PREDICTABLE AND UNPREDICTABLE POLICY WINDOWS - INSTITUTIONAL AND EXOGENOUS CORRELATES OF CANADIAN FEDERAL AGENDA-SETTING

This article addresses the question of the applicability of John Kingd on's theory of agenda-setting to Canadian political life. It examines the extent to which agenda-setting in Canadian governments is routine or discretionary, predictable or unpredictable, and the extent to whic h it is influenced by events and activities external to itself. The st udy uses time series data collected on issue mentions related to Nativ e affairs, the constitution, drug abuse, acid rain, the nuclear indust ry and capital punishment in parliamentary debates and committees betw een 1977 and 1992. It compares these series to other time series devel oped from media mentions, violent crime rates, unemployment rates, bud get speeches and speeches from the throne, elections and first ministe rs' conferences over the same period in order to assess the impact of such events on public policy agenda-setting.