CANADIANS AND THEIR GOVERNMENT George W. Brown and Allen S. Merritt. rev. ed. Toronto, Fitzhenry & Whiteside, c1983. 160pp, paper, $6.95. ISBN 0-88902-632-7. Grades 9 and up. Reviewed by Ruth Denyer. Volume 12 Number 1 1984 January This book is the second revised edition of the 1961 original. It is an authoritative yet readable text covering all aspects of Canadian government. Eight major sections explore responsible, representative, and federal government; Canada's federal system; Canada's parliamentary system; parliament in action; the executive branch of government; the law, the courts, and civil rights; taxation in Canada; and a comparison of the Canadian form of government with the British and American systems. Useful features include questions for discussion listed at the back of each chapter and a set of appendices listing the governors-general and prime ministers of Canada since Confederation, sections 91 and 92 of the BNA (Constitution) Act covering the federal-provincial division of powers, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a list of American presidents, and the American Bill of Rights. The text will prove useful for an audience unfamiliar with political terms. Readers are lead step-by-step to a more sophisticated understanding of the Canadian political system. Through the use of an index and subject headings in the margins of the text, easy access to the information is provided. A great deal of emphasis has been placed on detail, yet surprisingly the text is not dull. The liberal use of photographs, charts, and graphs promote readability. Recommended for the high-school level because of the basic concepts presented, this book could easily provide the means by which lay readers seriously interested in Canadian politics could increase understanding. Ruth Denyer, Toronto, ON.