Agenda Setting in English Canada in the Age of Minority Government, 2004-2011 Peter Malachy Ryan Ryerson University, [email protected]
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Ryerson University Digital Commons @ Ryerson Theses and dissertations 1-1-2012 Agenda Setting in English Canada in the Age of Minority Government, 2004-2011 Peter Malachy Ryan Ryerson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations Part of the Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons Recommended Citation Ryan, Peter Malachy, "Agenda Setting in English Canada in the Age of Minority Government, 2004-2011" (2012). Theses and dissertations. Paper 1162. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Commons @ Ryerson. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ryerson. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AGENDA SETTING IN ENGLISH CANADA IN THE AGE OF MINORITY GOVERNMENT, 2004-2011 by Peter Malachy Ryan Bachelor of Arts, University of Alberta, 1999 Master of Arts, University of Alberta, 2004 A dissertation presented to Ryerson and York Universities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Ryerson University/York University Joint Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture Toronto, Ontario, Canada © Peter Malachy Ryan 2012 AUTHOR'S DECLARATION FOR ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF A DISSERTATION I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this dissertation. This is a true copy of the dissertation, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize Ryerson University to lend this dissertation to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I further authorize Ryerson University to reproduce this dissertation by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my dissertation may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Peter Malachy Ryan Agenda Setting in English Canada in the Age of Minority Government, 2004-2011 Doctor of Philosophy Joint Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture Ryerson University / York University 2012 Keywords: Agenda Setting, Informational Politics, Frames Analysis, Network Theory, Political Communication, Policy Formation This dissertation examines the contemporary relationship between agenda setting and frames analysis in Canadian federal politics from 2004-2011. The research project tests Savoie’s thesis that the centralization of power has grown with the increasing size of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and that the leader of the office has most clearly exerted that power in controlling the government’s agenda by applying it to the experience of minority government at the dawn of the 21st century. To test his thesis, textual analyses of the PMO’s agenda-setting documents were conducted to identify the key language, frames, and controlled policy announcements that were reflected within the political discourse. How does the discourse represent and reflect the shift in power in a dramatically changed political environment when, at least in theory, a minority government would be at the mercy of opposition parties who hold the balance of power? From 2006 to 2011, the Harper Conservatives stayed in power by cleverly manipulating the agenda through framing and reframing issues to their advantage. The prime minister retained the final executive decision on party and iii government political communications and was, therefore, the leading arbiter of the messages delivered to represent key party agenda-setting strategies. Harper has often been identified as a shrewd strategist by academics and the media alike, but how different were his agenda-setting techniques compared to previous minority government strategies? This research identifies the communication tactics that the PMO used in 2006 to ensure its unique five key policy frames of “accountability”, “child care tax credits”, “cutting the GST”, “patient wait time guarantees”, and “tough on crime” were consistently delivered and coordinated across media in their platforms, websites, speeches, and outlays. The Harper Conservatives’ new strategies included narrowing agendas, promoting wedge issues, priming voters using distracter frames, and using strict media communication protocols to attract popular support from the key segment of middle class families. Using these tactics, the government set the agenda on the dismantling of the firearms registry, framed the skills and motivations of two opposition leaders as ineffective and weak with attack advertisements, and sold the illusion that coalition governments were undemocratic. iv Acknowledgements It truly does take a village to accomplish any project of this dissertation’s size and scope. I would first like to acknowledge the late Ted Rogers and the Rogers Family for the Rogers Graduate Fellowship they provided as support for my research through Ryerson University. The fellowships are evidence of the Rogers family’s philanthropic support for post-secondary education and technological research; this research project simply would not have been possible without their support. The family’s generosity has created many opportunities for Canadians with untold benefits. Ted Rogers led Rogers Communication into the wireless business in Canada in 1983, very early in the adoption of cellular phone technology, because he read Dick Tracy comic books when he was young and knew about the detective’s telephone watch: “I just thought that being tethered to the wall on the phone, where you can’t move, wasn’t going to survive […]. I grew up when everybody was talking about a Dick Tracy watch with a phone, so it wasn’t hard for me to have that image” (Source: Sorensen, Chris. “Ted’s Way.” Toronto Star. Saturday, May 24th, 2008: B1). Ted Rogers believed everybody would want a mobile telephone one day, and he has been proven correct by the millions of Rogers mobile phone users in Canada. Like Rogers, I hoped that my dissertation research would benefit people. I hope that my research provides a basis for understanding how political communication and media technologies are changing federal politics. Living in a social democratic society that has both private and public support for research like my project is truly a privilege, one that I hope many more people will experience and foster like the Rogers family. This dissertation would not have been possible without the advice and support of the many members of the Joint Graduate Programme in Communication and Culture between Ryerson University and York University. The research project was also generously supported by the Ontario Graduate Scholarship programme and the Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC) small grants programme. First, I would like to thank Patrice Dutil, my dissertation supervisor at Ryerson University, who helped me through to the end of this project as a constant guide and mentor. I thank him for the kindness and time he spent on this project over the past few years. This dissertation would not have been completed without him. His commitment, professionalism, and understanding were an inspiration and model for the type of scholar and researcher I would like to become. My committee members, John Shields and Greg Elmer, were invaluable friends and guides. John Shields was one of my first instructors in the programme, and he continued to help until the end, serving on both my comprehensive exam committee v and my dissertation committee. I was also honoured to work alongside him in the Department of Politics and Public Administration. Similarly, Greg Elmer and the Infoscape Research Lab provided exceptional training and support over three years, including funds for me to participate in the once in a lifetime experience of attending the Oxford Internet Institute Summer Doctoral Programme held at Harvard’s Berkman Center in the summer of 2007. The lab truly became a home away from home. I would also like to acknowledge Dean Jennifer Mactavish for chairing my formal defense proceedings and steering that event to a smooth conclusion. The remaining members of the defense committee included Bryan Evans (internal-external examiner) and Ken Rasmussen (external examiner); I appreciated their input and feedback greatly at the end of this process. A special mention goes to Wendy Cukier (one of the truest champions during dark times), Neil Thomlinson, and Zachary Devereaux for their help with earlier research on Canada’s gun registry. J.D. Crookshanks helped with background research assistance on the prime ministers’ speeches. As well, I would like to thank my fellow research associates at the Infoscape Research Lab: A. Brady Curlew, Ganaele Langlois, Fenwick McKelvey, Elley Prior, Joanna Redden, Yukari Seko, and Ken Werbin. Their thoughts, ideas, suggestions, and edits influenced early versions of the campaign website research. Other faculty members in the Communication and Culture Programme went above and beyond in their support and mentorship. I would like to thank Colin Mooers, Barbara Crow, Bob Hanke, Patricia Mazepa, Catherine Middleton, Michael Murphy, Myles Ruggles and Ed Slopek for their advice, help, and leadership. The Department of Politics and Public Administration accepted me into their instructor ranks and offered exceptional guidance during my dissertation. Tariq Amin-Khan, Mike Burke, Grace-Edward Galabuzi, Abbas Gnamo, Christopher Gore, Greg Inwood, Carolyn Johns, Janet Lum, Duncan MacLellan, Bob Marshall, Patricia O’Reilly,