AN ANALYSIS OF NEW BRUNSWICK'S INTERNATIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES By RAJEEV VENUGOPAL, B.A., M.Sc. A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario, May 2010 ©Rajeev Venugopal, 2010 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81552-6 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-81552-6 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduce, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada 11 ABSTRACT This dissertation is the first examination of New Brunswick's international policies and practices in the context of paradiplomacy. In Canada, while scholarship in this field is not new, studies have focused nearly exclusively on the experiences of larger provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and British Columbia, and have referred to the activities of smaller provinces as spasmodic and uncoordinated. Analysis of New Brunswick's first International Strategy in 2003, however, suggests that more interesting and deeper patterns of strategic behaviour are evident. Constitutional jurisdiction over international matters is non-definitively laid out in the Constitution Act, 1982. As such, Canada's system of federalism and federal-provincial-territorial relations has relied on intergovernmental affairs to promote collaboration and mitigate conflict in policy areas of shared interest or concurrent jurisdiction. In New Brunswick's case, it is argued that its small size is manifested in a greater willingness to proactively identify methods and modalities with which to seek partnership with the Government of Canada, specifically through DFAIT. To this end, the policy areas of trade and investment, immigration, and participation in La Francophonie are examined from a provincial, federal and shared perspective. Deriving from this policy overview, four arguments that form the basis for this analysis of New Brunswick's international policies are explored. First, it is argued that upon closer inspection, several aspects of New Brunswick's International Strategy are fundamentally flawed, to the extent that it does not constitute a viable strategy due to its reliance on status quo activities and lack of an implementing budget. Second, it is argued that although flawed, the International Strategy has functional value in breathing new life into the concept of "province-building," critiqued in particular by Young, Faucher and Blais. This value can be expressed as a hybridized version of the old province-building concept that equated provincial empowerment with anti-Ottawa oriented competition. Third, it is argued that while modern globalization has resulted in a powerful new role for regional governments in federations to participate on the world stage, New Brunswick benefits from a strong central government role in international relations given the strategic and programmatic benefits it derives from collaborative alliances and partnerships. Lastly, it is argued that in some respects an apparent lack of rationality in various elements of the International Strategy can be evaluated through the "Garbage Can Model" of organizational design, a concept developed as counterpoint to other theories of decision-making that hinged on the notion of the "rational actor." The study concludes with the argument that despite various flaws to New Brunswick's first attempt at a corporate international strategic approach, there are valuable lessons that can be learned as the Province continues to pursue international interests abroad. Ill ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation will be met with mixed feelings by my colleagues. While some anticipated it would laud New Brunswick's International Strategy, policies and practices, some of the arguments advanced will cause surprise and raised eyebrows. At times I questioned whether this dissertation should be brought to its full and unrestrained conclusions, but having done so, note that the views expressed herein are mine alone, and do not reflect the policies of the Province of New Brunswick. In the end, that which I sought to accomplish could not co-exist with a fear of inquiry and of questioning and challenging assumptions (within conflict of interest parameters established at the outset of the study). Despite the discomfort it may bring about, I hope it provokes debate in my beloved home province of New Brunswick. Academic freedom and independence of thought and criticism must reign supreme, and career civil servants can offer tremendous insight into the workings of government when afforded the chance to reflect on their work and offer informed advice to their political masters. My sincere thanks to Dr. Elliott Tepper for his early guidance, and my supervisor Dr. Jonathan Malloy who consented to become my supervisor and provided special assistance in dealing with administrative matters related to my extended time in the program. His patience is appreciated, as is the administrative help given by Anna Kim, the Department's Graduate Students Administrator. I am grateful to have studied under the late Dr. Jeyaratnam Wilson of the University of New Brunswick. I remember his classes and counsel, and I miss him. Thanks to Dr. David Bedford, Chair of UNB's Department of Political Science for the opportunity to lecture over these last few years, which strengthened my resolve to complete this program, and Dr. Don Desserud for his encouragement and insight into province-building at a key point in the writing of this dissertation. I also thank my parents for their persistence that I "just get it done," and our politically-charged kitchen table battles. "At the end, you think about the beginning." It's a line I once heard in a movie. Marriage, three children (Maddy, Kaden, Macek), three jobs totaling over twelve years of full-time employment between the Parliament of Canada and the New Brunswick Public Service, four homes in three cities between Ontario and New Brunswick, two nomination races and one run at federal office, two business start-ups and a white to black- belt, not to mention two thesis supervisors- all of this happened in the time I have pursued my doctoral studies. It has truly been a long, grueling journey. Through it all, my wife (Angela Legue) pushed me to keep writing, picked up the slack I created and encouraged me to finish what I had started. Her faith in me got me through the tough times and self doubt. I thank her for putting her own dreams and aspirations on hold while I pursued several of mine, and dedicate this work to her. She's been a good friend and wonderful companion, and all the words in the world cannot express how much she means to me as we move on to the next chapter of our life together. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1 Background 1 New Brunswick's International Challenge Main Arguments 12 The Small Province Factor 19 Financial Capacity 25 Gaps in Paradiplomatic Studies 28 Why Cooperate with the Feds? 33 Research and Organization 37 Sources 37 Chapters Layout 41 General Remarks 45 CHAPTER II: THEMATIC AND CONCEPTUAL OVERVIEW 49 Background 49 Canadian Provinces as International Actors 50 Previous Studies of Provinces and International Activities 54 New Brunswick 57 The Larger Provinces 61 The Rise of Paradiplomacy 66 The Impact of Nomenclature 66 New Pressures on Federations 70 From State Centricity to Paradiplomacy 75 Critics and Contrarians 82 Trends in Canada's Constitutional History 85 Prologue- Early Concerns of the Founding Fathers 85 Confederation and After 90 Canada's Federal System 99 Canadian Federalism 107 Classical Federalism 107 Cooperative and Sometimes Competitive Federalism 108 Executive Federalism 111 Double-Image Federalism 119 Province-Building and the Garbage Can Model of Organizational