I am not sure universities will be lining up to host even smaller, single discipline events, and costs to participants will likely raise as they will need to cover fixed expenses like labour, equipment and AV.

The Canadian Political Science Association experimented with running their own stand-alone conference for 2 years but ultimately returned to Congress because of economies of scale and benefits of being with other disciplinary associations.

There are other types of conferences and workshops, but Congress is a rare coming together of Canada’s disciplinary associations. The loss of this venue for connections and knowledge dissemination is huge.

This is the place where academics go to exchange ideas, present their research and hear what others are doing. Book publishers and editors are there for pitches. It’s also often where graduate students begin to build their broader networks and make connections with others working in their field.

Yes all of that and the fact that most predictions of overall result are extrapolations / modelling and not based on riding-level polling.

The polls are accurate in the sense that they report what people told pollsters about their vote intention. The problem is that they are used (arguably improperly) to predict election results!

Very cool! Congratulations. (Also: please wear medallion to all future Carleton events)

Thanks Emily! I secretly enjoyed counting up all the Johns and Jeans.

[3/5] Read the Black Canadians in Electoral Politics’ recent report and recommendations to achieve a more diverse and inclusive elected institution.
🔗 blackcanadianpolitics.ca/report/

[2/5] Explore “Black on Ballot”, a four-part documentary podcast that shares stories from former candidates and officeholders outlining their experiences in Canadian politics.

🔗 blackcanadianpolitics.ca/black-on-the...