There's No "I" in Team

On December 5, join Rachel Notley, Alex Marland, and me for a timely discussion of party (dis)loyalty in Canada.

Across Canada this fall, two stories have been unfolding in parallel.

In Alberta, Bill 2 – the Back to School Act – ended a province-wide teachers’ strike by imposing a contract, ordering more than 50,000 teachers back to work and invoking the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to strip their right to strike. Just as striking was the process: government MLAs raced the bill from first reading to final passage in under 12 hours, slashing debate and leaving most caucus members silent as fundamental rights were overridden.

On Parliament Hill, stories once again surfaced about MPs feeling trapped in a party-first culture that rewards message discipline over genuine debate, constituency representation and cross-party problem-solving. The incentive structure in Ottawa nudges them to repeat talking points, avoid dissent and treat disagreement as disloyalty – all symptoms of the hyperpartisanship that contributed to a floor crossing and, likely, a resignation on the eve of the federal budget.

These aren’t isolated tales. Together, they form the backbone of our argument in No “I” in Team: Party Loyalty in Canadian Politics.

The book shows how party discipline has evolved into message discipline – not just telling legislators how to vote, but what to say (or not say) – and how institutional rules, political pressures, social dynamics, and digital technologies now condition elected representatives to put partisan interests ahead of their own judgment and their constituents’ voices.

Join the conversation at the book launch

To keep this conversation going, Alex Marland and I are pleased to be joined by The Honourable Rachel Notley in marking the book’s release with a public launch event.

We’ll unpack what Bill 2 tells us about power plays in Canadian politics, explore how hyperpartisanship is reshaping Parliament, and invite you to think through how we can restore space for real representation inside our parties.

🗓️ Friday, December 5
🕓 4:00–5:30pm
📍 Alfred Sorensen Community Hall, University Commons, University of Alberta

Details and RSVP information are available at bit.ly/TeamBook25.

To learn more about the research behind the book and how to get a copy, visit partyloyalty.ca.