Quebec’s most recent attempts to assert its distinctiveness within Canada have relied on unilateral constitutional means to strengthen its French and secular character, suggesting that an important change of political culture has taken place in Quebec. With its diverse team of researchers, Contemporary Federalist Thought in Quebec considers the recent history of the debate that once threatened Canada with disjunction, exploring the federalist thought that continues to shape constitutional debate in Quebec. Examining historical perspectives from 1950 to the present day, the volume draws portraits of the key actors in the federalist movement – including political leaders, intellectuals, academics, activists, and spokespersons for pressure groups – comparing their various outlooks, interventions, and values, and examining the ties that bind these actors to the sense of nationalism that emerged during Quebec’s Quiet Revolution. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, Contemporary Federalist Thought in Quebec casts new light on the continuing debate surrounding Quebec’s place in Canada and gives nuance to what is traditionally conceived as a rigid opposition between sovereigntists and federalists in the province.

First published in French in 2006, Le fédéralisme canadien contemporain was immediately recognised as the most comprehensive collection of reflections on Canadian federalism by leading Québécois scholars. This remarkable translation of a range of Québécois voices makes their insightful and underrepresented perspectives available to English-language audiences. Offering alternative views of the Canadian federal model's realities by covering its foundations, traditions, and institutions, Contemporary Canadian Federalism considers the ways in which federalism relates to issues such as regionalism, multiculturalism, rights and freedoms, financial distribution, and public policy. Filled with stimulating work that bridges the gap between distinctive traditions in English- and French-Canadian scholarship on federalism, this important volume is required reading for understanding provincial-federal relations and Canadian governance.

In this comprehensive book on Canadian federalism, the author thoroughly examines the Quebec sovereignty issue in order to determine whether or not reasonable and substantial grounds exist justifying Quebec sovereignty in the context of contemporary Canada. As a result, this book examines the successive layers that constitute Canadian federalism to unravel its nature, essence and the successes of its functioning, or the lack thereof, particularly with respect to Quebec. Ultimately, no matter how the federation is portrayed, if it has worked and continues to work well to achieve the most basic needs and interests of Quebecers, there leaves little if anything in support of secession. The fundamental success of the Canadian federation is the all-important lesson of this book.

Taylor is one of the world's pre-eminent experts on Hegel and brings to his reflections on nationalism and federalism the fruits of a more universal philosophical discourse rooted in the Enlightenment and before. Its hallmarks are terms such as recognition, self-determination, atomism, and modernity. Notwithstanding his long involvement in philosophical reflections, Taylor has avoided the role of the disengaged intellectual, always remaining close to political action and debate in Canada. To his philosophical discourse, therefore, is added a sensitive knowledge of Quebec society from the vantage point of an English-speaking citizen with profound roots within it. Taylor suggests that it will be necessary to think in terms of deep diversity if Canada is to stay together in the twenty-first century. Eight of the essays, published between 1965 and 1992, are drawn from the Queen's Quarterly, edited scholarly books, a research study for the MacDonald Commission on Canada's Economic and Political Future, and an English translation of his submission to Quebec's Bélanger-Campeau Commission. The concluding paper was written specially for this volume.

In the coming decade, we may see the advent of multinational federalism on an international scale. As great powers and international organizations become increasingly uncomfortable with the creation of new states, multinational federalism is now an important avenue to explore, and in recent decades, the experiences of Canada and Quebec have had a key influence on the approaches taken to manage national and community diversity around the world. Drawing on comparative scholarship and several key case studies (including Scotland and the United Kingdom, Catalonia and Spain, and the Quebec-Canada dynamic, along with relations between Indigenous peoples and various levels of government), The Legitimacy Clash takes a fresh look at the relationship between majorities and minorities while exploring theoretical advances in both federal studies and contemporary nationalisms. Alain-G. Gagnon critically examines the prospects and potential for a multinational federal state, specifically for nations seeking affirmation in a hostile context. The Legitimacy Clash reflects on the importance of legitimacy over legality in assessing the conflicts of claims.