Saving Dollars and Making Sense: An Agenda for a More Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Federation

Produced by the Mowat Centre at the School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto.The paper argues that the federal and provincial-territorial governments in Canada are too often unproductively involved in the same policy space. While there is sometimes compelling logic for both governments to be active in a particular policy area, unnecessary overlap and duplication is a luxury that Canadians can no longer afford. The paper highlights the need for governments to work together to clarify their roles and responsibilities. It recommends several areas where responsibilities need to be uploaded, devolved or streamlined/disentangled in order to make government more efficient, effective and accountable. The recommendations made here constitute a new intergovernmental agenda for the federation: a re-ordering of roles and responsibilities for the purpose of giving governments the power and resources they need to respond nimbly and effectively to better serve Canadians in a rapidly changing world