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.

"Federalism in Canada tells the turbulent story of shared sovereignty and divided governance from Confederation to the present time. It does so with three main objectives in mind. The first objective is to convince readers that federalism is the primary animating force in Canadian politics, and that it is therefore worth engaging with its complex nature and dynamic. The second objective is to bring into closer focus the contested concepts about the meaning and operation of federalism that all along have been at the root of the divide between English Canada and Quebec in particular. The third objective is to give recognition to the trajectory of Canada's Indigenous peoples in the context of Canadian federalism, from years of abusive neglect to belated efforts of inclusion. The book focuses on the constitution with its ambiguous allocation of divided powers, the pivotal role of the courts in balancing these powers, and the political leaders whose interactions oscillate between intergovernmental conflict and cooperation. This focus on executive leadership and judicial supervision is framed by considerations of Canada's regionalized political economy and cultural diversity, giving students an interesting and nuanced view of federalism in Canada."--

Jane Jacobs, writing from her adoptive country, uses the problems facing an independence-seeking Quebec and Canada as a whole to examine the universal problem of sovereignty and autonomy that nations great and small have struggled with throughout history. Using Norway’s relatively peaceful divorce from Sweden as an example, Jacobs contends that Canada and Canadians—Quebecois and Anglophones alike—can learn important lessons from similar sovereignty questions of the past.

Annotation Published in 1992, this book explores the process, problems, and issues related to Quebec's possible accession to sovereign status. The essays in this collection start from the premise that the process of constitutional renewal in Canada had, by 1992, reached an impasse. Since the federal government was unable to make proposals for an asymmetrical federalism acceptable to Quebec, Quebec sovereignty seemed an increasingly likely possibility. The contributors explore the mintutiae of the process required to make sovereignty a reality. Written at a time of extreme constitutional stress, the essays in Negotiating with a Sovereign Quebec offer clear-eyed assessments of the possibility of the failure of Canadian federalism.

There is no one-size-fits-all decentralized fix to deeply divided and conflict-ridden states. One of the hotly debated policy prescriptions for states facing self-determination demands is some form of decentralized governance - including regional autonomy arrangements and federalism - which grants minority groups a degree of self-rule. Yet the track record of existing decentralized states suggests that these have widely divergent capacity to contain conflicts within their borders. Through in-depth case studies of Chechnya, Punjab and Québec, as well as a statistical cross-country analysis, this book argues that while policy, fiscal approach, and political decentralization can, indeed, be peace-preserving at times, the effects of these institutions are conditioned by traits of the societies they (are meant to) govern. Decentralization may help preserve peace in one country or in one region, but it may have just the opposite effect in a country or region with different ethnic and economic characteristics.

Published in 1992, this book explores the process, problems, and issues related to Quebec's possible accession to sovereign status. The essays in this collection start from the premise that the process of constitutional renewal in Canada had, by 1992, reached an impasse. Since the federal government was unable to make proposals for an asymmetrical federalism acceptable to Quebec, Quebec sovereignty seemed an increasingly likely possibility. The contributors explore the minutiae of the process required to make sovereignty a reality. Written at a time of extreme constitutional stress, the essays in Negotiating with a Sovereign Quebec offer clear-eyed assessments of the possibility of the failure of Canadian federalism.