Open Federalism Revisited: Regional and Federal Dynamics in the Harper Era

Edited by James Farney, and Julie M. Simmons

Published by: University of Toronto Press

Imprint: University of Toronto Press

Sales Date: 2021-11-08

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CA$45.95
Hardcover

CA$95.00
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PDF

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Published: November 2021

Product Details

Imprint: University of Toronto Press

Page Count: 358 Pages

Illustrations: 10 figures, 15 b&w tables

Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.00

358 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 x 0.80 in, 10 figures, 15 b&w tables

Paperback

CA$45.95

ISBN: 9781487509606

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Description
Authors
Contents

Regional dynamics and federalism lie at the heart of Canadian politics. In Open Federalism Revisited, James Farney, Julie M. Simmons, and a diverse group of contributors examine the legacy of Prime Minister Stephen Harper in areas of public policy, political institutions, and cultural and economic development. This volume examines how these areas significantly affected the balance between shared rule and self-rule in Canada’s federation and how broader changes in the balance between the country’s regions affected institutional arrangements.

Open Federalism Revisited engages with four questions: 1) Did the Harper government succeed in changing Canadian federalism in the way his initial promise of open federalism suggests he wanted to? 2) How big was the difference between the change Harper’s government envisioned and what it actually achieved? 3) Was the Harper government’s approach substantially different from that of previous governments? and 4) Given that Harper’s legacy is one of mostly incremental change, why was his ability to change the system so relatively minor?

With attention to such topics as political culture, the role of political parties in regional integration, immigration policy, environmental policy, and health care, Open Federalism Revisited evaluates exactly how much changed under a prime minister who came into office with a clear desire to steer Canada back towards an older vision of federalism.

James Farney is the Regina academic director and an associate professor in the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy at the University of Regina.

Julie M. Simmons is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph.

List of Tables

List of Figures

List of Appendices

1. Introduction: Stephen Harper’s Legacy for the Dynamics of Canadian Federalism and Regionalism
James Farney and Julie M. Simmons

Part I: Dynamics of Regional Differences In the Harper Era

2. When the West was In? Public Opinion in the Western Provinces during the Harper Era
Loleen Berdahl and Tracey Raney

3. Ontario’s New Identity? Assessing Ontario’s Political Culture and Place in Confederation under “Open Federalism”
Cheryl Collier

4. The decline of the Bloc Québécois and Stephen Harper’s Open Federalism
Maxime Héroux-Legault

5. From Prairie firewalls to Atlantic seawalls: Atlantic Canada in the Harper Era
Louise Carbert

Part II: Institutional Changes during the Harper Era

6. Stephen Harper’s PMO Style: Partisan Managerialism
Jonathan Craft and Anna Esselment

7. Political Parties and Regional Integration in the 21st Century: Are we Beyond Brokerage?
James Farney

8. Stephen Harper’s “Open Federalism”: Kicking the Sand of Multilateral Intergovernmental Institutions
Julie M. Simmons

9. Reform and Rulings at the Supreme Court of Canada: The Harper Conservatives and Federalism
Erin Crandall

Part III: Assessing Harper Era Policy Changes through Regional and Federal Lenses

10. Stephen Harper and Canada’s New Immigration Federalism
Mirielle Paquet

11. Dismantling and Drifting: Environmental Policy in an Era of Open Federalism
Adam M. Wellstead

12. EI and Regional Dynamics in Canada
Peter Graefe

3. The Fragmented Politics of Energy Federalism
Geoffrey Hale

14. The Continuities and Discontinuities of Disentanglement: Federal-Provincial Health Care Dynamics in the Harper Era
Thomas McIntosh

Part IV: Conclusion

15. Conclusion: Taking Stock of Regional and Federal Dynamics
James Farney and Julie M. Simmons

List of Contributors