The Federal Spending Power in Canada: Nation-Building or Nation-Destroying?
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Authors
Telford, Hamish
Date
1999
Type
working paper
Language
en
Keyword
Alternative Title
Abstract
This paper will argue that the federal spending power has helped to build the modern Canadian state, but it will also be suggested that the spending power has precipitated a process of nation-destroying. The spending power has undoubtedly contributed to the rise of the modern welfare state in Canada. Furthermore, many of the social programs established by the spending power, especially medicare, have become part of the 'national' identity of Canadians, at least outside Québec. In this sense, the spending power has been an instrument of nation-building in Canada. The federal spending power, however, has been the object of considerable resentment in Québec. Successive governments of Québec have objected strenuously to the use of the federal spending power and the concomitant encroachment into areas of provincial jurisdiction. Indeed, the federal spending power may have contributed to the rise of a strong separatist party in Québec. In this sense, the federal spending power might be viewed as a weapon of nation-destroying.
Description
© 1999 IIGR, Queen's University
Citation
Publisher
Queen's University Institute of Intergovernmental Relations