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MINISTER DION AFFIRMS THAT A BETTER KNOWLEDGE
OF OTHER FEDERATIONS STRENGTHENS CANADIAN UNITY
ORONO, MAINE, March 19,
1999 – Speaking at the Canadian-American Center of the University of
Maine, the Honourable Stéphane Dion, President of the Privy Council and
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, expressed his conviction that a knowledge
of other federations will strengthen Canadian unity. "Statements supporting
separatism in my country never seem to me to ring so wrong as when they are
confronted with what is going on elsewhere in the world," he stated.
Contrasting the evolution of the Canadian and American federations, the Minister
noted that Canada, while it originally had a centralizing constitution, has
evolved into a decentralized federation.
The evolution of the Canadian
federation, Mr. Dion asserted, is not the result of formal constitutional
amendments, but rather of the gradual disuse of unitary mechanisms, the
decentralizing interpretation of the Constitution by the courts, and a host of
intergovernmental agreements designed to harmonize the responsibilities of the
two orders of government.
After reviewing the causes of
the contrasting evolution of the two federations and their respective division
of powers, the Minister stated that each federation needs to strike the right
balance between, on the one hand, the need for common objectives and, on the
other hand, the ability to develop different solutions. The essential goal, he
noted, must always be the public interest. "Centralization and
decentralization alike would weaken the Canadian federation if they were poorly
designed in terms of the public interest. What we need is a federal government
that is strong in its own areas of jurisdiction, provincial governments that are
strong in theirs, and above all, strong cooperation between both orders of
government," he added.
Noting that all major federations
provide for a "spending power" for their federal and constituent
governments in areas that do not strictly fall within their legislative
jurisdictions, the Minister pointed out that the American federal government
uses its spending power much more than the Canadian federal government does, but
without sparking nearly as much controversy. Nevertheless, the Minister stated,
the federal spending power has been a vital element of social development in
Canada. "It has been instrumental in building, with the provincial and
territorial governments, the Canada-wide social programs which Canadians value,
such as Medicare. It has been essential in promoting equality of opportunity for
all Canadians, helping to ensure access to basic social programs and services of
comparable quality for Canadians wherever they live or move in Canada,"
Mr. Dion added.
Even though the federal spending
power has been used less often and with fewer conditions in Canada than in
virtually any other federation, the Minister noted, it is sometimes denounced as
a federal intrusion into a field of provincial jurisdiction, as illustrated by
the reactions to the creation of a postsecondary student scholarship program.
"As a result, federal initiatives that would be considered perfectly normal
in other federations are denounced in Canada as a violation of the Constitution
and the spirit of federalism. [...] And yet, making education more accessible to
students does not constitute meddling in the education field as such. [...] In
your country [the United States], 75% of public student aid is provided by the
federal government, and no one is complaining," he noted.
Mr. Dion explained that, in the
social union framework agreement, the Canadian government developed guidelines
for using its spending power in collaboration with the provinces. This
requirement for collaboration is unprecedented in other federations, he added.
"This new model for intergovernmental transfers will encourage governments
to work together and set common objectives, while enhancing their capacity to
participate in a way that suits them best. In short, it will encourage
participation, reward innovation, avoid duplication and therefore set in motion
a ‘race to the top’," the Minister noted.
The continuing quest for a balance
between common objectives and varied experimentation is an ongoing challenge for
federations such as the United States and Canada but, through positive synergy,
it provides for better services to our citizens, Mr. Dion concluded.
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For information:
André Lamarre
Press Secretary
(613) 943-1838
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