Foreword

• Author: Gregory Tardi
• Pages: 9-12

vii

Foreword

In , a number of disparate British colonies in North America,

that had not wanted to form part of the United States, joined into

a single country. ey were distant from each other and each had a

society and polity distinct from the others; the only way these col-

onies could unite was thus to federate. is history requires interro-

gation. What does the concept of “federalism” mean and how does a

federation dier from a unitary state? e foundational explanation

of these questions was penned by the Oxford academic Kenneth C

Wheare, now studied by generations of university students. e

present study by Professors Brock and Hale focuses specif‌ically on

Canada as an example of a federal state and explains both the char-

acteristics of Canadian federalism and the evolution of the practice

of federalism in the decades since “Confederation.”

For the practical citizen, federalism can appear to mean dupli-

cation: besides the federal Parliament, each province and territory

has its own legislature. Similarly, it can entail a bewildering division

in public services: employment insurance and old age pensions are

delivered by federal departments, while education and health care

are provided at the provincial level, entailing local dierences and

distinctions. e distinctions can be even more confusing when one

realizes that substantive criminal law is within federal jurisdiction,