Mark D. Jarvis, a doctoral candidate at the University of Victoria, is co-winner of the $50,000 Donner Prize. The prize goes to the best public-policy book published in Canada.
Jarvis was recognized for co-writing Democratizing the Constitution: Reforming Responsible Government with colleague Lori Turnbull and the late Peter Aucoin. The book argues that the time-honoured system of responsible government is failing Canadians. It contends the constitution and its unwritten conventions no longer provide effective constraints on a prime minister's power.
The Donner Prize jury commented: "An important and timely book - one that calls into question the legitimacy of our most fundamental institutions of democracy." Jarvis is a doctoral candidate at UVic's School of Public Administration.
