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Blog of Adam Daifallah -- author, journalist, law student. Lover of politics, writing, golf, curling, fitness, fashion, bacon and maple products -- not necessarily (but probably) in that order. Partisan of the Anglosphere. Contact me via email at adam@daifallah.com. This summer I am joined by Keir Wilmut and Omar Soliman.
Saturday, April 16, 2005
Strike a Royal Commission?
Picking up on the theme of the need to renew Canadian federalism, Michael Ignatieff is calling for a royal commission in today's National Post:
If our fiscal crisis is systemic then it needs to be dealt with systematically. A Royal Commission -- with bipartisan representation from all three levels of government -- is one possible way to re-order fiscal federalism for the 21st century. Of course, every red-blooded Canadian groans at the prospect of yet another Royal Commission, yet we forget that a previous Royal Commission, the Rowell Sirois report in the 1930's, set the framework for the post war transformation of the Canadian social fabric, including old age pensions, social security, unemployment insurance and ultimately health care.
The time has come to do something similarly bold and far-sighted in relation to the fiscal problems besetting our federation. Nothing would do more to address the risk of complacency and fatigue that besets the federalist cause, nothing would engage other regions in a national dialogue about our country's future, than a commission, with a targeted mandate to report, and a genuinely bipartisan, federal, provincial and municipal membership, to think long and hard about how to renew our federation's finances in the 21st century. The task of Canadian patriots, in other words, is not only to defend our federation, but to reform it.
The article is an adaptation of a speech the Harvard scholar gave this week at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto. Pretty amazing stuff coming from a Trudeauphile. Perhaps the fallout from Adscam is resulting in a watershed where even those who vociferously defended to old, centralist view of Canada are coming to their senses? (Note: I do not wish to pigeonhole Ignatieff into that camp, as I am not familiar with his past writings or views on Canadian federalism.)
A Royal Commission would be so expensive, so boring and seems like a waste of time. But the way Ignatieff puts it, it might be the only choice.
# posted by Adam Daifallah : 9:18 AM
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