Relatively few Canadians know what happens beyond the headlines of election campaigns, and the workers behind the scenes who make it all come together. But to understand politics, citizens need a better understanding of how the elaborate machinery of campaigns works. This feature series of articles, based on the work in the 2020 book Inside the Campaign: Managing Elections in Canada (UBC Press), pairs Canadian scholars with campaign insiders to examine what happens behind closed doors during some of the most exciting moments in politics. Their insights revolve around the experiences of the 2019 federal election. The authors shed light on roles that are rarely described in academic literature or the media – such as campaign directors, news editors, independent candidates, and third-party activists.
This series was developed in collaboration with the book’s co-editor Alex Marland, professor of political science at Memorial University and a member of the board of the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP).