Danielle McNabb

Assistant Professor, Political Science

Danielle McNabb standing in a corridor with arms crossed. There are tables and chairs in the background and natural light is pouring through the glass windows.

PhD: Queen’s University
MA: University of Guelph
BA (Honours): University of Guelph

905-688-5550 x5812
[email protected]

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Danielle McNabb is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Brock University. She holds a PhD in Political Studies from Queen’s University, an MA in Criminology and Criminal Justice Policy and a BA in Political Science from the University of Guelph.

Dr. McNabb’s research sits at the intersection of law and politics, and criminal justice policy and administration. A central part of her work in public law examines how and why political actors rely on the courts to resolve issues of politics and public policy. Her current book project explores the role of interveners in Canada’s highest Court. Focusing specifically on cases involving the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, her research illustrates how intervener participation at the SCC simultaneously poses challenges and opportunities for Canadian democracy.

Dr. McNabb’s work on criminal justice primarily examines policing and police oversight as well as political and legal responses to sexual violence. She is currently leading two SSHRC-funded projects in this area:

The first project is titled, “How do Canadian civilian oversight agencies respond to police sexual violence?” With a focus on the civilian police oversight system, this five-year project will seek to better understand the challenges that animate the reporting, investigation, and prosecution of police-involved sexual violence.

The second project, “‘An unspeakable breach of trust’: Police-perpetrated gender-based violence in Ontario,” will provide a rich, empirical picture of police gender-based violence (PGBV) in Ontario, including key trends relating to victims, perpetrators, and the broader context underlying these incidents. This project will also develop a systematic account of how overlapping systems of oversight in Ontario (media, courts, and police services themselves) work and relate to one another to address PGBV.

Dr. McNabb’s work has appeared in the Canadian Journal of Political Science, Canadian Journal of Law and Society, Policing & Society, Review of Constitutional Studies, Women & Criminal Justice, Canadian Public Administration, among other venues.

In addition to her research, Dr. McNabb teaches courses on courts and politics, governance, and criminal justice policy in the Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice (FPAC) program at Brock. She welcomes the opportunity to supervise graduate students in her various areas of expertise.

Areas of specialization

  • Criminal Justice Policy and Institutions
  • Canadian Law, Courts and Politics
  • Legal Mobilization/Interest Group Litigation
  • Supreme Court of Canada
  • The Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms
  • Policing and Police Oversight
  • Legal and Political Responses to Sexual Violence
  • Gender and Politics

Publications

Peer Reviewed:

  • McNabb, Danielle and Kate Puddister. (Forthcoming). “Data-driven Decisions? Empirical Evidence in Charter Cases at the Supreme Court of Canada.” Osgoode Hall Law Journal.
  • McNabb, Danielle. (2025). “The History and Administration of Third-Party Interventions at the Supreme Court of Canada.” Canadian Public Administration, 68(4): 669-684.
  • Dell, Brendan and Danielle McNabb. (2025). “Government Interventions in Constitutional Cases at the Supreme Court of Canada.” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 58(4): 963-970.
  • McNabb, Danielle and Shauna Hughey. (2025). “Where Have the Women Gone? An Exploratory Study of the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund’s Shifting Advocacy.” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 58(2): 408-425.
  • McNabb, Danielle and Minh Do. (2025). “Interveners’ Ideas as Influence: Revisiting Ktunaxa Nation.” Dalhousie Law Journal, 48(1): 1–31.
  • Puddister, Kate, and Danielle McNabb. (2024). “Police oversight in practice: the Special Investigations Unit and civilian police oversight in Ontario, Canada.” Policing & Society, 34(8): 831–845.
  • McNabb, Danielle, and Kate Puddister. (2024): “To Serve and Protect? An Empirical Study of Police-Involved Sexual Assault.” Women & Criminal Justice, 34(2): 149-170.
  • Chouinard, Stéphanie and Danielle McNabb. (2024). “Can equity-seeking groups become ‘haves’ in Canada’s judicial system? A study of Francophone minority communities’ strategic intervention in the domain of language rights.” Review of Constitutional Studies, 28(1): 33-60.
  • McNabb, Danielle. (2023). “Who Intervenes in Supreme Court Cases in Canada?” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 56(3): 715-728.
  • Small, Tamara A. and Danielle McNabb. (2023). “‘It’s Kinda Complicated’ The Uncertain Relationship between Digital Technology and Democracy.” In Critical Concepts: An Introduction to Politics, 6th Edition. Edited by Janine Brodie, Sandra Rein, and Malinda S. Smith. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Hausegger, Lori., McNabb, Danielle, and Troy Riddell (2022). “The Provincial Courts of Appeal and Section 24(2) of the Charter.” In Constitutional Crossroads: Reflections on Charter Rights, Reconciliation, and Change. Edited by Emmett Macfarlane and Kate Puddister. UBC Press.
  • Dauda, Carol L. and Danielle McNabb. (2022). “Getting to Proportionality: the trouble with sentencing for possession of child pornography in Ontario.” Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice, Vol. 37, pp. 278-311. https://doi.org/10.22329/wyaj.v37i1.7198
  • McNabb, Danielle, and Dennis Baker. (2021). “Ignoring Implementation: Defects in Canada’s ‘Rape Shield’ Policy Cycle.” Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 36 (1), pp. 23-46. doi:10.1017/cls.2020.35
  • Puddister, Kate, and Danielle McNabb. (2021). “When the Police Break the Law: The Investigation, Prosecution and Sentencing of Ontario Police Officers.” Canadian Journal of Law and Society, 1-24, doi:10.1017/cls.2021.3 

Non-Peer Reviewed:

Student supervision

Professor McNabb is interested in supervising graduate students working in the areas of:

  • Criminal Justice Policy and Administration: Policing Policy; Police Oversight and Oversight Agencies; Political and Legal Responses to Sexual and Gendered Violence (i.e., Rape Shield Legislation, Police-involved sexual assault; “Unfounded” sexual violence; Courts’ handling of sexual and domestic violence cases); Sentencing Policy and Procedure; Criminal Justice Policymaking, Criminal Justice Institutions and more.
  • Canadian Law and Politics: Interest Group and Government Litigation; the Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; the Supreme Court of Canada; Gender and Representation in Political and Legal Institutions and more.