Canada: The State of the Federation 1985

Abstract

With this volume, the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations launches a new annual series entitled Canada: The State of the Federation. Since 1976-77 the Institute has published a Year in Review: Intergovernmental Relations in Canada (initially entitled The Federal Year in Review), a recap of events on the federal-provincial agenda. To some extent, the new series continues to meet this objective, but its goals have been broadened in two ways. First, it is both retrospective and prospective in character, focusing on the emerging public agenda as well as on the recent past. Second, while federalism and intergovernmental relations remain the primary focus of the book, the phrase 'the state of the federation' acknowledges the impossibility of sharply distinguishing between these aspects of Canadian public life and the more general political situation. At the same time, the new title emphasizes the centrality of federalism and intergovernmental relations to Canadian politics.