Gender-Based Violence in Canadian Politics in the #MeToo Era is a volume of chapters by diverse and knowledgeable authors, edited by Tracey Raney and Cheryl N. Collier. This book contributes an analysis in the Canadian context of the increasing threat to democratic governance that is gender-based violence in politics (GBV-P). Raney and Collier begin by introducing the concept of GBV-P in the Canadian context. They do so by articulating that the study of GBV-P, closely related to the concept of violence against women in politics (VAWIP), is in its infancy, and as such, demonstration of the rise of this problem in the Canadian context is particularly timely. The book argues that increased attention ought to be paid to GBV-P in the Canadian context, in part due to its abundant prominence and in part due to Canada’s identity that is rooted in inclusivity and equality. This argument is evidenced in each of the book’s four parts, which centre on online GBV-P, GPV-P in media and news reporting, the experiences of individuals who have experienced GBV-P and evaluation of proposed solutions to GBV-P in Canada.
The book groups chapters into four parts, the first of which focuses on violence that takes place virtually, the second on reporting of GBV-P in the media, the third on the lived experiences of women who have experienced GBV-P and the fourth on the future in assessing the remedies available to address GBV-P and hypotheses as to how these solutions could be both improved and implemented. This book provides a comprehensive analysis of many angles of an extremely nuanced issue in Canadian politics. It also draws comparisons across countries that are natural comparators for Canadian politics given their parliamentary systems or societal makeup. Such comparisons can be found in the first chapter, by Bardall and Tenove, who make comparisons between the frequency and severity of online violence against women in Canadian politics, situating Canada in global trends and observations. Similarly, Cockram’s chapter makes direct comparisons between anti-harassment procedures in Canada and the United Kingdom, drawing on the use of features of the House of Commons in both countries to mitigate or perpetuate GBV-P. By marshalling evidence from a variety of contexts, the authors make it clear that GBV-P remains an understudied topic broadly speaking, and GBV-P in the context of Canadian politics even more so.
This book brings together authors from different sub-fields of study exceptionally well. Experts on sexual violence, media coverage of female politicians and municipal politics, for example, all contribute unique perspectives and wisdom on the specific issue of GBV-P in the Canadian context. In this sense, Gender-Based Violence in Canadian Politics in the #MeToo Era is the first book of its kind, providing a comprehensive, clear and focused account of GBV-P that provides a diverse range of expert analysis. This book will undoubtably prove useful for those teaching and studying gender and politics, as well as Canadian politics. The chapters of this book each provide a distinct perspective on a key gendered issue in Canadian politics, which make it particularly useful as a teaching tool. The diversity of issues covered, from gendered troupes in political cartoons to practical evaluation of the violence that staffers in the House of Commons face, proves particularly useful for teaching gender and politics, as it encompasses the breadth of the field very well. Scholars in the field of political communication will also find this book of use when considering the practical impacts of political communication. The nuanced analysis of issues such as barriers to entering politics, image-based sexual violence and anti-harassment training will lend itself well to gender and politics scholars. Wisdom from these chapters will be applicable to a range of topics within the subfield of gender and politics and will be fruitful in comparative analysis as well.
As noted above, this book speaks to existing literature, theory and contributions in the field of VAW. The relationship between GBV-P and VAW is not, however, clearly defined. Specifically, the difference (if any) between these concepts is not enunciated by authors in this book, which leaves the reader wondering if there is in fact any difference in these concepts, and what motivated the different terming of GBV-P. Ultimately, this book provides an exemplary collection of work on an increasingly important topic in Canadian and global politics: gender-based violence. The editors have thoughtfully compiled chapters from a variety of prominent voices in the fields of both Canadian politics and gender and politics. Each chapter, as well as the foreword and concluding remarks authored by the editors, contributes to understanding of what GBV-P consists of, how it is experienced differently by different groups of individuals and what can be done to mitigate and respond to it.
