Michael J. Wigginton
@wigginton.ca
Political Scientist. Nova Scotian turned Quebecer turned Nova Scotian. Unreasonably fond of trains.
michael.wigginton.ca
michael.wigginton.ca
Maybe I'm subconsciously motivated by my love of Christmas, but this change has suddenly turned me into a rabid traditionalist.
R E T V R N
R E T V R N
October 6, 2025 at 11:05 PM
Maybe I'm subconsciously motivated by my love of Christmas, but this change has suddenly turned me into a rabid traditionalist.
R E T V R N
R E T V R N
The Gazette did some very interesting work in selecting photos for this article. I have a feeling though that if this (just wildly unconstitutional) proposed bill ever does come to be though, that somehow many of these examples of public christian prayer will be exempted.
The Quebec government is planning to pass a law to ban prayer in public, a move so blatantly unconstitutional I'm wondering if it's a joke. www.montrealgazette.com/news/provinc...
Legault government to table bill to ban prayer in the streets
The minister responsible for laicity plans to table a bill beefing up secularism this fall
www.montrealgazette.com
August 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
The Gazette did some very interesting work in selecting photos for this article. I have a feeling though that if this (just wildly unconstitutional) proposed bill ever does come to be though, that somehow many of these examples of public christian prayer will be exempted.
Reposted by Michael J. Wigginton
🚨New Publication🚨
Interesting piece on why a legislator’s age matters:
@wigginton.ca re-conceptualizes youth representation in @repjournal.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#youthpolrep
Interesting piece on why a legislator’s age matters:
@wigginton.ca re-conceptualizes youth representation in @repjournal.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#youthpolrep
Why Does a Legislator’s Age Matter? Re-Conceptualising Youth Representation
Representation of young adults in legislatures has been the subject of increasing empirical study, with a growing number of studies addressing the causes of low rates of youth representation. While...
www.tandfonline.com
August 8, 2025 at 11:10 AM
🚨New Publication🚨
Interesting piece on why a legislator’s age matters:
@wigginton.ca re-conceptualizes youth representation in @repjournal.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#youthpolrep
Interesting piece on why a legislator’s age matters:
@wigginton.ca re-conceptualizes youth representation in @repjournal.bsky.social
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
#youthpolrep
Recently I was in a painted bike lane on Beechwood and had a car veer suddenly into my lane (and nearly me) as it prepared for a right turn. Painted lanes absolutely aren't sufficient, and it really doesn't help when they curve around car parking. Once the paint starts to fade the lane disappears
April 25, 2025 at 12:42 PM
Recently I was in a painted bike lane on Beechwood and had a car veer suddenly into my lane (and nearly me) as it prepared for a right turn. Painted lanes absolutely aren't sufficient, and it really doesn't help when they curve around car parking. Once the paint starts to fade the lane disappears
PSA for people looking to vote this weekend: Elections Canada's data suggests that, unlike on election day, the evening of advance voting days is the least popular time to vote. So waiting until after 4pm might get you a better experience
(Election Day is of course also an option)
(Election Day is of course also an option)
April 20, 2025 at 6:57 PM
PSA for people looking to vote this weekend: Elections Canada's data suggests that, unlike on election day, the evening of advance voting days is the least popular time to vote. So waiting until after 4pm might get you a better experience
(Election Day is of course also an option)
(Election Day is of course also an option)
I was recently without my bike for a week and was shocked by how bad my Hull-Carleton U commute was. 1hr by transit vs 30 mins by bike, assuming the bus actually came (it often didn't). And now OC Transpo is cutting that bus altogether. Hard to imagine ridership numbers will increase like this.
Totally agree with @brigittepellerin.bsky.social here: we don’t get the service we pay for. 1/ ottawacitizen.com/opinion/oc-t...
Pellerin: OC Transpo's bus changes will frustrate you even more
In Ottawa, we get neither frequency nor reliability from our public transit, yet we pay through the nose for the commute.
ottawacitizen.com
April 19, 2025 at 7:07 PM
I was recently without my bike for a week and was shocked by how bad my Hull-Carleton U commute was. 1hr by transit vs 30 mins by bike, assuming the bus actually came (it often didn't). And now OC Transpo is cutting that bus altogether. Hard to imagine ridership numbers will increase like this.
Debate conclusion: I learned roughly as much about the election from playing the video game as I did from watching the debate. Increasingly wondering if the debate format is at all productive for democracy, or if a series of interviews like 5 chefs, une élection would be a better use of time.
Dual monitors have a lot of uses, but making following the debate less boring is an pretty great one.
April 18, 2025 at 2:43 AM
Debate conclusion: I learned roughly as much about the election from playing the video game as I did from watching the debate. Increasingly wondering if the debate format is at all productive for democracy, or if a series of interviews like 5 chefs, une élection would be a better use of time.
Dual monitors have a lot of uses, but making following the debate less boring is an pretty great one.
April 17, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Dual monitors have a lot of uses, but making following the debate less boring is an pretty great one.
It's ultimately just a simple typo, but given that the point of this press release is to pander to Quebecers, it's pretty funny that they got the French version of the headline so wrong.
April 15, 2025 at 5:59 PM
It's ultimately just a simple typo, but given that the point of this press release is to pander to Quebecers, it's pretty funny that they got the French version of the headline so wrong.
I'm lukewarm on strategic voting overall, but if orgs like @smartvoting.ca are going tell people to do it they should be more nuanced about it. Voting 'strategically' to keep the CPC out of a seat they have no hope of winning makes no sense, as does picking one party out of a 3-way statistical tie.
April 11, 2025 at 4:47 PM
I'm lukewarm on strategic voting overall, but if orgs like @smartvoting.ca are going tell people to do it they should be more nuanced about it. Voting 'strategically' to keep the CPC out of a seat they have no hope of winning makes no sense, as does picking one party out of a 3-way statistical tie.
Le PQ, qui veut que le Québec soit indépendant du Canada, trouve ça injuste que le Québec ait sa propre politique sur le prix du carbone, et suit pas celui du RoC 🤨
April 11, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Le PQ, qui veut que le Québec soit indépendant du Canada, trouve ça injuste que le Québec ait sa propre politique sur le prix du carbone, et suit pas celui du RoC 🤨
So now that it's April 2 @theconversationca.bsky.social are going to reveal that this was just an April Fool's joke and not a serious article, right? Because surely a publication based on "academic rigour, journalistic flair" would not publish this tripe as serious analysis. Surely. Right?
Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually benefit Canada
Canada a 51st state? Here’s how American annexation could actually benefit Canada
The notion of a friendly U.S.–Canada merger invites reflection since both countries are economically interlocked and geographically co-located, though culturally distinct.
theconversation.com
April 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
So now that it's April 2 @theconversationca.bsky.social are going to reveal that this was just an April Fool's joke and not a serious article, right? Because surely a publication based on "academic rigour, journalistic flair" would not publish this tripe as serious analysis. Surely. Right?
I can be a bit of a stickler for citations when I teach, but this National Post article is full of some incredibly weak accusations. The example below is a formulaic stock phrase, not an original thought. Nowhere near the sort of conduct that gets degrees revoked.
nationalpost.com/news/mark-ca...
nationalpost.com/news/mark-ca...
March 28, 2025 at 3:48 PM
I can be a bit of a stickler for citations when I teach, but this National Post article is full of some incredibly weak accusations. The example below is a formulaic stock phrase, not an original thought. Nowhere near the sort of conduct that gets degrees revoked.
nationalpost.com/news/mark-ca...
nationalpost.com/news/mark-ca...
Tried out CBC new vote compass and I found some of their indicators this year odd. Multiple Qs on hate speech laws, but none on housing policy? Banning puberty blockers, but no high speed rail? Are these really the salient ballot questions this election? I worry they over-represent the culture war
Vote Compass - 2025 Canadian Federal Election
Use this interactive survey designed by political scientists to calculate your alignment with the candidate platforms.
votecompass.cbc.ca
March 25, 2025 at 7:22 PM
Tried out CBC new vote compass and I found some of their indicators this year odd. Multiple Qs on hate speech laws, but none on housing policy? Banning puberty blockers, but no high speed rail? Are these really the salient ballot questions this election? I worry they over-represent the culture war
Assuming that an election happens by the end of April as rumoured, Carney will set a new record for shortest time in office for a PM if the LPC lose government.
If they win he'll still be the first PM to never have held elected office when appointed. A future trivia question either way.
If they win he'll still be the first PM to never have held elected office when appointed. A future trivia question either way.
March 14, 2025 at 5:32 PM
Assuming that an election happens by the end of April as rumoured, Carney will set a new record for shortest time in office for a PM if the LPC lose government.
If they win he'll still be the first PM to never have held elected office when appointed. A future trivia question either way.
If they win he'll still be the first PM to never have held elected office when appointed. A future trivia question either way.
"This would be the most incredible country visually."
Is the obsession with annexing 🇨🇦 and 🇬🇱 really just about the aesthetics of how the map works? This is literally the logic I use when playing Civ V or Total War - it's terrifying to think that the US president is making geopolitics a video game
Is the obsession with annexing 🇨🇦 and 🇬🇱 really just about the aesthetics of how the map works? This is literally the logic I use when playing Civ V or Total War - it's terrifying to think that the US president is making geopolitics a video game
Trump: "To be honest with you, Canada only works as a state. We don't need anything they have. As a state it would be one of the great states. This would be the most incredible country visually. If you look at a map, they drew an artificial line right through it."
March 13, 2025 at 6:10 PM
"This would be the most incredible country visually."
Is the obsession with annexing 🇨🇦 and 🇬🇱 really just about the aesthetics of how the map works? This is literally the logic I use when playing Civ V or Total War - it's terrifying to think that the US president is making geopolitics a video game
Is the obsession with annexing 🇨🇦 and 🇬🇱 really just about the aesthetics of how the map works? This is literally the logic I use when playing Civ V or Total War - it's terrifying to think that the US president is making geopolitics a video game
It's incredibly frustrating to see news outlets frequently refer to "the current caretaker government" when no election has been called. Yes there's a leadership race and yes there's a probable future election but, that does not a caretaker government make. Political journalists should know this.
March 6, 2025 at 8:17 PM
It's incredibly frustrating to see news outlets frequently refer to "the current caretaker government" when no election has been called. Yes there's a leadership race and yes there's a probable future election but, that does not a caretaker government make. Political journalists should know this.
This proposal is interesting, but I'm not sure it would have the desired effect overall. While knowing that an election will likely be a blowout can depress turnout, knowing it will be close can motivate more voters to show up. Personally, I'd prioritize high turnout in the latter situation.
Should polls be banned ahead of election day? Ontario's chief electoral officer thinks so | CBC News
In the wake of record low turnout for an Ontario election, the province's chief electoral officer is calling for a ban on publishing the results of political polls for the final stretch of the campaig...
www.cbc.ca
February 28, 2025 at 6:35 PM
This proposal is interesting, but I'm not sure it would have the desired effect overall. While knowing that an election will likely be a blowout can depress turnout, knowing it will be close can motivate more voters to show up. Personally, I'd prioritize high turnout in the latter situation.
Reposted by Michael J. Wigginton
Can Canadian IR carve out its own space? Michael P. A. Murphy & Michael J. Wigginton find that American, British, & European journals dominate Canadian IR education, sidelining Canadian & French-language scholarship.
Read more here: https://buff.ly/41kuJOf
Read more here: https://buff.ly/41kuJOf
February 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Can Canadian IR carve out its own space? Michael P. A. Murphy & Michael J. Wigginton find that American, British, & European journals dominate Canadian IR education, sidelining Canadian & French-language scholarship.
Read more here: https://buff.ly/41kuJOf
Read more here: https://buff.ly/41kuJOf
I somehow managed to snap the bridge of my glasses during my commute to the office this morning. Efforts to tape them back together have been going... less than excellently
February 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
I somehow managed to snap the bridge of my glasses during my commute to the office this morning. Efforts to tape them back together have been going... less than excellently