This volume combines 24 essays by a remarkable group of leading Canadian political scientists. Covering such topics as regionalism, the role of the state in Canadian life, bilingualism, the constitution and the charter of rights, communications policy and the role of the media in politics, the book offers a fully rounded picture of Canadian politics as the 1980s draw to a close.

The occasion that inspired this remarkable meeting of minds was a conference at York University in honour of David Smiley, who for over two generations has exerted enormous influence, both through his teaching and through his many writings, on the way in which Canadians view their political system.

The book includes four essays on Smiley and the importance of his work, an address by Smiley himself, and a full bibliography of his writings.