Ottawa needs to remember Canada is a federation not a unitary state. Blurring who's in charge destroys democratic accountability

You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.

An old joke explains a lot about public policy in Canada. A foundation wanted to commission a book on elephants. A U.K. author suggested “The elephant and the British Empire.” The German author proposed a 10-volume “History of the elephant.” The French author suggested “Les éléphants et l’amour.” And the Canadian author? “The elephant in federal-provincial relations.”

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.

Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.

Although our founding prime minister, John A. Macdonald, wanted Canada to be a unitary state like the United Kingdom, our cultural, historical and geographical divisions led our founders to create a confederation with two sovereign levels of government. Powers under the British North America Act (now the Constitution Act) were allocated to accommodate regional differences.

In general, the federal government was given responsibility for national priorities, including defence, criminal law, banking, foreign policy and interprovincial transportation and communication. The provinces, which were thought to be closer to the people, were assigned education, health, social services and municipalities, which have come to dominate public expenditures. Some powers were allocated jointly, such as direct taxation and the environment (for things like pollution and endangered species). In later years, we adopted a Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the western provinces were given control over natural resources, like the other provinces.

The BNA Act did give........

© Financial Post