Canadian Founding

Janet Ajzenstat is professor emeritus, political science, McMaster University. Her most recent book on the Canadian constitution is The Once and Future Canadian Democracy: An Essay in Political Thought.

"Ajzenstat's body of work has shown the absolute necessity of returning to, and taking seriously, the words and deeds of the central figures of the founding period. Unless one does this, one cannot write responsibly about their thought and achievements. And when one does take them seriously, as Ajzenstat has done, the results are often surprising." Rainer Knopff, University of Calgary "This convincing study of the Canadian founding advances understanding of the influence of Locke while restoring understanding of the Canadian rights tradition." Filippo Sabetti, McGill University "Ajzenstat's claim that Canadians' faith in Parliament has been weakened, in part by globalization, is an interesting point ... "--Times Literary Supplement 21 March 2008