In October 1992 Canada's political leaders asked voters to accept the Charlottetown Accord, a comprehensive package of constitutional amendments that was the product of years of negotiation, consultation, and compromise. Canadians rejected it outright, effectively halting the country's formal constitutional evolution. But what did the No vote mean? Were voters making a considered judgment after thorough consideration of the package or were they expressing their anger with politicians, particularly Prime Minister Brian Mulroney? The Challenge of Direct Democracy provides the definitive account of the 1992 referendum on the Charlottetown Accord.
Based on extensive surveys conducted during and after the campaign, The Challenge of Direct Democracy is a comprehensive investigation of voter opinion, intention, perception, and behaviour in a referendum. The authors investigate voters' responses to arguments for and against the Accord, examine how well informed voters were, and explore a variety of explanations to account for the negative result.
Review quotes
"A comprehensive account of the response of voters to the Charlottetown Accord in the context of the referendum, The Challenge of Direct Democracy is a must read for all scholars of Canadian politics, as well as those interested in democratic theory, public opinion formation, constitutional politics and referendums." Fred Fletcher, Department of Political Science and Environmental Studies, York University.
"The Challenge of Direct Democracy provides insight into both the Canadian referendum experience and more general, theoretical concerns with direct democracy. The analysis is sound and insightful, and the writing is polished and often powerful." Roger Gibbins, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary.
Richard Johnston is professor of political science, University of British Columbia.
André Blais is professor of political science, Université de Montréal.
Elisabeth Gidengil is associate professor of political science, McGill University.
Neil Nevitte is professor of political science, University of Toronto.
