Equal as Citizens: The tumultuous and troubled history of a great Canadian ideaNo matter where they live, Canadians expect and receive equal benefits from their government when it comes to old age pensions, consular services when travelling abroad, and airline safety. Canadians also expect the same quality of education, medical care, and social benefits anywhere in the country. But when government services come from provinces and not Ottawa, differences in the quality of services can be enormous. Canada's provinces have equal responsibilities but very unequal means to pay for those responsibilities. Equal citizenship for all Canadians is an idea that has a long and distinguished pedigree in Canadian life. When differences between the provinces grew dramatically in the early twentieth century, politicians crafted a response that sought to equalize services across the country. They called these measures "equalization," and the idea was deemed so fundamental that it was embodied in the 1982 Canadian constitution. But Canada has changed. The centre of wealth has been shifting from Ontario toward the resource-rich provinces. The wealth gap between provinces has grown -- and with it disparities in taxes and services available to citizens. Regionalism and neoconservative ideas have undermined support for equal citizenship. In this compelling new book, Richard Starr traces the history of this idea. He tracks how it has been undermined and attacked, and proposes how it can be reframed in a twenty-first century context to attract the support of most Canadians. |
Contents
Section 1 | 1805 |
Section 2 | 1817 |
Section 3 | 1840 |
Section 4 | 1855 |
Section 5 | 1874 |
Section 6 | 1879 |
Section 7 | 1882 |
Section 8 | 1896 |
Section 20 | |
Section 21 | |
Section 22 | |
Section 23 | |
Section 24 | |
Section 25 | |
Section 26 | |
Section 27 | |
Section 9 | 1901 |
Section 10 | 1910 |
Section 11 | 1921 |
Section 12 | 1936 |
Section 13 | 1940 |
Section 14 | 1955 |
Section 15 | 1957 |
Section 16 | 1972 |
Section 17 | 1976 |
Section 18 | |
Section 19 | |
Section 28 | |
Section 29 | |
Section 30 | |
Section 31 | |
Section 32 | |
Section 33 | |
Section 34 | |
Section 35 | |
Section 36 | |
Section 37 | |