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Erin Tolley
2010 Trudeau Scholar
erin.tolley@trudeaufoundation.net
Current Research
Ph.D. Political Science, Queen's University
Framed: Electoral Candidates, the Media and Politics in CanadaBiography
A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Erin now resides in Ottawa and is a PhD Candidate in Political Studies at Queen's University. Prior to pursuing doctoral studies, she worked for eight years in policy research, holding positions at the Library of Parliament, Canadian Heritage, Communication Canada, and most recently at Citizenship and Immigration Canada, where she was the Director of International Projects with Metropolis. Here, her focus was squarely on knowledge transfer, and she worked to encourage the development and use of policy-relevant research in government decision-making. While at Metropolis, Erin contributed to more than 30 conferences, workshops and publications, as well providing policy advice on immigration, citizenship, and multiculturalism.
Erin has had a long-standing interest in issues related to political participation and representation, and in 2008, she co-edited Electing a Diverse Canada, which was published by UBC Press and is the first comprehensive study of the electoral involvement of immigrants, minorities and women across the three levels of government in Canada. This research demonstrated quite clearly the under-representation of visible minorities in politics, a theme that is the focus of Erin's dissertation.
Her research has also appeared in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Issues, Canadian Diversity, and Our Diverse Cities. Erin is also the co-editor of Immigrant Settlement Policy in Canadian Municipalities (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011) and Integration and Inclusion of Newcomers and Minorities Across Canada (McGill-Queen's University Press, 2011). Presently, she is working on two edited volumes; one explores immigrant settlement policy in Ontario cities while the other looks at international approaches to social cohesion policy.Erin is affiliated with the Welcoming Communities Initiative, a SSHRC-funded Community-University Research Alliance that is examining the integration of immigrants and minorities in smaller cities in Ontario. Previously, Erin was affiliated with two Major Collaborative Research Initiatives, one on Public Policies and Municipalities and the other on Ethnicity and Democratic Governance. In addition to a Trudeau Scholarship, Erin has also held a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship.
Project Description
Framed: Electoral Candidates, the Media and Politics in Canada
Erin Tolley's research examines the relationship between the media and politics in Canada. Although the media are sometimes thought of as being outside the political arena, they are a vital link between voters and politicians. This is because most Canadians are not directly involved in politics or government, they are not personally acquainted with all the men and women who run for and serve in elected office, and they obtain the bulk of their information about elections, politicians, and policy issues from the media. As such, the quality, accuracy and tenor of the media's coverage of politics has important implications. Her research looks at how electoral candidates present themselves to the media and voters, what press coverage they receive, and whether this is influenced by candidates' personal characteristics, such as their gender, age, race, region, and party affiliation. It seeks to understand the extent to which the media's portrayal of electoral candidates corresponds or diverges from candidates' own self-presentation and asks whether the media are merely reflecting political reality, or if they are framing, filtering and mediating it.Trudeau Foundation Themes
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