"David Smith has done it again. Across the Aisle combines impeccable scholarship, elegant prose and astute judgment in a long-needed analysis of opposition in Canadian politics. Ranging from pre-Confederation coalitions to the implications of the 2011 federal election, Smith emphasizes what he terms 'Canadian exceptionalism in the legislative realm,' leaving little doubt as to the manifest shortcomings of opposition Canadian-style. Built on the premise that responsible government necessarily entails responsible - and effective - opposition, the book is primarily about parliamentary opposition, but it also incisively explores other forms of opposition in Canadian politics, including provincial governments, the media, and officers of Parliament. Agree or disagree with Smith's always thoughtful take on the politics of opposition, no serious student of Canadian politics can ignore this book." -- Graham White, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto Mississauga "This superb book examines a little-studied but essential part of the Canadian parliamentary system: the official opposition in the House of Commons, which the author describes as 'the political corrective' to the concentrated power of the government. Smith finds grounds for concern about the well-being of the opposition in the House, and hence about the well-being of Parliament itself. These concerns are not new, but Smith's is the best study yet of this complex and disturbing phenomenon." -- CES Franks, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Studies, Queen's University "Opposition is crucial to a vibrant democracy, but the concept has been largely neglected by Canadian political science. Now David E. Smith has filled the void with a masterly full length study of the theory and practice of both parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition from Confederation to the present day. His reputation for meticulous scholarship and mature judgement is reinforced by this fine book." -- Paul Thomas, Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Studies, University of Manitoba

How do parties with official opposition status influence Canadian politics? Across the Aisle is an innovative examination of the theory and practice of opposition in Canada, both in Parliament and in provincial legislatures. Extending from the pre-Confederation era to the present day, it focuses on whether Canada has developed a coherent tradition of parliamentary opposition. David E. Smith argues that Canada has in fact failed to develop such a tradition. He investigates several possible reasons for this failure, including the long dominance of the Liberal party, which arrested the tradition of viewing the opposition as an alternative government; periods of minority government induced by the proliferation of parties; the role of the news media, which have largely displaced Parliament as a forum for commentary on government policy; and, finally, the increasing popularity of calls for direct action in politics. Readers of Across the Aisle will gain a renewed understanding of official opposition that goes beyond Stornoway and shadow cabinets, illuminating both the historical evolution and recent developments of opposition politics in Canada.