Montreal – Just creating multilateral intergovernmental institutions will not lead to collaborative federalism; there must be a shared commitment to make them work effectively, says a new study from the Institute for Research on Public Policy.

“Federalism requires that in virtually all policy areas, governments work together. How effectively they do so has an important impact on policies and programs that matter to citizens,” says Robert Schertzer, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto.

The study, co-authored by Andrew McDougall and Grace Skogstad (also from the University of Toronto), explores the dynamics of intergovernmental relations in Canada, with a focus on the agriculture, labour market and immigration policy sectors during Stephen Harper’s tenure as prime minister.

The authors find that both multilateral and unilateral approaches to intergovernmental relations were used. In the labour market sector, which has a long history of intergovernmental agreements, the Harper government was unable to impose the Canada Job Grant in the face of provincial op­position. On immigration, a significant turn toward multilateral collaboration emerged during the period, notably on policies for the selection of economic migrants through provincial nominee programs.

Two key factors explain the differing approaches in the three policy sectors, according to the authors: the degree to which multilateral institutions are established, and a commitment to shared federal-provincial responsibility. Both factors matter because they underpin collaboration, allowing governments “to design policy that furthers pan-Canadian objectives while addressing the interests of individual provinces and territories.”

Collaboration and Unilateral Action: Recent Intergovernmental Relations in Canada, by Robert Schertzer, Andrew McDougall and Grace Skogstad, 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