Review by Choice Review
An excellent comparative study of Canadian federalism by an academic specialist. It places Canadian evolution, experience, and practice in a context that includes other federalisms, e.g., Australia, West Germany, and Switzerland. An interesting element is the attempt to differentiate among factors influencing the operation of Canadian federalism; some are peculiarly Canadian and others emerge from broader institutional origins, such as the parliamentary system or federalism itself. The author focuses on institutions, but also devotes considerable attention to four substantive areas-the constitutional amending process, health policy, foreign affairs, and energy policy. This volume supplements the efforts of Ivo Duchacek's Comparative Federalism (1970) and Donald Smiley's Canada in Question: Federalism in the Eighties (1980). However, since events continue to move swiftly in a country that is in constitutional and political flux, there is no coverage here of recent changes such as the Meech Lake Accord, which created a new amending formula and recognized that Quebec constitutes ``a distinct society'' within Canada. Interest in this work will likely be confined to advanced students of federalism and Canadiana.-P. Regenstreif, University of Rochester
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
