Canadian Annual Review of Politics and Public Affairs 1981

Dean Tudor is a journalism professor at the Ryerson Polytechnical
Institute and founding editor of the CBRA.

Since 1960, the Canadian Annual Review has been a valued reference source for students of contemporary Canada. The format adopted in 1971, which saw the excision of material about social and leisure activities, has been retained, as has the primary vocation of the contributors (i.e., academics). The essays are arranged in four main sections: parliament and politics; the provinces (and territories); external affairs and defence; and the national economy. Also included are a calendar of events and a section of obituaries. Good detail and good commentaries sustain this long-established reference tool. For example, there is a succinct five pages on the Kent Commission’s Report on Newspapers from 1981, a commentary that tells more in that short space than many other media accounts (including the Report itself). Of course, over the years the price has crept up (the 1978 volume was $35 back in 1980), but the time lay has shortened: the 1978 volume was two years off, while the 1982 volume is about a year and a half behind — and this is indeed respectable. All back years are still in print.