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History Post-confederation (1867-)

The Politics of Federalism

Ontario's Relations with the Federal Government. 1867-1942

by (author) Chris Armstrong

Publisher
University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
Initial publish date
Dec 1981
Category
Post-Confederation (1867-), Canadian, Political Freedom, 20th Century
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9781442651463
    Publish Date
    Dec 1981
    List Price
    $29.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442633056
    Publish Date
    Dec 1981
    List Price
    $32.95

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Description

The British North America Act of 1867 fashioned a Canadian federation which was intended to be a highly centralized union led by a powerful national government. Soon after Confederation, however, the government of Ontario took the lead in demanding a greater share of the power for the provinces, and it has continued to press this case. Professor Armstrong analyses the forces which promoted decentralization and the responses which these elicited from the federal government. He explains Ontario's reasons for pursuing this particular policy from 1867 to the Second World War.

The author's sources are the private papers of federal and provincial premiers and other contemporary political figures, government publications, parliamentary debates, and newspapers. He has identified and developed three separate but related themes: the dynamic role played by private business interests in generating intergovernmental conflicts; Ontario's policy of promoting its economic growth by encouraging the processing of its resources at home; and the tremendous influence exerted by increasing urbanization and industrialization on the growth of the responsibilities of the provinces.

During the 1930s, efforts to restructure the federal system were rejected by Ontario because it preferred to maintain the status quo,and was unsympathetic to greater equalization between the regions. Consequently, Ontario took a leading part in opposing the redivision of powers recommended by the Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations in 1940.

This book provides part of the historical context into which current debates on the question of federalism may be fitted. It thus will be of importance and interest to historians, students of Canadian history, and the general reader alike.

(Ontario Historical Studies Series: Themes)

About the author

Christopher Armstrong is Professor of History at York University. He is the author of "Blue Skies and Boiler Rooms" and has written frequently on Canadian economic history.

Chris Armstrong's profile page