Canadian federalism and its future : actors and institutions / edited by Alain-G. Gagnon and Johanne Poirier.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Gagnon, Alain, editor.

Poirier, Johanne, editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Federal government--Canada.

Federal government.

Canada--Politics and government--21st century.

Canada.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (409 pages)

Place of Publication:

Montreal : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2020]

Summary:

The time is ripe to revisit Canada's past and redress its historical wrongs. Yet in our urgency to imagine roads to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, it is important to keep in sight the many other forms of diversity that Canadian federalism has historically been designed to accommodate or could also reflect more effectively. Canadian Federalism and Its Future brings together international experts to assess four fundamental institutions: bicameralism, the judiciary as arbiter of the federal deal, the electoral system and party politics, and intergovernmental relations. The contributors use comparative and critical lenses to appraise the repercussions of these four dimensions of Canadian federalism on key actors, including member states, constitutive units, internal nations, Indigenous peoples, and linguistic minorities. Pursuing the work of The Constitutions That Shaped Us (2015) and The Quebec Conference of 1864 (2018), this third volume is a testimony to Canada's successes and failures in constitutional design. Reflecting on the cultural pluralism inherent in this country, Canadian Federalism and Its Future offers thought-provoking lessons for a world in search of concrete institutional solutions, within and beyond the traditional nation-state.

Contents:

Front Matter

Contents

Tables and Figures

Introduction

Bicameralism

The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Bicameralism in Federal Democracies

Bicameralism and the Consequences of Political Structuring in Canada: Lost Alternatives, Future Options

Federalism and Fraternity: Formalizing Arrangements to Foster Federal Dialogue in the Institutions of Canada’s Central Government

Minority Group and Women’s Representation in the Senate since 1867

Courts

The Role of the Judiciary in Federal States: Comparing the Belgian and Canadian Experiences

Consensual Constitution? Contractual Thinking in the Interpretation of the Canadian Constitution

Electoral System and Parties

Reconciling Federalism and Parliamentary Democracy: Political Competition and Negotiated Policy-Making in Canadian Federalism

Parties, Elections, and Canadian Federalism in the Twenty-First Century: Cairns Revisited – Again

Intergovernmental Relations

Heading Together: Intergovernmental Relations and Horizontal Law-Making by Swiss Cantons

Cooperative Federalism vs Parliamentary Sovereignty: Revisiting the Role of Courts, Parliaments, and Governments

Intergovernmental Relations in Canada: Still an Exclusive Club?

Conclusion

Contributors

Index

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-2280-0251-6

OCLC:

1151007940