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SPEAKING TO THE FEDERATION OF CANADIAN MUNICIPALITIES,
MINISTER DION REAFFIRMS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S ROLE IN RURAL AND URBAN
ISSUES
BANFF, ALBERTA, May 26, 2001 – Speaking to participants
in the Annual General Meeting of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, in
Banff, the President of the Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental
Affairs, the Honourable Stéphane Dion, stated that the Government of Canada
would spare no effort to help Canadian municipalities, but would do
so "within our federal jurisdiction."
In that spirit, Mr. Dion noted, the Prime Minister recently
established a task force on urban issues. The task force, which is made up of
Liberal MPs and senators, is entrusted with exploring how the
Government of Canada, within its own jurisdiction, can help to strengthen
quality of life in our large urban centres, the Minister explained.
In response to the argument that rural and urban problems have
become so large that the last thing we should do is worry about constitutional
considerations when we try to resolve them, Mr. Dion put forward the principle
of respecting the Constitution, "or else neither legal order nor
well-ordered government will be possible to maintain."
To those who suggest that the Constitution should be amended to
give more constitutional powers to the third order of government and to
emancipate it from the provincial order, the Minister pointed out that under the
Constitution, municipal affairs fall under provincial jurisdiction, the
provinces are determined to keep it that way, and this aspect of the
Constitution cannot be amended without their consent.
The Minister therefore urged municipalities to draw on the
flexibility and adaptability of our Constitution. The Constitution has not
prevented our federation from evolving toward a more decentralized framework,
where decentralization is defined by the budgetary weight and the importance of
the responsibilities of the provincial order of government in comparison with
the federal one, he pointed out. In the same way, he added, there is nothing in
the Constitution preventing the provinces from giving their municipalities
greater means and responsibilities.
The Minister referred to a table that suggests there is some
flexibility in this regard. Comparing Canada to the United States with respect
to the division of governments' own-source revenues, the table shows that, while
our provinces have an appreciable fiscal weight in comparison with American
states, this is not the case with our municipalities when compared to their
Southern counterparts.
"Those in Canada who accuse our federal government of
being centralizing are missing the mark," the Minister stated. "If
there is a centralizing force in Canada, it is not coming from the federal
government, it is coming from the provincial governments. At least, that is what
a comparison with the U.S. suggests," he maintained.
There is nothing in our Constitution to prevent this state of
affairs from changing, he added. "Indeed, it has allowed for a wide
variety of situations from province to province in terms of the taxing powers
and responsibilities of our municipal governments."
By the same token, our Constitution in no way prohibits the
federal government from having productive relations with the municipalities,
while fully respecting provincial jurisdiction, Mr. Dion pointed out. While it
is clear that the federal government has no role to play in municipal affairs,
it is equally clear that the federal government's activities in the areas of the
economy, immigration, foreign affairs, employment and so on have a profound
impact on our cities and towns, he stated: "So an important distinction
needs to be made between municipal affairs - which are absolutely not under
federal jurisdiction - and rural and urban issues in a broader sense - which the
federal government needs to address through its activities."
When federal actions influence the quality of life of our cities
and towns, their competitiveness, their social and demographic character, it
would be a real anomaly not to have direct and intense relations between federal
and municipal leaders, the Minister stated: "The absence of such
relations would be inconceivable in any federation in the world. Not only can
federal-municipal interaction be established while fully respecting the
provinces, it can be done with their participation, so that the three orders of
government establish a maximum synergy among themselves."
As an example of maximum synergy based on a solid partnership,
the Minister cited the infrastructure program and the homelessness
program. "I could mention many other examples
of intergovernmental cooperation, but I think I have made my point: in
addressing rural and urban challenges, governments must work together, mindful
of their respective jurisdictions," Mr. Dion concluded.
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For information:
André Lamarre
Special Adviser
Tel: (613) 943-1838
Fax: (613) 943-5553
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