Congratulations to Dr. Grant Valentine, who successfully defended his thesis “The Canadian Punitive Paradox: The Evolution of Conservative Political Marketing Practices and the Late Onset of Penal Populism in Canadian Federal Politics”, on December 8, 2022. His thesis was passed “As Is.”
Dr. Valentine’s impressive thesis explores the latent emergence of penal populism in Canada. It contrasts the political marketing strategies of the federal conservative government under Mulroney (1984-1993) to the Harper era (2006-2015). The thesis argues that while other Western democracies were embracing penal populism, the Canadian PCs under Mulroney avoided a ‘tough-on-crime’ rhetoric, however, advancements in marketing strategies lay the foundations for the future rise of penal populism.
As supervisor, Paula Maurutto, would like to thank the members of the examining committee including, Sarah Armstrong (External Examiner, University of Glasgow), Jerry Flores (Internal/External Examiner), the committee members, Phillip Goodman, and Catherine Evans, as well as, the Defence Chair, Jesook Song.
As for what awaits post-grad, Dr. Valentine will continue his cross-appointment in the Criminal Justice and Sociology departments at Okanagan College.