In this edition of Canada: State of the Federation, contributors consider whether and to what degree the relationship between the central government and the provincial and territorial governments has changed in the past decade. The authors address three overarching questions. First, is the power base changing in Canada? If so, how are governments responding? Second, what are the implications of the changing environment for the relationships between governments? And third, are there underlying forces – such as economic or technological change, or demands for citizen engagement – that are pushing some provinces and regions to become more assertive in the global environment? The papers are organized into four categories: those that identify and analyze the changing federal environment; those concerned with the implications of the 2011 federal election; those that deal with health policy and economic federalism; and those that explore the growing importance of the North and the changing dynamics among the provinces and the federal government. Among the topics discussed are the impact of a majority government based on a West-Ontario coalition, with Quebec represented primarily by the Opposition, the implications of the trade-off between health care spending and the public financing of other essential public goods, and second-generation trade agreements, such as the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Trade Agreement.

Renewing and expanding national infrastructure is critical to the wellbeing and productivity of Canadians and is one of the foremost challenges confronting our federal, provincial and municipal governments. Not only are the required investments dauntingly large for all three levels of government, but so too is the required level of intergovernmental cooperation if our goals are to be realized. The 2015 State of the Federation volume advances our understanding of these infrastructure challenges and identifies how best to resolve them. The contributors to the volume provide historical or international comparative perspectives and utilize legal, economic, or administrative approaches to examine the nature and magnitude of the so-called infrastructure deficit and the question of how best to finance the necessary investments. The possible roles played by deficits and debt are considered, together with options such as public-private partnerships and asset recycling, and a possible Aboriginal resource tax to finance the on-reserve infrastructure needs of First Nations. Considerable attention is also paid to pricing the use of infrastructure both to achieve efficiency in use and to avoid excess demand and an exaggerated perception of the required level of investment. Other contributors examine the infrastructure-investment-decision processes at the federal and provincial levels and consider the optimal allocation of responsibility for infrastructure investments among the different levels of government, and the related issue of the role of intergovernmental transfers to underwrite this allocation.

Courts are key players in the dynamics of federal countries since their rulings have a direct impact on the ability of governments to centralize and decentralize power. Courts in Federal Countries examines the role high courts play in thirteen countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Nigeria, Spain, and the United States. The volume’s contributors analyse the centralizing or decentralizing forces at play following a court’s ruling on issues such as individual rights, economic affairs, social issues, and other matters. The thirteen substantive chapters have been written to facilitate comparability between the countries. Each chapter outlines a country’s federal system, explains the constitutional and institutional status of the court system, and discusses the high court’s jurisprudence in light of these features. Courts in Federal Countries offers insightful explanations of judicial behaviour in the world’s leading federations.

In October 2015, the federal Liberals came to power with sweeping plans to revamp Canada's democratic and federal institutions - a modernizing agenda intended to revitalize Canada's democratic architecture. The centrepiece of the agenda was the replacement of Canada's first-past-the-post electoral system, but they also promised to revitalize relations with the provinces, bring Indigenous Peoples into the intergovernmental fold, and to change the ways in which senators and Supreme Court justices are appointed. How has the reform agenda faired? Has it resulted in a more effective and democratic set of political and federal institutions? Or has it largely failed to deliver on these objectives? What, more broadly, is the state of Canada's democratic and federal institutions? The Queen's Institute of Intergovernmental Relations used the occasion of Canada's 150th birthday to examine these pressing issues. The 2017 volume in the State of the Federation series focuses on enduring questions about the functioning of federalism and intergovernmental relations in Canada, including how we should evaluate the quality of Canada's institutions and practices in light of our federal structure, and how current institutional arrangements and their possible alternatives fare according to these criteria.

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.

Building on the work presented in Styran and Taylor’s This Great National Object, which told the story of the first three Welland canals built in the nineteenth century, This Colossal Project chronicles an impressive milestone in the history of Canadian technological achievement and nation building.