Across Enemy Lines: a Study of the All-Party Groups in the Parliaments of Canada, Ontario, Scotland and the United Kingdom
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Across Enemy Lines: a Study of the All-Party Groups in the Parliaments of Canada, Ontario, Scotland and the United Kingdom by Paul E.J. Thomas A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto © Copyright by Paul Thomas 2016 Across Enemy Lines: a Study of the All-Party Groups in the Parliaments of Canada, Ontario, Scotland and the United Kingdom Paul E.J. Thomas Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto 2016 Abstract The Parliaments of Canada, Ontario, Scotland and the United Kingdom are now home to a growing number of informal bodies that are formed by politicians from all parties who wish to cooperate on specific policy issues or relations with other countries. Such all-party groups (APGs), which deal with topics from the steel industry to genocide prevention, work to share information, meet with stakeholders, and conduct policy studies. Most also have partnerships with external actors who support their activities. This dissertation explores why the number of APGs is rising in each jurisdiction, but also why there are relatively fewer APGs in the two Canadian cases. Using statistical analyses of APG membership patterns as well as interviews with parliamentarians, lobbyists, and journalists, it finds three main factors behind APG expansion. First, the growth of APGs has helped both parliamentarians and external actors to continue to achieve their goals despite changes in the external political environment such as rising policy complexity and increased demands from citizens. Second, APG expansion has been facilitated by the evolution and increasing modularity of the APG format, which has allowed it to be adapted to a broader range of issues and activities. Finally, the increasing acceptance of APGs as a standard tool of political advocacy has led to the creation of groups by parliamentarians and ii external actors who feel it is important do so as part of broader lobbying campaigns, even if APG activity is not the most effective way to achieve their goals. The dissertation also finds that differences in APG prevalence are caused primarily by variations in levels of party discipline, with those jurisdictions that feature high discipline, such as Canada, tending to have fewer groups. Strong party discipline also limits the policy advocacy conducted by those APGs that do form in those legislatures. iii Acknowledgments This space is too small to recognize all of the people and organizations who have contributed to or supported this project, or to give those who are acknowledged the full recognition they deserve. My supervisor Graham White and committee members Peter Loewen and Jonathan Malloy have both separately and collectively gone beyond all reasonable expectations in the level of scholarly guidance and mentoring they have provided. Graham in particular offered not only offered insightful direction and critique, but also repeated assistance in navigating university processes, and ongoing reassurance that the project would in fact see completion. When I relocated to Ottawa at the end of my coursework, Jonathan became my host and de facto second supervisor, adopting me into the nurturing community of Carleton University’s Department of Political Science. Many thanks also goes to my internal and external readers, Jonathan Craft and David Docherty, who provided thoughtful feedback and accommodated the short turn around between the completion of the dissertation and the defense. Beyond my committee, this project was strengthened by advice and support from many others, chief among them David Rayside and Jerald Sabin. While ostensibly my co-authors in another book project, they provided valuable input and ideas at all stages of my dissertation, and I am grateful that they allowed me to explore issues related to this project where the two overlapped. Chris Cochrane, Jonathan Craft, Gary Levy, and Nelson Wiseman also provided valuable comments at various stages of the project, while Darren King, Ross Hickey, and Michael Gavin helped to introduce me to the exciting world of longitudinal data analysis. I am thankful as well to Anne Staver for volunteering to read several draft chapters. I continue to be amazed at the kindness and openness of the nearly 150 people in Edinburgh, London, Ottawa, and Toronto who made time to meet with me for interviews. This research would not have been possible without them. However, many others also aided with the fieldwork and data gathering. I am immensely grateful to Heather Bastedo, Jane Hilderman, and their colleagues at Samara Canada for including a question regarding all-party groups in their exit interviews with former Canadian MPs, and for giving me access to the exit interview dataset. Eric Janse at his staff in the International and Inter-parliamentary Affairs Directorate at the Canadian Parliament were similarly supportive in sharing their data regarding membership in Canadian all-party groups. I am also very thankful for the guidance and assistance that I received iv from Robert Hazell at the Constitution Unit at University College London during my field work at Westminster, and from Annis May Timpson at the Centre for Canadian Studies at the University of Edinburgh during my research at Holyrood. Tim Hall showed exceptional hospitality by opening his home to us during our first London stay, and I am grateful to Richard and Kathy Dominy for helping us to navigate north London with a newborn. Our time in Edinburgh was also greatly enriched by the advice and friendship of Vicky Crichton and James and Georgia Rogers. Looking at my doctoral studies more broadly, I am fortunate to have been taught the core class in Canadian Politics by the team of Graham White and Richard Simeon, who brought perfect combination of knowledge, humour, and kindness that creates a wonderful learning environment. I was also blessed by the friendship and intellectual insights of my fellow graduate students, including Andrew Ahern, Adrienne Davidson, Carey Doberstein, Janique Dubois, Aarie Glas, Nicola Hepburn, Marion Laurence, Matt Lesch, Jack Lucas, Troy Lundblad, Andrew McDougall, Heather Millar, Matthieu Mondou, Michael Morden, Abouzar Nasirzadeh, Alex Pelletier, Milena Pandy, Scott Pruysers, Evan Rosevear, Jessica Soedirgo, Mauricio Suchowlansky, Ethel Tungohan, Acsah Turnbull, Hamish van der Ven, and Dave Zarnett. At Carleton, I am indebted to Bill Cross for his guidance and for hosting me as a visiting researcher with the Bell Chair for the Study of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy. Stephen Azzi, Jennifer Robson, Paul Wilson, and Barry Wright also made me feel at home as part of the Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management. Moreover, I am grateful for generous financial support that I received from the University of Toronto, the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program, and from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council via the Vanier Graduate Scholarship Program and the Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement. This project grew from my work experiences in politics, and am continually grateful to former Senator Yoine Goldstein for bringing me into his office and allowing me to devote so much time to all-party activities. I also owe a debt to Tracey Loftis and the Public Affairs team at Cancer Research UK for taking a chance on a Canadian desperate for an opportunity to work in British politics. Many family members and friends contributed to the success of this project as well. My parents Peter and Elaine Thomas have been my biggest cheerleaders for as long as I can remember, and v this endeavor was no different. My sister Andrea Thomas-Harris was also always ready with an encouraging word, and read many documents on my behalf. She along Marion Laurence and Mark Downing, Carey Doberstein and Jesse Goodwin, and Andrew McDougall and Jon McKay, enabled my nomadic commutes from Toronto by regularly opening their homes. Many friends in Ottawa, and especially Darren and Naomi King, also provided both practical support and encouragement throughout the writing process. Special recognition must also go to Brad and Carolyn Jarman, who began supporting my doctoral campaign helping us move into our Toronto apartment, and ultimately took me for a “last supper” before the defence. In between they were constant encouragers, loaning us their London flat for my second field work trip and serving as one of my homes away from home in Toronto. Most importantly, this dissertation would not have been possible without the unending support, love, sacrifice, and encouragement from my wife, Heather Limburg. She has been my partner in all aspects of the process, beginning with upending her own career to move to Toronto at the start of my studies. This is her dissertation as much as mine, and I owe her more than words can say. My children Claire and Owen have also been continual sources of inspiration, and patiently try to teach me that there is more to life than work. vi Table of Contents Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................................ vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................................