Michael Byers (Canadian author)
Encyclopedia
Michael Byers is a Canadian
legal scholar and non-fiction
author
.
, where he received his BA
with majors in English literature and political studies. He then studied at McGill University
, achieving his LLB and BCL
degrees. He completed his studies at Cambridge University, where he received his PhD
. Before becoming a professor of political science
at University of British Columbia
in 2004, he was a research fellow from 1996-1999 at Oxford University and from 1999–2004, he taught law at Duke University
, where he was a professor of law and the director of Canadian Studies.
Since 2007, he has held the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia
in Vancouver
.
nomination for the federal riding of Vancouver Centre
, a seat held by Liberal Party of Canada
incumbent Hedy Fry
since 1993, in the 40th Canadian federal election
. Byers had not previously sought elected office and the Liberal Party had tried to attract him as a candidate, with Stephane Dion inviting him for a beer in the spring of 2008.
Byers received much attention because he was considered by many to be a "star" candidate for the NDP.
During the campaign, he was sharply critical of the Harper government's supposed militarization of the Arctic; he also advocated a negotiation with the Taliban in Afghanistan. At a candidates' debate at the end of September 2008, Byers made the controversial statement that the Alberta tar sands needed to be shut down "to address the global climate crisis". The Liberal and Green candidates claimed that this position contradicted the official NDP platform, while Byers believes that it is covered by the already-passed legislation calling on Canada to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
Dr. Hedy Fry, the incumbent, won reelection with 19,423 votes (34.4% of the popular vote). Byers ran third, with 12,043 votes (21.3%).
, 2005), and Intent for a Nation: What is Canada For? (ISBN 978-1-55365-250-2, Douglas & McIntyre 2007) (playing against George Grant
's Lament for a Nation
). In 2009, he wrote Who Owns the Arctic? (ISBN 978-1553654995, Douglas & McIntyre 2009), which was shorted for the Donner Book Prize.
Byers is a regular commentator on CBC
on programs such as The Current and The National, and writes for The Globe and Mail
and other Canadian and international periodicals.
Some of his positions:
and the New Democratic Party
(NDP) "should agree to not run candidates against each other in the next campaign" in electoral ridings in order to prevent the Conservative Party of Canada
from forming another minority government. However, critics pointed out that his reasoning is based on the assumption that Liberal voters who are denied the ability to vote for a liberal candidate would automatically vote for a NDP candidate, and that many might instead vote for the Conservatives (or simply not vote at all).
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
legal scholar and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Academic background
Byers was educated at the University of SaskatchewanUniversity of Saskatchewan
The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...
, where he received his BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
with majors in English literature and political studies. He then studied at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, achieving his LLB and BCL
BCL
BCL may stand for:*BCL, an Algerian company that produces light infantry vehicles for the National Popular Army* the ISO 639-3 code for the Central Bikolano language*Bachelor of Civil Law, the name of various degrees in law in English-speaking countries...
degrees. He completed his studies at Cambridge University, where he received his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
. Before becoming a professor of political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
at University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in 2004, he was a research fellow from 1996-1999 at Oxford University and from 1999–2004, he taught law at Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, where he was a professor of law and the director of Canadian Studies.
Since 2007, he has held the Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
.
2008 federal election
On July 2, 2008, Byers announced that he was seeking the New Democratic PartyNew Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
nomination for the federal riding of Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre
Vancouver Centre is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917.-Geography:...
, a seat held by Liberal Party of Canada
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
incumbent Hedy Fry
Hedy Fry
Hedy Fry, PC, MP is a Canadian politician and physician. She is the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Centre.-Early life:Fry was born into poverty in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago...
since 1993, in the 40th Canadian federal election
40th Canadian federal election
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
. Byers had not previously sought elected office and the Liberal Party had tried to attract him as a candidate, with Stephane Dion inviting him for a beer in the spring of 2008.
Byers received much attention because he was considered by many to be a "star" candidate for the NDP.
During the campaign, he was sharply critical of the Harper government's supposed militarization of the Arctic; he also advocated a negotiation with the Taliban in Afghanistan. At a candidates' debate at the end of September 2008, Byers made the controversial statement that the Alberta tar sands needed to be shut down "to address the global climate crisis". The Liberal and Green candidates claimed that this position contradicted the official NDP platform, while Byers believes that it is covered by the already-passed legislation calling on Canada to reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by 80 per cent by 2050.
Dr. Hedy Fry, the incumbent, won reelection with 19,423 votes (34.4% of the popular vote). Byers ran third, with 12,043 votes (21.3%).
Writing and advocacy
His books include War Law (Douglas & McIntyreDouglas & McIntyre
Douglas & McIntyre is an independent Canadian publishing company founded in 1971. They are the publishers for such noted authors as Margaret Atwood and Douglas Coupland; poet Lorna Crozier; actress Kim Cattrall; chef John Bishop; and politician Mike Harcourt...
, 2005), and Intent for a Nation: What is Canada For? (ISBN 978-1-55365-250-2, Douglas & McIntyre 2007) (playing against George Grant
George Grant (philosopher)
George Parkin Grant, OC, FRSC was a Canadian philosopher, teacher and political commentator, whose popular appeal peaked in the late 1960s and 1970s. He is best known for his nationalism, political conservatism, and his views on technology, pacifism, Christian faith, and abortion...
's Lament for a Nation
Lament for a nation
Lament for a Nation is a 1965 essay of political philosophy by Canadian philosopher George Grant. The essay examined the political fate of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's Progressive Conservative government in light of its refusal to allow nuclear arms on Canadian soil and the Liberal Party's...
). In 2009, he wrote Who Owns the Arctic? (ISBN 978-1553654995, Douglas & McIntyre 2009), which was shorted for the Donner Book Prize.
Byers is a regular commentator on CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
on programs such as The Current and The National, and writes for The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
and other Canadian and international periodicals.
Some of his positions:
Afghanistan
In his book Intent for a Nation, Byers describes the Afghanistan war, which he opposes, as: "a U.S.-led war in Asia."Liberal-NDP Coalition
In November 2009, Byers suggested that the Liberal Party of CanadaLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
(NDP) "should agree to not run candidates against each other in the next campaign" in electoral ridings in order to prevent the Conservative Party of Canada
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
from forming another minority government. However, critics pointed out that his reasoning is based on the assumption that Liberal voters who are denied the ability to vote for a liberal candidate would automatically vote for a NDP candidate, and that many might instead vote for the Conservatives (or simply not vote at all).
F35s
Byers has been a vocal opponent of the Harper government's proposed purchase of F35 fighter jets. In the Toronto Star, he writes: "The F-35 is a stealth fighter designed to penetrate radar defences on the first day of a war. It's the sort of plane you would use to create 'shock and awe' in Baghdad or Tehran. Unless Canada is planning on being the sharp end of the American spear, we don't need stealth technology. The F-35 is designed for short takeoff and landing, with two of the three versions destined for aircraft carriers. Canada, of course, doesn't have aircraft carriers. And all that stealth technology and short takeoff and landing capacity comes at a cost. In addition to the price tag of about $135 million per plane, the F-35 has a relatively short range. This makes it an odd choice for a large, sparsely populated country."External links
- Celebration for a Nation Ottawa CitizenOttawa CitizenThe Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
article by Michael Byers June 2007 - Michael Byers at the University of British ColumbiaUniversity of British ColumbiaThe University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
faculty page - Video of Michael Byers speaking on the SPP Google video Security and Prosperity Partnership
- 'Michael Byers on Politics' - weblog