Atlantic Canada: The Constitutional Offshore Regime

While it is a truism that people shape resources, it is equally true that resources shape people. This is so not only in terms of the individual but also of his society. Resources are the foundation of economic development - upon them turn such diverse questions as where a population will settle and the level of education required of that population for the harvesting of the resource. The regions of Canada are not diversified as much by strict cultural populations as with the resources which have shaped the regional populations. To date, the Atlantic provinces have seemingly been by-passed from the mainstream of Canadian economic development. However, in the eastern provinces there presently exists the possibility of a resource bonanza in the form of offshore oil and gas development. The ramifications to the peoples of these provinces are immense. Accordingly, it is crucial if they are to benefit fully in any economic renewal that the regional governments, with necessarily regional interests, have the greatest say in that offshore development