“Fiscal Federalism in Canada” tackles the complexity of Canada’s fiscal system, which seeks to carefully balance fairness, efficiency, solidarity and provincial autonomy. However, the book moves beyond a simple account of major federal transfers to focus on under-researched areas, such as federal transfers to First Nations, infrastructure spending and municipal affairs.
The book also illustrates how multilevel governance in Canadian fiscal federalism reflects complex relationship dynamics between three orders of government, and underlines how municipalities bear the brunt of limited access to federal funds and complex accountability structures. As Professor Champagne explains, “The question is one of which instrument would best support the principle of subsidiarity and give cities more spending autonomy.” This avant-garde social sciences study thoroughly examines the political dimensions of fiscal federalism and its role in the governance of Canada.
The research presented in this book has significant implications not only for Canadian social sciences research and policy development, but also for those who seek to unpack the intricacies of fiscal federalism. By offering such nuances, professors Lecours and Champagne contribute to the “second-generation fiscal federalism literature” to help resolve the critical sociological and political issues at its core.
Their work is particularly relevant in light of recent challenges, namely the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, an issue that highlighted the need for coherent multilevel collaboration between federal, provincial and territorial orders of government, including local governments. The insights provided in the book can enlighten policies and suggest improvements in fiscal arrangements and intergovernmental processes.
Professors Lecours and Champagne are both leading researchers in Canadian politics and public administration, and their extensive knowledge and experience is put to good use in underlining this important aspect of governance. Each author examines the issues from a different background to provide a multi-dimensional analysis of fiscal federalism in Canada. André Lecours is a full professor at the School of Political Studies who specializes in Canadian politics, European politics, nationalism and federalism. His publications include books on nationalism, federalism, and social policy that reflect his established expertise in both comparative politics and territorial dynamics. He is a past president of the Canadian Political Science Association and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Eric Champagne is a full professor in public administration at the School of Political Studies and director of the Centre on Governance at the Faculty of Social Sciences. His research focuses on infrastructure financing, asset management in multilevel governance and public sector transformation. In 2020 he was awarded the Pierre De Celles Award for Excellence in Teaching Public Administration in light of his influential role in academia.
To learn more about the research work of professors Lecours and Champagne, visit the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences research webpage. Visit Collabzium to learn about how our top researchers are helping us understand and improve Canadian governance and policymaking through innovative research in the social sciences.