Local and Urban Politics

E19 - Representatives and Representation in Municipal Politics

Date: Jun 5 | Time: 01:45pm to 03:15pm | Location:

Chair/Président/Présidente : Wai Yin Chan (Guelph University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Anne Mévellac (University of Ottawa)

Gatekeepers or Champions? Party Influence on Women's Representation in Canadian Municipal Politics: Brooke Steinhauer (McGill University), Dietlind Stolle (McGill University), Kael Kropp (McGill University)
Abstract: Political parties are an integral part of Canadian politics, especially in their role of recruiting and nominating candidates for elections. Because of this, parties are often viewed as gatekeepers, controlling who can run for office. This idea is widely explored in the gender and politics literature, with an understanding that parties can influence women’s representation either positively or negatively. But what does this look like at the municipal level? Previous research has found no evidence of a ‘municipal advantage’ for women candidates at the local level (Tolley, 2011). However, as more municipalities consider introducing political parties into their electoral systems, the impact of these parties on women’s representation remains uncertain. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether women experience greater electoral success in municipal elections when political parties are present. To explore this, we compare Canada’s two largest municipalities: Toronto, which lacks local political parties, and Montréal, where they have long existed. This study uses data from the Canadian Municipal Elections Database, beginning in 1978, when municipal parties were formally recognized in Québec. As such, this paper contributes to the growing body of research on local partisan dynamics in Canada by offering a comparative analysis of how municipal party structures impact women’s representation.

They Got a Ticket to Run: Navigating Ballot Access Rules for Local Canadian Politicians: Audrey Brennan (Institut National de Recherche Scientifique)
Abstract: This paper's objective is to investigate the administrative (legal) barriers to ballot access that aspiring local politicians in Canada encounter. While personal characteristics and contextual factors, such as incumbency, play significant roles in the decision to run for office, this study will primarily focus on how administrative rules shape the process of becoming a candidate in local elections. Existing literature indicates that restrictive ballot access laws can deter potential candidates and reduce electoral competition (Ansolabehere and Gerber 1996; Stratmann 2005; Drometer and Rincke 2009; Dowling and Lem 2009; c.f. Tavits 2006). To analyze these legal barriers, we will survey sitting municipal politicians regarding their experiences with the nomination process and the specific administrative requirements they face. Data collection will occur through the Canadian Municipal Barometer’s annual consultation in early 2025. This research aims to contribute to the scholarship on political participation by highlighting how administrative structures hinder or facilitate access to local elections for aspiring candidates. By isolating the impact of these barriers while controlling for personal and contextual factors, we expect to provide actionable insights for policymakers. Preliminary findings will be presented at the conference.

Convening Power: Leveraging Legitimacy in Municipal Government: Michael Murphy (Queen's University)
Abstract: Externally-imposed statutory limits, resource constraints imposed by the property tax system, and limited human resources capacity in all but the largest municipalities combine to curtail the powers of municipal governments. However, as Curtis (1942) noted decades ago, the weak legal position is balanced by a strong moral legitimacy. More recently, work by Lucas ( 2024) has demonstrated that municipal politicians tend to match the ideological preferences of their constituents, despite the lack of direct partisan branding. This congruity in policy and ideological preferences—like Curtis’s “moral” legitimacy—provides a strong foundation for local representatives to speak for communities. In this situation of low capacity but high legitimacy, I argue that municipalities are in a prime position to leverage “convening power” to achieve policy objectives. Emerging from institutionalist work in sociology and organizational theory, convening power describes the ability of elite actors to bring disparate groups together so as to displace conflict with collaboration (Lindsay 2008; Maclean et al 2015; Maclean & Harvey 2016; Wood & Gray 1991). Convening power is the purview of elites within a given social structure who mobilize network connections in order to bridge gaps between other actors. In the case of municipal governments, democratic legitimacy in the local community rather than structural power within an economic or religious system provides the lever for convening power. As a conceptual framework, “convening power” answers Taylor and Eidelman’s (2010) call for theoretical innovation in the study of local government in Canada.

Political representation in Quebec municipalities with fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.: Sandra Breux (INRS)
Abstract: While it is well known that the size of a municipality is likely to influence both elective office and electoral participation, few studies - to our knowledge - document how political representation is embodied on a day-to-day basis in these specific contexts. Based on a survey (n= 120) and some 30 interviews with elected officials in Quebec municipalities with populations of less than 10,000, we will look at 1) the profile of elected officials in these small municipalities; 2) how they describe the challenges they face; and 3) the relationships they maintain with citizens. Through the discourse of elected representatives, we will show how political representation is conceived and how the relationship between representatives and represented is experienced, sometimes challenging certain myths surrounding smaller municipalities.