Regions, resources, and resiliency

Regional resource disparities and the tensions they generate are a perennial Canadian topic. This edition of Canada: The State of the Federation presents essays on regions, resources, and the resiliency of the Canadian federal system. Contributors consider questions such as: to what extent do Canada's natural resource industries benefit the Canadian economy? Do Canada's federal institutions hinder or promote the ability of the economy to respond to global economic shifts? Do current intergovernmental structures allow for constructive dialogue about national policy issues? In responding to these and related questions, many of the authors touch on energy issues. Others consider the importance of functional institutions in a federal or multilevel context as an essential requirement for the effective resolution of issues. Together, the volume raises questions about the relationship of state and society, the importance of identity, trust, and moral legitimacy for the operation of our federal institutions, and the extent to which federal institutions are reinforced or placed under stress by societal structures. The theme of this volume was triggered by Richard Simeon, the outstanding scholar of federalism who passed away in October 2013, and it is dedicated in his honour.

Cover -- Contents -- Preface -- Contributors -- I: Introduction -- 1. Regions, Resources, and Resiliency: Introduction and Overview -- II: Regions and Resources: Setting the Stage -- 2. Go with the Flow: The (Im)plausibility of a Grand Canadian Intergovernmental Bargain on Energy Policy and Strategy -- 3. Terms-of-Trade Changes, the Dutch Disease, and Canadian Provincial Disparity -- III: Energy and Equalization -- 4. A National Energy Strategy for Canada: Golden Age or Golden Cage of Energy Federalism? -- 5. Surplus Recycling and the Canadian Federation: The Horizontal Fiscal Balance Dimension -- 6. Equalization and the Politics of Natural Resources: Balancing Provincial Autonomy and Territorial Solidarity -- IV: Resources and Resiliency: Institutional Considerations -- 7. Comparing Intergovernmental Institutions in Human Capital Development -- 8. Le Gouvernement régional d'Eeyou Istchee-Baie-James : une forme novatrice de gouvernance consensuelle au Canada -- 9. The Politics of Regions and Resources in Australia -- V: Identity and Resiliency -- 10. Guarding the Nation: Reconfiguring Canada in an Era of Neo-Conservatism -- 11. Being Canadian Today: Images in a Fractured Mirror.