-COVID confrontations between members of the public and political leaders may reflect changing attitudes toward authority.

Why Political Economy Matters

Political and economic systems both shape social life. The political system influences laws, policies, public discourse, and whose interests hold influence. The economic system helps determine who gets what, how wealth and power are distributed, and the degree of inequality.

Political economy is both a field of study and a set of concepts for examining how politics and economics interact to shape society.

What the Lecture Will Cover

• Review key ideas from the course reading on Canadian political economy.
• Introduce Staples Theory, associated with Harold Innis, as a framework for understanding Canada’s economic and political development.
• Consider how a staples-based economy may have affected life in Canada over time.

Speakers and Sources Mentioned

• Speaker: The course instructor. No other speakers are heard in the subtitles.
• People and sources referenced: Harold Innis and his Staples Theory; course readings on political economy; Professor Adam Harms, mentioned as a political-economy scholar and instructor; and news reports and YouTube clips about public confrontations involving Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, including an example from Belleville, Ontario.