Managing Federalism through Pandemic

Managing Federalism through Pandemic analyzes the Canadian response to the COVID-19 pandemic and policy issues from the perspective of Canadian federalism. It finds that intergovernmental cooperation adapted well to the pandemic, but individual policy failures exposed structural weaknesses.

Format: Hardback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 27 November 2023
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Managing Federalism through Pandemic is a comprehensive analysis that delves into the multifaceted policy dimensions of Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated policy issues within the framework of Canadian federalism. Contributors examine the relative effectiveness of intergovernmental cooperation at both the summit level and in various policy domains, including emergency management, public health, national security, Indigenous Peoples and governments, border governance, crisis communications, fiscal federalism, income security policies (CERB), supply chain resilience, and energy and climate policies.

Despite facing significant policy failures by individual governments, fluctuations in the overall effectiveness of pandemic management, and growing public frustration across provinces and regions, the contributors demonstrate how processes of intergovernmental cooperation adapted relatively well to the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic, particularly in the early stages. The book concludes that, despite individual policy shortcomings, Canada's decentralized approach to policy management often facilitated regional adaptability, helped contain serious policy failures, and contributed to varying degrees of policy learning across governments.

Managing Federalism through Pandemic sheds light on how the pandemic exposed structural policy weaknesses that transcend federalism but have profound implications for how governments collaborate (or fail to) in promoting the well-being of their citizens. The book offers valuable insights into the complexities of managing federalism in times of crisis and highlights the importance of effective intergovernmental cooperation and policy coordination to address shared challenges and ensure the well-being of populations across Canada.

Weight: 720g
Dimension: 235 x 160 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487554255