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Federalism When it was it first conceived in 1867, Canada was founded as a state that would create a government structure based on federalism. Federalism is defined as: A political system in which legislative power is distributed between a national, central, or federal legislature and a level of state or provincial legislatures. The relationship between the two different governments in Canada is characterized by a National government in Ottawa and 10 Provincial governments across the country. Federalism is also characterized in Canada by the constant problems that plague Canadian federalism. Major problems of Canadian federalism (defining the authority structure, drawing out responsibilities, control over spending and raising revenues, outlining standards, and a growing threat of the country splitting up), are among countless other minor problems. However, these problems are all attributed to the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism: the conflict between central Canada and the peripheral regions.
The problem of Canadian federalism is regionalism in nature in that it pits the peripheral regions against central Canada: All of the non-central provinces have grievances with Central Canada and its governments in Ottawa, Ontario and Quebec. It is also nationalist in nature in that although Quebec makes up part of Central Canada, Quebec presents the problem of nationalism to Canadian federalism. Throughout Canadian history provincial government power has been used to press both ethnic nationalist and regionalism demands on Ottawa Defining what is nationalism and how it applies to the people of Quebec, and the issue of Quebec nationalism flaring up from time to time, will be important in shedding light on the conflict between Quebec nationalism and Canadian federalism. According to Robert and Doreen Jackson, nationalism is defined as the collective action of a politically conscious ethnic group (or nation) in pursuit of increased territorial autonomy or sovereignty. The ethnic majority of French-speaking people in Quebec or the Quebecois are indeed an ethnic group. They speak the same language, enjoy a common culture and rich heritage and most are Roman Catholic.
The province of Quebec also ascribes to a different private legal system than the rest of the country, based on French Civil Law. The Quebecois have also seen their historical majority in the early beginnings of the Canadian federation dwindle to an ethnic minority and continued immigration patterns and low birth rates now leave the percentage of francophones in Canada at nearly 25 % of the total population. However, in the province of Quebec, the francophone population is the majority with 86 % of the total provincial population. Since 1960, Quebec underwent a Quiet Revolution, consisting of a dramatic change of values and attitudes, especially towards the state, a new collective self-confidence, and a new brand of nationalism. It was during this time that Quebec became more urbanized and secular, and the provincial government became more involved with education and social programs at the expense of the Church. According to Kenneth Mc Roberts, The Quiet Revolution represented first and foremost an ideological change, a transformation of mentalities.
The people of Quebec began to see themselves in a different light: With the 1960 s, French-Canadian nationalism was recast into a more explicitly Quebecois nationalism. The greatness of this Quebec nation was to lie not in the past, as represented by traditional French-Canadian nationalisms glorification of the ancien regime, but with the future, as represented by an urban, industrial, and secular society. The Quiet Revolution of the 1960 s gave rise to a new political culture in Quebec, which would incorporate the new nationalism into the political arena. Separatist parties emerged with aspirations for the provincial independence of Quebec.
This culminated with the election of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in 1976 under Rene Levesque, and subsequent PQ governments. With the election of the first PQ government, the nationalist movement in Quebec had materialized into a direct political challenge to Canadian federalism. Roy Romanow writes, Canadian federalism has been challenged since the mid- 1970 s with the repeated election in Quebec of governments dedicated to removing Quebec from the federation The PQ governments promised a referendum on the issue of separation, and two referendums took place in 1980 and 1995. The change of French-Canadian nationalism into modern Quebec nationalism is a direct threat to Canadian federalism. Canadian federalism works as a system of inter-governmental relations within the context of the Canadian State.
Quebec nationalism seeks to be independent of this context and to form its own parameters on which to negotiate equally with the Canadian State and other foreign governments. In short, Quebec nationalism can spell the total demise of Canadian federalism, and change forever the character of Canada. The other component of the fundamental problem of Canadian federalism is regionalism. Apart from central Canada, the other regions are the West (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba) and the East or the Maritime Provinces (New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).
In order to explore the problem of regionalism to Canadian federalism, it is important to first define what is regionalism, how it applies to the Western and Eastern regions of Canada, and then how this presents a problem to Canadian federalism. Regionalism is defined as the territorial tensions brought about by certain groups that demand a change in the political, economic and cultural relations between regions and central powers within the existing state. Since cultural relations between a region and the central government have been discussed within the context of Quebec, the economic and political relations of Western and Eastern Canada will be contrasted to Canadian federalism. Canadian federalism is now fragmented on the national scene with the emergence of the Reform (later the Alliance) Party, and its advancement of Western interests. The inability of the party in power to penetrate the West should be of major concern to the government, and is also a sign that the West is in protest with the federal government. This in turn could lead to a real threat to Canadian federalism and the further division of the country.
In the Eastern or Atlantic region of Canada, there has been some economic and political discontent with central Canada as well. Economically, the Atlantic region has been discontented over historical and recent wrangling between the federal and provincial governments over natural resources, including offshore resources where the Supreme Court of Canada ruled in favour of federal jurisdiction. Politically, the Atlantic region has less representation in Parliament because of its own declining population and the rise in population and seats in the rest of the country. With a marginal role in the national economy and an eroded political standing, the Atlantic region has not strained the national fabric through regional discontent. Kenneth Mc Roberts writes: Economic competition among the Atlantic provinces, a declining share of the national population, widespread dependency on transfer payments from the federal government, and powerful regional spokesmen within the federal cabinet have all served to contain regional discontent. Canadian federalism is in a precarious position challenged by a growing discontent from the peripheral regions of Canada.
The Canadian State and its federal structure have been directly challenged twice by Quebec nationalism, and continues to be the most serious threat to Canadian federalism. Although the Atlantic region may not be a direct challenge to Canadian federalism, nonetheless, its concerns must be addressed to keep that region within the federal framework. In the West, alienation from central Canada and a sense of economic exploitation have opened the way for a new national political party to emerge, and regional demands are now on the national scene. Although less threatening to Canadian federalism than Quebec nationalism, if left unchecked, Western regionalism demands could lead to a fragmented federation. Word count: 1261 Bibliography 1.
Dyck, Rand. Canadian Politics: Critical Approaches, Third Edition. Toronto: Nelson Thomson Learning, 2000. 2. Jackson, Robert & Doreen Jackson. Politics in Canada, Fourth Edition.
Toronto: Prentice-Hall Canada Inc. , 1998. 3. McMenemy, John. The Language of Canadian Politics: A Guide to Important Terms and Concepts. Waterloo: Wilfred Laurier University Press, 1999. 4. Mc Roberts, Kenneth. Quebec: Province, Nation, or Distinct Society.
In Nelson Power Pak. Toronto: Nelson Thomson Learning, 2000. 5. Mc Roberts, Kenneth. Regional Politics.
In Nelson Power Pak. Toronto: Nelson Thomson Learning, 2000. 6. Romanow, Roy. Reinforcing The Ties That Bind. In IRPP: Policy Options, November 1998.
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