Toward Sustainable Communities: a Resource Book for Municipal and Local Governments

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Toward Sustainable Communities: a Resource Book for Municipal and Local Governments DOCUMENT RESUME ED 380 301 SE 055 984 AUTHOR Roseland, Mark TITLE Toward Sustainable Communities: A Resource Book for Municipal and Local Governments. INSTITUTION National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, Ottawa (Ontario). REPORT NO ISBN-1-895643-09-0 PUB DATE 92 NOTE 344p. AVAILABLE FROMNational Round Table on the Environment and the Economy,1 Nicholas St., Ste 1500, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B7. PUB TYPE Books (010) Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC14 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS City Government; Community Action; *Community Development; *Community Planning; *Local Government; *City Government; Municipalities; *Sustainable Development IDENTIFIERS Environmental Issues; *Environmental Problems ABSTRACT This book is intended as a resource for elected officials, municipal staff, and citizens who would like to apply the concept of sustainable development in their communities through an ecosystems approach to human settlements management. The subcomponents of human community life and its impact on the environment are explored. Included are tested, practical suggestions, he;pful contacts, and essential references to use in setting community planning and development on a sustainable course. Sixteen chapters include:(1) "The Meaning of Sustainable Development"; (2) "Toward Sustainable Communities"; (3) "Atmospheric Change and Air Quality ";(4) "Transportation Planning and Traffic Management"; (5) "Land Use and Growth Management ";(6) "Energy Conservation and Efficiency"; (7) "Solid and Hazardous Waste Reduction and Recycling"; (8) "Water and Sewage "; (9) "Greening the City;" (10) "Economic Development ";(11) "Community Development ";(12) "Investment and Purchasing ";(13) "Leadership by Example ";(14) "Environmental Administration";(15) "Beyond Municipal and Local Government"; and (16) "Lessons for Policymaking." (LZ) ******************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***************f fci.:A;.A********************************************** A O cn O A A 00 fel AL AIL LA LA "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)" 0 Do no C30 U S DEPAISTMENT OF EDUCATION $1, Office of Educshoner Rematch end Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (EMT T document Ms been temoducal es .111mused from the hereon of CogGIOIIIMOR or.o.nating ,I O Minor changes M.* been made 10 11000)V0 remoduchon metes Pants of vnhe of %humans stated tn dos deed. mend do not oetSurrOy erbdrrldiol oRCNII OERI posmon or voIrty 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE Toward Sustainable Communities A Resource Book for Municipal and Local Governments I Mark Roseland National Round Table on the Environment acid the Economy Table ronde nationale sur l'environnement et l'economie 3 © Mark Roseland, 1992 All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrightherein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information retrieval systems - without the prior written permission of the publisher. Canadian Catalogue Information in Publication Data Roseland, Mark Toward sustainable communities: a resource book for municipal and local governments (National Round Table series on Sustainable Development) ISBN 1-895643-09-0 1. City planning - Canada. 2. City planning - environmental aspects - Canada 3. City planning. 4. City Planning - Environmental aspects. I. National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy II. Title.III. Series HT169.C3R67 1992 307.17'0971 C92-094941-X Book Design, Typesetting and Graphic Consultants for Series: sla Graphicus Specialists in envirorunerual graphic design Sims Latham Group, 190K Memorial Avenue, Suite 201, Orillia, Ontario, L3V 5X6 Tel: (705) 327-2191 Cover Zebra Photo Design Studio withsla Graphicus This book has been set in New Century Schoolbook, Helvetica andprinted on Environmental Choice papercontaining over 50% recycled content, including 5% post-consumer fibre, using vegetable inks. The cow?,board also has recycled content and is finished with a water-based,wax-free varnish. Printed in Canada. Second Impression. National Round Table on the Environment and theEconomy Table rondo nationals stir I'environnement et l'isconomie 1 Nicholas Street, Suite 1500, Ottawa, Ontario,KIN 7B7 Series General Editor: Daniel Donovan Tel: (613) 992-7189 Fax: (613) 992-7385 ii 4 NATIONAL ROUND TABLE SERIES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Series General Editor: Daniel Donovan ISustainable Development: A Manager's Handbook 2 The National Waste Reduction Handbook 3 Decision Making Practices for Sustainable Development 4 Preserving Our World 5 On the Road to Brazil: The Earth Summit 6 Toward Sustainable Communities 7 Trade, Environment and Competitiveness Aussi disponible en francais Canada A Resource Book for Local Government NRTEE MEMBERS Dr. George Connell, Chair National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy R.C. (Reg) Basken President, Energy and Chemical Workers Union The Honourable Carole Carson Minister of Environment, Government of Saskatchewan The Honourable Jean Charest Minister of Environment, Coolr- .ment of Canada The :nourable J. Glen Cummings Minister of Environment, Cove: ;merit of Manitoba Pat Delbridge President, Pat Del bridge Associates Inc. The Honourable Jake Epp Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, Government of Canada Josefina Gonzalez Research Scientist, Forintek Canada Corp. Diane Griffin Executive Director, Island Nature Trust Dr. Leslie Harris Memorial University, Newfoundland Tony Hodge School of Planning, McGill University Susan Holtz Senior Researcher, Ecology Action Centre John E. Houghton Chairman and C.E.O., Quebec and Ontario Paper Company Ltd. David L. Johnston Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University Pierre Marc Johnson Direcleur de Recherche, Centre de medecine, d'ethique et de droit de l'Universite McGill Geraldine A. Kenney-Wallace President and Vice-Chancellor, McMaster University Margaret G. Kerr Vice President, Environment, Health and Safety, Northern Telecom Lester Lafond President, Lafond Enterprises Ltd. Jack M. MacLeod President and C.E.O., Shell Canada Ltd. Jim MacNeill Senior Fellow, Sustainable Development Program, Institute for Research on Public. Policy. The Honourable Donald Mazankowski Minister of Finance, Government of Canada David Morton Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Alcan Aluminium Dr. Bob Page Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Calgary Leone Pippard President and Executive Director, Canadian Ecology Advocates Barry D. Stuart Judge of the Territorial Couit The Honourable Michael Wilson Minister of Industry, Science and Technology, Government of Canada Ex ?.cutive Director: Ron Doering Toward Sustainable Communities The National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy is pleased to present this book as a further contribution to the greater understanding of the concepts of Sustainable Development and Sustainable Communities. The views expressed in its pages are those of its author and do not necessarily represent those of the NRTEE or its Members. 7 vi 6 A Resource Book for Local Government Foreword For generations, environmentalists in North America have fought to protect "nature," but have been ambivalent in the struggle to create healthy, equitable, and economically sustainable communities for the human family. Toward Sustainable Communities confronts this major contradiction and shortcoming of the North American environmentalist tradition with practical, hopeful guidance. The intellectual roots of the North American environmental movement in Anglo-Romantic traditions of the 19th century have inspired many battles to protect a pure and wild nature, but they have,4iled to guide humankind on a course that is sustainabl0While we have tended to nature's ecosystems, wehale permittedour cities and towns to become engines of resource extraction and exploitation, waste generation and release, so much so that even the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere is no longer spared from their effects. During the period that environmentalism became a force in North American public life, our cities and ccinrnunities have sprawled without consideration for resource efficiency. Infrastructure has been constructed housing, roadways and sewage systems, for instance -- which encourages disregardful resource consumption. Water sources have been taxed or polluted.Built environments have been designed which alter micro- climates and promote photochemical smog formation. Environmental services, such as public transit systems, have been left without public support.. Our settlements have not only become less and less habitable for humans vii Toward Sustainable Communities and most other species. They now stand as the geographic point sources of most regional and global environmental problems, and threaten even the most distant wild areas saved by environmental advocates. Over the most recent decades, a new humanistic tradition in the environmental movement has developed, which focuses attention directly upon the state, form, and management of human communities.It includes the Habitat movement, the Healthy Cities movement, and the more recent "sustainable communities" and eco-cities movements. These movements share the perspective that the most direct and effective means to protect the environment is to redevelop, retrofit, and redesign our own communities in other words, to make them sustainable
Recommended publications
  • Why Must We Have a National Child Care Program?
    CHILDREN: OUR HOPE, YOUR FUTURE CAMPAIGN CHILD CARE LES ENFANTS: NOTRE ESPOIR, VOTRE CAMPAGNE DE GARDE A AVENIR L’ENFANCE Canadian Labour Congress 2841 prom. Riverside Drive Ottawa, Ontario KIV 8X7 1993 Congres du travail du Canada Tel.: (613) 521-3400 Fax: (613) 521-4655 What is Campaign - High quality child care is a solid investment in Canada's future; it supports Child Care 1993? parents in rearing the contributing citizens of the future. - Child care can allow workforce A coalition of national and provincial organi- participation, training and education for zations have joined together to ensure that parents (especially women) from across child care is a high priority in the federal the economic spectrum. Reliable child election campaign. The CAMPAIGN is care reduces work/family stress. organizing activities and carrying out public - High quality child care/early childhood education to ensure that child care is on each education benefits all children, whether or political parties' agenda before, during and not their parents are in the labour force. after the 1993 federal election. - Child care programs provide meaningful employment and create jobs across the country. W - Without a national child care program, hat Its goal is a national solutions to our child care crisis are do child care program piecemeal and inadequate. It is Canada's we supporting a publicly- children who continue to suffer. wa funded system of high quality, nonprofit, - Canada cannot afford to mortgage the nt? comprehensive child healthy development of children to reduce care services and complementary the national debt. parental leave for all children and families in Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • Collection: Green, Max: Files Box: 42
    Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Library Collections This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections. Collection: Green, Max: Files Folder Title: Briefing International Council of the World Conference on Soviet Jewry 05/12/1988 Box: 42 To see more digitized collections visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected] Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/ WITHDRAWAL SHEET Ronald Reagan Library Collection Name GREEN, MAX: FILES Withdrawer MID 11/23/2001 File Folder BRIEFING INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL & THE WORLD FOIA CONFERENCE ON SOVIET JEWRY 5/12/88 F03-0020/06 Box Number THOMAS 127 DOC Doc Type Document Description No of Doc Date Restrictions NO Pages 1 NOTES RE PARTICIPANTS 1 ND B6 2 FORM REQUEST FOR APPOINTMENTS 1 5/11/1988 B6 Freedom of Information Act - [5 U.S.C. 552(b)] B-1 National security classified Information [(b)(1) of the FOIA) B-2 Release would disclose Internal personnel rules and practices of an agency [(b)(2) of the FOIA) B-3 Release would violate a Federal statute [(b)(3) of the FOIA) B-4 Release would disclose trade secrets or confidential or financial Information [(b)(4) of the FOIA) B-8 Release would constitute a clearly unwarranted Invasion of personal privacy [(b)(6) of the FOIA) B-7 Release would disclose Information compiled for law enforcement purposes [(b)(7) of the FOIA) B-8 Release would disclose Information concerning the regulation of financial Institutions [(b)(B) of the FOIA) B-9 Release would disclose geological or geophysical Information concerning wells [(b)(9) of the FOIA) C.
    [Show full text]
  • C-6 CANADA YEAR BOOK the Hon. Hedard Robichaud, April 22, 1963
    C-6 CANADA YEAR BOOK The Hon. Hedard Robichaud, April 22, 1963 The Hon. Leonard Stephen Marchand, The Hon. Roger Teillet, April 22, 1963 September 15, 1976 The Hon. Charies Mills Drury, April 22, 1963 The Hon. John Roberts, September 15, 1976 The Hon. Maurice Sauve, February 3, 1964 The Hon. Monique Begin, September 15, 1976 The Hon. Yvon Dupuis, February 3, 1964 The Hon. Jean-Jacques Blais, September 15, 1976 The Hon. Edgar John Benson, June 29, 1964 The Hon. Francis Fox, September 15, 1976 The Hon. Leo Alphonse Joseph Cadieux, The Hon. Anthony Chisholm Abbott, February 15, 1965 September 15, 1976 The Hon. Lawrence T. Pennell, July 7, 1965 The Hon. lona Campagnolo, September 15, 1976 The Hon. Jean-Luc Pepin, July 7, 1965 The Hon. Joseph-Philippe Guay, November 3, 1976 The Hon. Alan Aylesworth Macnaughton, The Hon. John Henry Horner, April 21, 1977 October 25, 1965 The Hon. Norman A. Cafik, September 16, 1977 The Hon. Jean Marchand, December 18, 1965 The Hon. J. Gilles Lamontagne, January 19, 1978 The Hon. Joseph Julien Jean-Pierre Cote, The Hon. John M. Reid, November 24, 1978 December 18, 1965 The Hon. Pierre De Bane, November 24, 1978 TheRt. Hon. John Napier Turner, December 18, 1965 The Rt. Hon. Charles Joseph (Joe) Clark, June 4, 1979 The Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliott Trudeau, April 4, 1967 The Hon. Flora Isabel MacDonald, June 4, 1979 The Hon. Joseph-Jacques-Jean Chretien, April 4, 1967 The Hon. James A. McGrath, June 4, 1979 The Hon. Pauline Vanier, April II, 1967 The Hon.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloads/Strategic
    From “friendly relations” to differential fees: A history of international student policy in Canada since World War II by Dale M. McCartney B.A., Simon Fraser University, 2004 M.A., Simon Fraser University, 2010 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Educational Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) August 2020 © Dale M. McCartney, 2020 The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the dissertation entitled: From “friendly relations” to differential fees: A history of international student policy in Canada since World War II submitted by Dale M. McCartney in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Studies Examining Committee: Amy Scott Metcalfe, Educational Studies Co-supervisor Jason Ellis, Educational Studies Co-supervisor Donald Fisher, Educational Studies Supervisory Committee Member Lesley Andres, Educational Studies University Examiner Steven Hugh Lee, History University Examiner ii Abstract This dissertation examines the development of policy related to international undergraduate students in Canada since the end of the Second World War. It draws on archival materials from the federal, British Columbia, and Ontario governments, and seven institutions: the University of Toronto, Carleton University, Wilfrid Laurier University, Seneca College, the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University. The dissertation unearths the initial proto-policies developed by non-governmental agencies that provided services for international students, and examines how the priorities of these service groups were inherited by institutions as the organizations were formally incorporated into universities and colleges.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Partial Histories: Constituting a Conflict between Women's Equality Rights and Indigenous Sovereignty in Canada Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/59c8k7c0 Author Painter, Genevieve Publication Date 2015 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Partial Histories: Constituting a Conflict between Women's Equality Rights and Indigenous Sovereignty in Canada by Genevieve Painter A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Jurisprudence and Social Policy in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in Charge Professor Calvin K. Morrill, Chair Professor Leti P. Volpp Professor Marianne Constable Fall 2015 Abstract Partial Histories: Constituting a Conflict between Women's Equality Rights and Indigenous Sovereignty in Canada by Genevieve Painter Doctor of Philosophy in Jurisprudence and Social Policy University of California, Berkeley Professor Calvin K. Morrill, Chair This dissertation is a history of an idea, a retelling of a simple story about an idea as a complicated one, and an explanation of the effects of believing the simple story. From 1869 to 1985, to be an Indian in the eyes of the Canadian state – to be a “status Indian” – a person had to have a status Indian father. The Canadian government registered a population of Indigenous people as status Indians and decided that Indian status passed along the male line. If an Indian man married a non-Indian woman, his wife gained status and their children were status Indians. In contrast, if a status Indian woman married a non-Indian man, she lost her Indian status, and her children were not status Indians.
    [Show full text]
  • The First World AIDS Day
    1 On June 5, 1981, the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued its first warning about a relatively rare form of pneumonia among a small group of young gay men in Los Angeles, which was later deter- mined to be AIDS-related. Since that time, tens of millions of people have been infected with HIV worldwide. The Global HIV/AIDS Timeline is designed to serve as an ongoing reference tool for the many political, scientific, cultural, and community developments that have occurred over the history of the epidemic. Started in 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done. ~avert.org, 2006 2 While 1981 is generally referred to as the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, scientists believe that HIV was present years before the first case was brought to public attention. In 1959, The first known case of HIV in a human occurs in a person who died in the Congo, later confirmed as hav- ing HIV infection from his preserved blood samples. The authors of the study did not sequence a full virus from his samples, writing that "attempts to amplify HIV-1 fragments of >300 base pairs were unsuccessful, . Howev- er, after numerous attempts, four shorter sequences were obtained" that represented small portions of two of the six genes of the complete AIDS virus. In New York City, on June 28, 1959, Ardouin Antonio, a 49-year-old Jamaican-American shipping clerk dies of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia, a disease closely associated with AIDS.
    [Show full text]
  • Jeministaction
    JeministACTION NEWS FROM THE NATIONAL ACTION COMMITTEE ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN Action Commhiee on the Status of V'omen A Blour Strect Wei, Sukte 505 Toronto. Ontario MSS 144 DSN 0451-3377 LETIERS CONTENTS A group 1s eligible for membership in NAC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Dear ACTION: NAC 1f it has ten or more members and [I am writing to tell you that I NAC Coming of Age subscribes to the stated objectives of Fighting Racism in the *80s, . 2 have written to the Hon. Ramon Hnaty- the organization. Government depart- Shift in Wealth. 2 shyn to demand the repeal of section ments and agencies are not eligible for Lobby & Constituion shuffle , . 3 195.1 of the Criminal Code, after reading membersh1ip. Member groups are entitled NAC's New Executive. 4 NAC's concerns in the March ACTION. to appoint delegates to participate at Ï am proud to be a member of New Policy. the Annual General Meeting and other Getting the Message to NAC and appreciate the work you do general meetings. Member groups shall the Media... on behalf of me and many other Cana- receive the publications and communica- Organizational Review . 6 dians. Thank you. tions of NAC. Meech Lake . ...., . 6 Yours truly, Please send an application form and COMMIIIEE REPORTS information about membership fees for Health... ......., .., , 7 Mary Lou Stanton NAC group membersh1p. Pornography . .. .. .. 7 Newmarket, Ontario International . ,. & Name of Organization: Employment & Economy . 8 Social Services . .. .. .... 9 Prostitution. .. ........ "9 BONNIE ROBICHAUD'S CASE CONIINUES! NAC PUBLICATIONS Privatization . .. .......10 The NAC Executive sends you warmest regards and support for your upcoming REGIONAL REPORTS Supreme Court case.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Conservatives and the Boundary of Politics in Canada and the United States
    SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES AND THE BOUNDARY OF POLITICS IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES by James Harold Farney A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto © Copyright by James Harold Farney (2009) SOCIAL CONSERVATIVES AND THE BOUNDARY OF POLITICS IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES James Harold Farney Doctor of Philosophy Department of Political Science University of Toronto 2009 Abstract This dissertation investigates social conservative activism in the American Republican Party and in four parties of the Canadian right: the Progressive Conservative Party, Reform Party, Canadian Alliance Party, and Conservative Party of Canada. While issues like gay and lesbian rights and abortion became politically contentious in both countries during the late 1960s, American social conservatives emerged earlier than their Canadian counterparts and enjoyed considerably more success. Understanding this contrast explains an important part of the difference between Canadian and American politics and explicates a key aspect of modern conservatism in North America. The argument developed here focuses on different norms about the boundary of politics held in right-wing parties in the two countries. Norms are embedded components of institutions that codify the “logic of appropriateness” for actors within a given institution (March and Olsen 1989, 160) and both construct and regulate the identities of political actors (Katzentstein 1996). The recognition of norms has been an important development in organizational theory, but one that has never been applied to modern office-seeking parties (Ware 1996, Berman 1998). ii Qualitative case studies establish that many Republicans understood both sexuality and appeals to religion as politically legitimate throughout the period under investigation.
    [Show full text]
  • ABBREVIATIONS 1R,2R,3R=First, Second, Third Reading Amdts
    ABBREVIATIONS 1r,2r,3r=first, second, third reading amdts=amendments com=committee div=division m=motion neg=negatived qu=question ref=referred rep=report r.a.=Royal Assent st = statement ============================================================================== Acts passed during the Session PUBLIC ACTS Chapter Bill No. Assented to June 14, 1991 25 British Columbia Grain Handling Operations Act C-25 Assented to June 21, 1991 26 Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) Act C-9 27 National Energy Board Act amendment C-2 28 Exporting, Importing, Manufacturing, Buying or Selling of or Other Dealing with Certain Weapons Act C-6 29 Appropriation Act No.2, 1991-92 C-24 Assented to October 2, 1991 30 Public Sector Compensation Act C-29 2 SENATE DEBATES INDEX--1991-92-93 ============================================================================== Assented to October 11, 1991 31 Thunder Bay Grain Handling Operations Act C-37 Assented to October 29, 1991 32 Appointment of Port Warden for the Harbour of Quebec, and to amend and consolidate Acts Relating to Office of Port Warden for the Harbour of Montreal amendment C-14 33 Canadian Wheat Board Act amendment C-23 34 Agricultural Products Marketing Act amendment C-16 35 Postal Services Continuation Act, 1991 C-40 36 National Day of Remembrance Act C-202 Assented to November 26, 1991 37 Railway Act (grain and flour subsidies) amendment C-11 38 Crown Corporations Dissolution or Transfer Authorization Act C-8 Assented to December 5, 1991 39 Canada Labour Code (geographic certification) amendment C-44
    [Show full text]
  • Download Download
    Pat Carney and the Dismantling of the National Energy Program TammyNemeth* ABSTRACT: The Progressive Conservative energy policy initiative of 1984-1985 represented a distinct change not only in how policy was formulated but also in the party's vision of Canada. The Tories endeavoured to decentralize government, encourage cooperative federal-provincial relations, and develop an energy policy outside the bureaucracy through consultation with the oil industry. Patricia Carney played a vital role first as opposition energy critic and then as minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. She emphasized consultation and cooperation with industry and the provinces and accepted most of their input uncritically. These developments are explored through an examination of the policy-making process developed by the Conservatives in opposition, and then put into practice after they took power in 1984. Tuesday, 4 September 1984 ushered in a dramatic change in Canadian politics when the Progressive Conservative party (or pcs), headed by Brian Mulroney, won an overwhelming majority in the federal election. The pcs captured 211 seats out of a possible 282 with 58 of those seats located in Western Canada.1 Although the pcs did not make energy the focus of the 1984 election campaign, energy policy was certainly a priority before, during and after the election. While in opposition from 1980 to 1984 most of the strong and consistent Conservative support was from Western Canada, representing 52 out ofthe total 101 pc seats. Western Canadians believed that the Liberal party's National Energy Program (nep) discriminated against them, and the oil and gas industry viewed the nep as an unnecessary government intrusion into their business: both interests wanted the nep dismantled.2 After Mulroney was elected as leader of the opposition in the spring of 1983, he appointed Patricia (Pat) Carney as opposition Past Imperfect.
    [Show full text]
  • THE EMBARRASSING PREAMBLE? UNDERSTANDING the “SUPREMACY of GOD” and the CHARTER I. INTRODUCTION at the Outset of Canada's
    THE EMBARRASSING PREAMBLE? UNDERSTANDING THE “SUPREMACY OF GOD” AND THE CHARTER JONATHON W. PENNEY† & ROBERT J. DANAY‡ I. INTRODUCTION At the outset of Canada’s most venerated human rights document—the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms1—is a short but profound declaration: “… Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law.” This reference to the “supremacy of God” and the “rule of law”, of course, appears in the Preamble—the part of the Constitution that the Supreme Court of Canada has called the “grand entrance hall to the castle of the Constitution”,2 wherein “the political theory which the Act embodies” is found.3 Accordingly, the “rule of law” has played a rather remarkable role in the jurisprudence of the courts, most notably the Supreme Court.4 It has been called a “fundamental postulate” of our “constitutional structure”,5 a notion that that comprises “indispensable elements of civilized life”,6 and a principle † Current candidate for M.St. (Oxford) and former Justice Department Counsel. Opinions expressed in this paper are the personal opinions of the author and should not be construed as representing the views or opinions of the Department of Justice or the Government of Canada. ‡ B.Sc. (Toronto), LL.B. (Osgoode), B.C.L. (Oxford), and presently Law Clerk for Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. Opinions expressed in this paper are the personal opinions of the author and should not be construed as representing the views or opinions of the Department of Justice or the Government of Canada.
    [Show full text]
  • How Do Governments Decide When Ministers Must Resign?
    GOVERNMENT DECISION-MAKING AND MINISTERIAL RESIGNATIONS DEBUNKING DECISION-MAKING: HOW DO GOVERNMENTS DECIDE WHEN MINSTERS MUST RESIGN? By: ROBERTO P. LEONE, B.A., M.A. A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy McMaster University © Copyright Roberto P. Leone, April 2009 DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (2009) McMaster University (Political Science) Hamilton, Ontario TITLE: Debunking Decision-Making: How do governments decide when ministers must resign? AUTHOR: Roberto P. Leone, B.A. (McMaster University) M.A. (University of Guelph) SUPERVISOR: Barbara Wake Carroll NUMBER OF PAGES: x,246 11 ABSTRACT Commentators of parliamentary democracy in Britain and Canada tend to agree that parliament is an old institution that is in desperate need of renewal. Contrary to this perspective, there are those who believe that parliament is an evolving institution which has been susceptible to change over time. Given the disagreement posed above, there is a need to develop a method to measure which side has it right. This dissertation seeks to establish such a method. By using organization theory to explain organizational change, this research will establish both the rationale for why insti.tutions change and the decisions that led to that change. Change is defined as the difference between present organizational configuration from the original. If there is a difference, then change is present. To understand the original configuration of parliamentary institutions, the dissertation looks at "foundational principles" to parliamentary democracy. Of these foundational principles, the doctrine of ministerial responsibility is the one analyzed here. In analyzing government decisions that lead to ministerial resignations, this dissertation builds a decision-making matrix that will compare organizational theories of decision-making and analyze the level of rationality applied when governments decide to require a resignation from one of its members.
    [Show full text]