Alex Marland (Memorial University of Newfoundland) and Thierry Giasson (Université Laval) introduce Samara and UBC Press' exciting open-access electronic project Canadian Election Analysis 2015: Communication, Strategy, and Democracy. 

For the first time in Canada, experts from across the country have come together to write a collection of short and snappy analyses of the 42nd Canadian federal election. 

As editors of the compilation, we were responsible for recruiting some of Canada's most dynamic and knowledgeable political scientists, journalists, pollsters and strategists and making sure that their submissions were delivered on time—no mean feat considering the deadline was within 96 hours of the election. 

Academics are often accustomed to longer lead times (and word counts), but thankfully the response we had to our request for an article was an immediate and unqualified "yes!" from over 50 of them. 

Inspired by the publication of early reflections on the 2015 UK general election by eminent academics from across the pond, we wanted to produce a similarly important record of the depth and breadth of Canada's experts experience and knowledge of our politics.  

So starting today, Samara, together with our editor UBC press, is proud to bring you all 57 articles from 66 political scientists as part of the "Election 2015: A rapid response from Canada’s leading experts" blog series, which will profile one expert each day here on Samara's blog. (You'll be able to find all of the posts under the "Political News" category—accessible via the menu on the right hand side of your screen.)

From youth issues to First Nations' political engagement, political debates to microtargeting voters, our contributors have covered, in French and English, all of the key aspects of the modern election. 

Together, these publications offer the definitive look at all angles of Canada's 2015 general election and, we hope, will be the preliminary go-to resource for scholars, teachers, students, journalists, pundits, bloggers and Canadian citizens alike. 

After reading "Election 2015," you will have a fresh perspective on the exciting October federal election (beyond the horserace), as well as a nuanced understanding of it. 

You can also find all of the articles compiled in the open-access electronic project Canadian Election Analysis 2015: Communication, Strategy, and Democracy, which is downloaded on the UBC Press's webpage of our series Communication, Strategy and Politics. 

A special thank you to all those who contributed to the project: we very much appreciate your rapid response to the election—it is invaluable! 

For a complete list of all the experts involved (and their institutions), please scroll down. 

We hope you enjoy reading their take on the election!

Alex Marland and Thierry Giasson

Alex Marland is an associate professor of political science and an associate dean of arts at Memorial University of Newfoundland. His area of research concerns the use of communication and marketing in Canadian politics, government and public policy. Alex is the author of Brand Command: Canadian Politics and Democracy in the Age of Message Control, to be published by UBC Press in early 2016.

Thierry Giasson is Associate Professor of Political Science at UniversitéLaval, in Québec City. Dr. Giasson is the Director of the Groupe de recherche en communication politique (GRCP). He is also the current president of the Société québécoise de science politique. His research focuses on political communication, online politique, as well as the effects political marketing practices on political participation and civic engagement. He is co-editor with Alex Marland of the series Communication, Strategy and Politics at UBC Press.

Canada's Leading Experts taking on #Elxn42

Chris Adams, University of Manitoba

Frédéric Bastien, Université de Montréal 

Tom Bateman, St. Thomas University

Mark Burgess, The Hill Times

Max Cameron, University of British Columbia

Amanda Clarke, Carleton University

Cristine de Clercy, University of Western Ontario

David Coletto, Abacus Data

Thomas Collombat, Université du Québec en Outaouais

Patricia Cormack, St. Francis Xavier University 

Jonathan Craft, University of Toronto

Erin Crandall, Acadia Univeristy

Maciej Czop, Abacus Data

Susan Delacourt, The Toronto Star

Jennifer Ditchburn, The Canadian Press

Yannick Dufresne, Université Laval

Gregory Eady, University of Toronto

Anna Esselment, University of Waterloo

Bryan Evans, Ryerson University

Joanna Everitt, University of New Brunswick

Tom Flanagan, University of Calgary

Sean Fleming, University of Cambridge

Fred Fletcher, York University

Mary Francoli, Carleton University

François Gelinéau, Université Laval

Thierry Giasson, Université Laval

Jamie Gillies, St. Thomas University

Tania Gosselin, Université du Québec à Montréal 

Georgina Grosenick, Carleton University

Susan Harada, Carleton University

Allison Harrell, Université du Québec à Montréal 

Brooke Jeffrey, Concordia University

Richard Johnston, University of British Columbia

Matthew Kerby, Australian National University

Julie Killin, University of Calgary

Warren Kinsella, Daisy Group

Royce Koop, University of Manitoba

Rachel Laforest, Queen’s University

Mireille Lalancette, Université du Québec a Trios-Rivières

Andrea Lawlor, King’s University College, Western University

Larry LeDuc, University of Toronto

Mario Levesque, Mount Allison University

JP Lewis, University of New Brunswick

Cliff van der Linden, Vox Pop Labs

Jeff MacLeod, Mount Saint Vincent University

Alex Marland, Memorial University of Newfoundland

Scott Matthews, Memorial University of Newfoundland

David McGrane, University of Saskatchewan

Denver McNeney, McGill University

Eric Montigny, Université Laval

Pamela Palmater, Ryerson University

Steve Patten, University of Alberta

Vincent Raynauld, Emerson College

Jennifer Robson, Carleton University

Jonathan Rose, Queen’s University

Shannon Sampert, Winnipeg Free Press

Robert Shepherd, Carleton University

Tamara A. Small, University of Guelph

Melanee Thomas, University of Calgary

Paul Thomas, University of Manitoba

Erin Tolley, University of Toronto

Linda Trimble, University of Alberta

Chris Waddell, Carleton University

Angelia Wagner, McGill University

Paul Wilson, Carleton University

Nelson Wiseman, University of Toronto