Canadian Federalism Performance, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy

The Second Edition of Canadian Federalism: Performance, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy is a collection of eighteen original essays casting a critical eye on the institutions, processes, and policy outcomes of Canadian federalism. Divided into three parts--The Institutions and Processes of Canadian Federalism; The Social and Economic Union; and Persistent and New Challenges to the Federation--the book documents how Canadian intergovernmental relations have evolved in response to such issues as fiscal deficits; the chronic questioning of the legitimacy of the Canadian state by a significant minority of Quebec voters and many Aboriginal groups, among others; health care; environmental policies; and international trade. Herman Bakvis and Grace Skogstad have gathered together some of the most prominent Canadian political scientists to evaluate the capacity of the federal system to meet these and other challenges, and to offer prescriptions on the institutional changes that are likely to be required.

Herman Bakvis is a Professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria. Grace Skogstad is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto.