Substantial changes have occurred in the nature of politicaldiscourse over the past thirty years. Once, traditional media dominatedthe political landscape, but in recent years Facebook, Twitter, blogsand Blackberrys have emerged as important tools and platforms forpolitical campaigns. While the Canadian party system has provedsurprisingly resilient, the rhythms of political life are now verydifferent. A never-ending 24-hour news cycle has resulted in anever-ending political campaign. The implications of this new politicalstyle and its impact on political discourse are issues vigorouslydebated in this new volume of How Canadians Communicate, as isthe question on every politician's mind: How can we draw ageneration of digital natives into the current political dialogue?

With contributions from such diverse figures as Elly Alboim, RichardDavis, Tom Flanagan, David Marshall, and Roger Epp, How CanadiansCommunicate IV is the most comprehensive review of politicalcommunication in Canada in over three decades – one that posesquestions fundamental to the quality of public life.