Annual Political Science Lecture – Dr. Erin Crandall on “Courts and Canadian Politics: Why Diversity on the Bench Matters”
4:00 PM
Ted Daigle Auditorium
Dr. Erin Crandall is an assistant professor in the Department of Politics at Acadia University. She is also the Women's and Gender Studies Coordinator and Legal Studies Coordinator. She holds a PhD in Political Science from McGill University, a Master of Arts (Political Science) from the University of British Columbia, and a Bachelor of Arts (Political Science) from St. Thomas University.
When elected in 2015 the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau pledged to appoint judges to the bench who represented the diversity of Canada. Did this pledge actually bring about the change that was promised? What political barriers remain in order for diversity on the bench to be realized? This talk will explore recent changes in judicial appointments, the continuing challenge of patronage, and ultimately, why diversity on the bench matters.
Her research sits primarily at the intersection of Canadian law and politics, including studies of judicial selection systems and election law. Her work has appeared in the Canadian Journal of Political Science/Revue canadienne de science politique, Public Policy and Administration, and the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law, among other publications. She is the co-editor of What’s Trending in Canadian Politics? Understanding Transformations in Power, Media, and the Public Sphere (UBC Press, 2019) and co-authored the chapter “Covering the Court: How News Media Frames Social Science Evidence and Supreme Court Decisions on Physician-Assisted Dying.”