QUESTION PERIOD — Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Collaboration
April 25, 2023
Welcome, minister.
I am interested in federal-provincial affairs, intergovernmental affairs, that are part of your portfolio. In the emergency context of the pandemic, governments at all levels were forced to come together for the common good of the people and to come to an agreement while respecting jurisdictions.
I’d like to hear your vision for the future. Can we build on the achievements in federal-provincial relations that this pandemic has brought about? How do you envision the next steps in negotiating the most pressing files in a way that respects jurisdictions and is effective?
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and thank you for the question.
You’re absolutely right. The COVID health crisis resulted in all levels of government working together in a way that had never happened before. It was in the best interests of Canadians.
I believe that it was a successful example of Canadian federalism. At one point, I was attending the weekly teleconferences with the premiers and Prime Minister Trudeau.
You’re also absolutely right that the federal government became the financier for all sorts of programs that, in the past, would probably have been well and truly under provincial jurisdiction. I see this in my work as an MP. Canadians increasingly see — and not entirely correctly — the federal government as a court of appeal for provincial decisions that are within their constitutional jurisdiction. I worry about returning to the proper way of doing things and obviously finding a way to work collaboratively with my provincial and territorial counterparts.
I recognize, however, that it is harder to go back. Canadians expect us to work together, including on child care, on infrastructure projects and on climate change. There’s a greater appetite to work together.
