Includes bibliographical references and index.

The Degradation of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy -- Parliament as Anachronism? -- The Americanization of Our Election Process -- Democracy and the Media -- Police State? -- What If They Held an Election and No One Came? -- Follow the Money -- Making the Vote Fair -- Coalitions as the Way of the Future

"Canadians are waking up from a long political slumber to realize that there will not be change unless we insist upon it. Attack ads run all the time, not just during elections. Backbenchers and cabinet ministers alike are muzzled. Committees, the workhorses of government, are deadlocked. Civility has completely disappeared from the House of Commons, replaced by juvenile cat-calling. And the RCMP have run roughshod over a federal election and never been properly investigated for it. In 'Losing Confidence,' Elizabeth May offers a challenging and compelling look at the problems facing us, asks us to join the growing political debate, and offers some inspiring solutions to our dilemmas. May argues that average Canadians are the drivers of the country, and she implores us to make change happen, based on a simple but powerful premise: 'Politics is not a spectator sport'"(Book Cover)