Harvey Lazar

Non-constitutional Renewal

Canada: State of the Federation, 1999–2000 identifies and explains major threads in Canadian fiscal federalism. Set against the cacophony over domineering and arrogant centralization from supporters of Quebec sovereignty/session on the one hand, and fears that excessive decentralization is fuelling an obsessively neo-liberal agenda on the other, these essays replace much of this heat with new light. The authors begin with an examination of recent developments in the theoretical literature surrounding fiscal federalism. They then examine some of the major issues facing the federation – Is there a vertical imbalance between federal and provincial governments? Does Ottawa collect more revenues than are needed relative to its spending responsibilities while the provinces are under-funded? How do federal-provincial struggles over money and jurisdictional power affect local government or the para-public sector, emerging aboriginal governments, and citizens? Federal government actions in 1999 suggest that Ottawa has not lost all of its interest in social outcomes. It is, however, seeking to influence the well-being of citizens by transferring money to them directly rather than through transfers to provinces. The authors suggest that if this trend continues the approach to the millennium will be seen as a watershed in public policy, given that current trends in Canadian fiscal federalism are as much about re-balancing the federation as they are about decentralization.

Toward a New Mission Statement for Canadian Fiscal Federalism

Tom McIntosh

The State of the Federation, 1998

Canada

Hamish Telford

Canada: The State of the Federation 2000/01 probes beneath the surface to determine if the obvious changes – the fractious federal party system, the "common sense revolution" in government budgeting, the re-birth of the sovereignty movement in Quebec, and the re-assertion of Aboriginal claims – are symptomatic of a shift in Canadian political culture. Arguably, political changes in Canada have been greater in the 1990s than in any other decade since Confederation, but do these changes signify a shift in Canadian political culture? Can we even speak of a Canadian political culture? What are the consequences of these changes for the federation? Are Canadians more or less united? Are federal-provincial relations better or worse? What does the future hold? The authors attempt to answer these questions through analyses of the federal party system, politics in the provinces and regions, and political dynamics in a number of issue areas, including Aboriginal politics, the Charter, multiculturalism, the rural-urban cleavage, and social policy.

Harvey Lazar

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