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MINISTER DION STATES THAT THE PRINCIPLES OF AUTONOMY
AND SOLIDARITY MUST CONTINUE TO INSPIRE THE PRACTICE OF FEDERALISM IN CANADA
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, April 14, 2000 – Speaking today at a conference
on the evolution of democracy and federalism in Canada, the Honourable Stéphane Dion,
President of the Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, stated
that federalism is a good school of democracy, as it values autonomy and cannot
function without solidarity.
Thanks to autonomy, he stated, the federal and provincial governments
experiment with different ways of doing things, "which makes it possible to
find the best solutions through healthy emulation." He added that the
autonomy of each order of government is guaranteed by the principle of the rule
of law and of constitutionalism, and that this valuation of the law serves
democracy well.
Mr. Dion noted that the principle of solidarity is as much an integral part
of federalism as the principle of autonomy. "While each order of
government, each federated entity, is autonomous, it is not so that they may
ignore each other. Rather, it is so that each, with its own characteristics and
capitalizing fully on its potential, can better help the others. All the
governments of a federation are interdependent and must work together for their
citizens, over and above their political, regional or other differences."
The Minister then described the practice of federalism in Canada. "We
have a federation whose governments are very autonomous in their own spheres of
jurisdiction. The challenge is to have a level of solidarity that is at the same
time commensurate with that of autonomy," he noted, pointing out that the
Government of Canada has made considerable efforts in recent years to strengthen
cooperation between governments, through agreements concluded in such fields as
the social union, environmental harmonization, child assistance and job
training.
Stating that our health system is one of our federation's greatest
achievements, the Minister noted that its evolution "demonstrates how we
have been able to combine solidarity and autonomy to respond to the needs of
Canadians." He stressed that all our governments have the same objective:
to give Canadians high-quality, accessible health care for all in accordance
with the five principles of the Canada Health Act, and that they are
all facing the same challenge: rapidly increasing costs. "How do we address
this situation? We show solidarity," he stated. "We work together to
develop a plan that, while respecting the autonomy of each, allows for effective
joint action to not only preserve our health system, but also improve it."
Mr. Dion stated that the same principles of solidarity and autonomy must
govern any process designed to put an end to the unity of the country.
"Federalism, like democracy, calls on citizens to show solidarity with one
another. (...) Secession, on the other hand, requires that we choose those we
want to keep as fellow citizens and those we want to turn into foreigners. That
is why reconciling democracy and secession is such a difficult and sensitive
undertaking, one that has indeed never been successfully achieved to date in a
well established democracy."
The Minister pointed out that the clarity bill giving effect to the opinion
by the Supreme Court on secession is in keeping with the principle of
federalism. "It fully respects the autonomy and sovereignty of a provincial
government in its areas of jurisdiction and explicitly recognizes its right to
ask the question it wants in a referendum. But the bill also stipulates that the
federal government cannot undertake to negotiate the end of its own
constitutional responsibilities toward a part of the Canadian population unless
that population has clearly expressed its will to effect secession."
Mr. Dion concluded by stating that: "Our federation, in the way in which
we have built and improved it, has helped us to make Canada the admired country
it has become. We must continue to be inspired by these two great foundations of
the federative system in democracy: the principles of autonomy and
solidarity."
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For information:
André Lamarre
Special Assistant
Phone: (613) 943-1838
Fax: (613) 943-5553
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