Montreal – As the Trudeau government pursues its new collaborative vision for intergovernmental relations, the Harper legacy of smaller government and greater provincial self-reliance limits its room for action, writes Christopher Dunn in a report published by the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

“The declining federal presence is a constraint Trudeau will face. The corporate tax rate and the GST were cut, leaving less money to fund the federal public sector and transfers. Direct program spending was also cut,” says Dunn. In his analysis, he sheds new light on the vision and practice of intergovernmental relations of Prime Ministers Stephen Harper and Justin Trudeau.

According to Dunn, Harper deviated somewhat from the “open federalism” that was initially so central to his conviction that the federal and provincial orders of government should stick to their respective constitutional powers. In the face of the post-2008 economic crisis, “recession federalism” entailed significant engagement with provincial governments in certain key fields. Starting in 2011, the third phase, “deficit federalism,” included bilateralism and federal unilateralism in areas of provincial jurisdiction such as securities regulation and Senate reform.

Looking at Trudeau, Dunn observes that the Prime Minister has emphasized a view of intergovernmental relations centred on collaboration and partnership, including with Indigenous peoples. It is nevertheless too early to assess results, he concludes.

Harper without Jeers, Trudeau without Cheers: Assessing 10 Years of Intergovernmental Relations, by Christopher Dunn, can be downloaded from the Institute’s website (irpp.org).

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Media contact:    Shirley Cardenas    tel. 514-594-6877    scardenas@nullirpp.org