Lecture 11: Institutions in Canada: Federalism, Regionalism and Parties

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Lecture 11 Institutions in Canada Federalism,
Regionalism and Parties

• SOSC 152

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Key factor in Canadian Political Institutions is
Federal Nature of the GovernmentFederal Nature
of the Government

• Ebbs and Flows of Provincial versus Federal Power
• Quebec Threat of Secession major challenge to
  Canada's future
• also other regional threats
• Federal/Provincial split major battle line over
  revenues, taxes, human capital, resource
  extraction
• Determines structure of parties and limited role
  of national parties
• makes Federal-Provincial conferences, not
  Parliament, the key locus of major decisions

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The Evolution of Canadian Federalism (1867-1993)
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Ebbs and Flows of Provincial versus Federal Power

• Four Eras of Federal/Provincial Relations
• a. Centralized Era of National Policy
• BNA Act vague on division of authority, courts
  decide locus of authority
• despite desire for unitary government, Quebec and
  Maritimes needed protection to persuade them to
  join.
• provinces got control of education (language and
  religion), welfare, hospitals, taxes from
  resources or land.
• central government trade, commerce, foreign
  affairs, defense, criminal law and "emergency
  powers" of peace, government and order"
• joint control over immigration and agriculture
• taxes for on-shore resources to provinces,
  off-shore resources unclear
• federal government negated provincial laws (112
  times before 1943)
• federal subsidies to provinces, 58 in 1874, 8
  in 1929

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• b. Provincial Powers 1895-World War 1
• Judicial Committee of Privy Council of England
  interpreted BNA Act in favour of provincial
  rights
• prevented federal government from establishing
  minimum wage and social insurance scheme during
  Depression
• c. Centralization Period After Depression, 1930s
  to 1960
• important role of Keynesian economics and
  expansion of social services for provinces that
  had not funds to meet popular demands
• Rowell-Sirois Commission (1937) called on feds to
  increase "transfer" or "equalization payments"
• Feds use "conditional grants" to set provincial
  investment agendas
• 1949, establishment of Canadian Supreme Court
  which is pro-feds

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• d. Decentralization and Federal/Provincial
  Executive Federalism
• federal powers limited by Quebec decision to "opt
  out" of national policies, including National
  Pension Plan, receive money for their own
  policies
• era of provincial government building, based
  partly on natural resource extraction--oil and
  gas in Western Canada
• provinces demand right to control immigration
• federal efforts to resolve Constitution lead to
  serious federal/provincial negotiations

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Quebec Threat of Secession major challenge to
Canada's future

• a. Long struggle over status of French speaking
  Canadians in federal system
• "distinct status" with special political
  rights--separate but equal
• OR, Canada as unitary society with two cultures
• Quebec possess own religion, territory, language,
  history, all within a larger political system
• demands for greater authority in 1980s met with
  major concessions which have not solved problem

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• b. Historical separation and withdrawal from
  active political life.
• French response in Quebec to 1759 was to withdraw
  from active politics in Quebec, Church kept
  people on farms, political life and economy in
  Montreal controlled by Anglos.
• federal guarantees for cultural and language
  protection outside Quebec not kept as Manitoba in
  1890 ends provincial aid to Catholic schools
• Louis Riel Rebellion in 1870s in response to
  influx of English speakers into Manitoba
• followed by general withdrawal from national
  politics, turned inward
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• c. Reawakening of Quebec
• "Quiet Revolution" of 1960s brings Quebecois into
  public life in Quebec
• 1971, Front de Liberation de Quebec (FLQ) crisis
• 1976, rise of Partis Quebecois under Levesque
• Bill 101 and repression of English language
• 1980 referendum on separation
• Trudeau in 1982 repatriated Constitution gives
  Quebec no special amending rights
• 1980s and rise of Quebec middle class and
  business elite--increased confidence

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• d. Negotiating a New Future
• end of Trudeau era of pro-federalist French
  politicians
• Mulroney, 1984, efforts to forge new deal,
• Quebec demand for "distinct society," control
  over immigration, control over appointments to
  Supreme Court, right to constitutional
  amendments, limit on federal funding
• Meech Lake accord, granting "distinct society"
  undermined by nationwide hostility and native
  people who wanted same treatment
• Charlottetown Agreement, 1994--parties and elites
  agree but "distinct society" rejected at grass
  roots, especially after Trudeau critique
• 1995 referendum loses by .5
• Rise of the Bloc Quebecois to fight for
  separatism at federal level

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Canadian Party System

• a. Nature of Federal Party System
• 1. One-Party Dominant
• Liberals ruled 65 of 87 years before 1984.
• from 1921-1984, very few years of non-Liberal
  party rule

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• 2. Two-Party System
• Liberal and Progressive Conservatives
• little difference among parties, each basing
  power on links to different economic elites, no
  class basis to parties.
• regional and class issues resolved within parties
• parties build new coalition for each election, no
  popular ties to party policy preferences, little
  Party Identification
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• 3. 2 1/2 Party System
• growth of new parties in the West, demanding
  social welfare
• issues coopted by two dominant parties, bringing
  new ideas but no political change

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• 4. Total Regionalization of Party System
• Canadian governments unable to form nationwide
  bases of power
• since 1993, major split with Reform party from
  West, Bloc Quebecois representing Quebec
  separatism, Liberals as party of Ontario and
  demise of Conservative party

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• b. Effect of Regionalism on Party System
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• Provincial and Federal parties of same name in
  conflict
• provincial parties composed of separate elites,
  organizations, financial base and platforms from
  central party
• provincial parties cannot get elected if they do
  not protect provincial rights
• provincial resources need to be protected from
  central extractions
• in West, natural gas, oil, uranium, with federal
  government establishing National Energy Policy
  and PetroCanada
• Ontario PCs and federal Liberals favoured
  pro-East policies for 50 years.
• PCs in Ontario and PCs in Alberta competed over
  tarrifs and energey prices.
• Maritime provinces too dependent on transfer
  payments

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Party-Government Relations under Canadian
Federalism
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Percentage of Seats in Each Region Won By
Governing Party in Canadian General Elections,
1867-1984
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Canadian Results, 1988 1993 Elections
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Federal-Provincial Conferences and Decline of
Parties

• 1. Federal parties have excessive regional bases
• in 1980, Liberal government had two seats in
  Manitoba and no seats further West
• impossible to get regional interests represented
  in ruling party Caucus--meetings of members of
  ruling party in parliament
• limited national integration, recruitment does
  not foster integrationincreasing rise of

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• 2. Decline of parties as major actor in conflict
  resolution
• problems of federal system worked out in
  institutions of federalism, mainly
  Federal-Provincial First Ministers Conferences.
• meetings of federal and provincial official on
  over 100 issues
• reinforces provincialism
• other key issues such as industrial versus
  continental strategy resolved within bureaucracy,
  not by parties in parliament
• parties play little role in policy innovation