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"The Forum of Federations"
Notes for an address by
the
President of the Privy Council and
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
the Honourable Stéphane Dion
at the 1999 Atlantic
Canada Diplomatic Forum
St. John's, Newfoundland
November 6, 1999
On October 6, 7 and 8, Mont-Tremblant (Quebec),
was the site of the most important conference ever held on federalism. It
brought together 500 participants from 27 countries, including 20 federations:
elected representatives public sector managers, academics, private sector
leaders, representatives of non-governmental organizations and young people.
Today, as I have the privilege of speaking to you
here in St. John's, at this Diplomatic Forum, I can see a number of people who
contributed to that international success by fostering the interest and
participation of their political leaders. Many of us would be able to attest the
remarkable quality of the discussions at the conference in Mont-Tremblant.
For my part, I will never forget the contribution
of writer and Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka of Nigeria, who spoke with great
eloquence and emotion of the dangers of excessive centralization. I also recall
the conviction with which Mexican President Zedillo spoke of federalism's
potential for the world of tomorrow. And of course, President Clinton's comments
left no one indifferent, but I'll come back to that later.
The success of the conference allows us to
contemplate with confidence the future of the newly created Forum of
Federations. The objective is to provide us with a streamlined and efficient
non-governmental international organization through which countries that have
adopted this form of government could learn more from one another.
The reason we need such a forum is first of all
because federalism is an important phenomenon in the world, and also because
federations do not know enough about one another.
1. The importance of federalism in the
world
Federalism is a subject of tremendous importance.
There are currently 24 federations populated by about two billion people, or 40%
of the world's population; they encompass about 480 federated entities. There
are also countries that, while not federations, are adopting certain elements of
this system. If a conference on federalism had been organized, say 20 years ago,
many of the countries that were represented at Mont-Tremblant wouldn't have even
contemplated participating in it.
Of course, the federal system is not the only one
that ensures good government. While some federations are grappling with serious
difficulties, many unitary countries are succeeding very well, from the triple
viewpoint of democracy, human rights and collective wealth. But the fact remains
that federalism has become widespread throughout the world because it has been
able to address a variety of needs. Indeed, federalism has often emerged from
the difficulties of other systems.
In general, federalism has appeared as a response
to a need for decentralization. In Canada, for example, our federation was born
in 1867 in part because of the unsatisfactory experience of having a single
unitary government for Ontario and Quebec. For somewhat the same reasons,
Belgium was transformed over the past three decades from one of the most
centralized unitary systems to one of the most decentralized federations. But
inversely, there are cases where federalism has been established to strengthen
the system at its centre. For example, the current federal systems in the United
States and Switzerland stemmed from the weakness of the confederal systems that
preceded them.
In recent years, we have witnessed the
disintegration of a number of federations. But at the same time, new federations
have been born, and some countries have adopted elements of federalism. Overall,
we can expect that the federal system will expand even more. Why? Because it
often comes in the wake of democratization. The advance and enhancement of
democracy favour the expression of varied needs of populations within states, be
they material or social in nature or needs linked to identity-based aspirations.
Federalism is one way to address these needs that
has proven itself in a large number of contexts. It gives a democratic country
the opportunity to pursue objectives that are common to its different regions
through the free expression of their particular experiences and practices. A
country can thus forge its unity by making the most of its rich diversity,
rather than by trying to impose a uniformity that is ill adapted to its reality.
Democratization has had the effect of not only
expanding federalism throughout the world, but also of consolidating the federal
reality within each country that adopts this system. Pluralist elections,
independence of the judicial branch, constitutionalism, all these traits of
democratization have the effect of leading federations to be genuine
federations, not just on paper but also in reality. In a democratic system, the
federal government has to deal with governments of different political stripes,
elected in different parts of the country, all of which are determined to have
their constitutional autonomy respected.
Often, the fact that a democratic country is a
federation profoundly marks its social organization. You know this very well, as
diplomats whose mission includes explaining Canada to your governments.
Undoubtebly, it is not always easy for you to make them grasp the full measure
of the dynamics particular to Canadian federalism. Canada is a decentralized
federation, in which there are few policies that the federal government can
implement on its own without the close cooperation of the provincial and
territorial governments.
Last year, your diplomatic forum was held in
Banff, Alberta, in the Western region of Canada. This year, you are in St.
John's, Newfoundland, in the Atlantic region. I'm sure that you will soon
discover, if you have not already done so, the similarities between these two
regions, but also some marked differences, including the way in which federalism
is practised. In this region, we have here a federalism of proximity which well
serves the four Atlantic provinces and brings out their potential.
On one occasion, at a conference on Canadian
federalism, Belgian professor Francis Delpérée exclaimed: "But how many
are you, you Canadians, after all?" Unfortunately for him, there is no
single answer to that question. It depends on the issues and the circumstances.
Sometimes Canada will be:
1: A single country, a single Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms, a single voice in the world, a single national will.
2: But two what? Two official languages, to be
sure. Two founding peoples, if not three, for the Aboriginal peoples also
contributed to the building of the country. Two also refers to the relationship
between Quebec and the rest of Canada.
5: Five regions. The Act respecting
constitutional amendments recognizes five regions: Ontario, Quebec, British
Columbia, the Atlantic and the Prairies. But sometimes we count four, when
British Columbia is included in the Western region, such as at the annual
conference of the Western premiers and territorial leaders. And then we have
Canada's North, which constitutes a region in itself in many ways. And the
Honourable Brian Tobin, Premier of Newfoundland, our host province, could
explain that his province is a region as well, with a history and culture
different from that of the three Maritime provinces!
10: Ten provinces that are equal in status but,
in practice, asymmetrical in many ways.
13: Ten provinces and three territories with the
recent creation of Nunavut.
14: When the Prime Minister of Canada meets with
the ten provincial premiers and three territorial leaders.
Multiple: with its multicultural population from
every corner of the globe.
I could go even further with this description of
Canada's complexity, but I want to highlight the following aspect in particular:
Canada could not reconcile all these definitions of itself if it were not a
decentralized federation.
There are many other countries in the world that
cannot be understood without comprehending their specific federal system.
Federalism is a complex solution to complex realities. This solution is becoming
increasingly widespread throughout the world, and is marking it profoundly.
2. Why a Forum of Federations?
Helping federations to learn from one another
means not only promoting good governance throughout the world, but also
fostering the expansion of democracy, strengthening civil society, and enhancing
harmony between populations of different languages and cultures, especially in
developing countries.
The Government of Canada is convinced of that.
This is why, in keeping with its tradition of supporting democratic development
and good governance, it helped to establish a non- governmental committee in
August 1998 with a view to creating a Forum of Federations. That committee
consulted with experts on and practitioners of federalism in 18 countries, and
prepared the conference in Mont Tremblant.
The interest that the conference sparked among
its participants, combined with the quality of the discussions, have created a
momentum to pursue this experience. The Government of Canada has announced that
it will contribute $3.5 million in each of the next three years to enable the
Forum to become a permanent international organization, under the direction of
an independent board composed of 13 members chosen from members of government
and other practitioners and experts from the different federations. The
Honourable Bob Rae, former premier of Ontario, will continue to play a key role
in implementing the objectives of the Forum.
The purpose of the Forum will be to help enhance
the practice of federalism in three ways.
1. Establishing an information and resource
centre which will:
i. make research work accessible to
practitioners, such as elected representatives and senior officials;
ii facilitate the establishment of networks among practitioners and
researchers;
iii manage a documentation centre.
2 . Promoting the exchange of best practices in
order to help practitioners in established and emerging federations on policies
and programs.
3 . Helping young people, as future
practitioners, to develop professional expertise in this field, through
internships.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade and the Canadian International Development Agency will be
closely associated with the activities of the Forum.
The success of this initiative hinges on
international participation by practitioners of federalism from all levels of
government of the different federations. That international interest is already
very real: Switzerland wants to host the next conference. Delegates from Brazil
and Nigeria, as well as the German international aid agency, have expressed
their interest in working with the Forum to carry out projects on federalism.
The Forum has already established an interactive
website at www.ciff.on.ca, which will serve as an important tool in
disseminating the results of its findings. It is also working with the UNESCO
International Social Sciences Journal to publish a special issue devoted
entirely to the recent international conference. A video of the conference
highlights will be available shortly.
The Forum will want to have an international
staff and hopes to be able to open regional offices to ensure its work remains
relevant to all federations. I expect that representatives from the Forum will
be approaching you shortly to discuss this further. I know they both need and
want your help.
As the Forum begins planning its future
activities, I encourage you to contact the Forum Secretariat to express your
ideas for initiatives that will help strengthen the practice of federalism and
to communicate the aims of the Forum to your governments.
I am sure that even countries that are not
federations will follow with interest and benefit from the work of the Forum.
Conclusion
I cannot conclude without drawing a link between
the Forum of Federations and Canadian unity. This link is forged in the
following way: Canada will learn a great deal through a better understanding of
other federations, enabling it to become an even better country, and the better
Canada becomes, the more Canadians will want to stay together.
But I believe that a link is forged more in the
opposite direction: the Forum of Federations does not serve the cause of
Canadian unity so much as the latter serves the cause of federalism in the
world. Canada, which has every asset for success, must demonstrate that
cooperation and mutual aid between different populations within a decentralized
federation is not only desirable, but also possible.
A number of countries currently experiencing
ethnic tensions are contemplating adopting a federal system or some elements of
federalism. The Indonesian government has made a statement to that end. But
there is a fear that federalism, rather than calming tensions, will be only the
precursor to break-up. It is up to federations like Canada to set a good
example, an example of national unity that brings together different populations
who cooperate in an atmosphere of trust, within a single state.
In substance, that's just what President Clinton
said in Mont-Tremblant. Never before has a United States President said in such
clear terms why the Americans greatly appreciate their relationship with a
strong and united Canada. It's not just because Canada is a stable economic
partner. It is also and especially because Canada, in President Clinton's own
words, "has shown the world how people of different cultures and languages
can live in peace, prosperity and mutual respect." And we Quebecers, we
Newfoundlanders, we Canadians have a moral duty to continue to show that to the
world.
I believe that we Quebecers are becoming
increasingly aware that unity among all Canadians has a universal significance,
a greatness that inspires the world. Beyond the disagreements that occasionally
arise as to the exact form the evolution of Canadian federalism ought to take,
we have a better perception of the principle of sharing that is the very
foundation of our country.
Indeed, federalism is more than a method of
government, it truly is a principle of sharing, a principle that was so
eloquently expressed in Mont-Tremblant by the former Belgian Prime Minister
Jean-Luc Dehaene: [TRANSLATION] "Federalism always presupposes loyal
cooperation and real solidarity between autonomous units, which makes it
possible to avoid the quest for and emphasis on an individual identity being
sublimated to the point of leading to nationalism, sectarianism or racism."
Federations, because they share the same ideal of
peace and harmony, have an interest in better understanding and learning from
one another. They have an interest in participating in the establishment of the
Forum of Federations.
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