A Qualified Summation of Federalism

In this article, the author analyzes Rejean Pelletier's 2008 publication, Le Quebec et le federalism canadien. Un regard critique (Quebec and Canadian Federalism: A Critical Perspective), which he considers one of the most accessible available works on the subject, which places the development of Canadian federalism in the Quebecois context in a simple and direct manner. The book opens with a representation of the subject's historical background, beginning with the economic necessities that motivated the move to federalism in 1867. Next, the book examines the policy of bilingualism adopted by Ottawa since 1965, emphasizing the fact that this policy did nothing to slow the assimilation of francophone citizens living in minority circumstances. In addition, the book's author discusses the intergovernmental relations between the federal and provincial governments, pointing out that the Senate lost all legitimacy once it ceased to fill its traditional role in the representation of the provinces. W. A. Butler