In a couple of weeks, we should know more about the specifics of the strong mayor system that the Ford Government plans to introduce for Toronto and Ottawa in time for this fall’s municipal elections – and perhaps for several other large cities soon after. In the meantime, however, it is worth recalling that strong mayors are not a new phenomenon in Canada. In some cases, their power derived from being backed by a political party. More often it was a strong personality and an ability to attract council support that was the basis for a mayor’s dominance.
0 Comments
The division of powers in Canada’s constitution reflects the conditions at the time it was adopted. When colonial leaders met to discuss the creation of this country, the American civil war was being waged, a war that was fundamentally about state rights versus the rights of the federal government. Under the U.S. constitution, any residual powers – those not specified (or perhaps not even anticipated) – were vested in the state governments. In marked contrast, the Canadian constitution gave all residual powers to the federal government and limited the provincial level to 16 specific powers that were viewed as primarily of local and minor importance. As time passed, of course, many of these powers became among the most important responsibilities of government.
A recent newspaper article, which I now can’t find, described a public school teacher with a novel approach to grading. At the end of the semester, she met with the students individually and asked them what grade they thought they deserved, and why. Through discussion they arrived at the grade to be assigned. I skimmed the responses that were posted and found what I expected. Almost every comment was critical of the teacher and stressed how important rigorous grading standards were in today’s competitive world. |
AuthorC. Richard Tindal, Ph.D is a retired Professor of Government. He taught for 30 years at St. Lawrence College, Kingston and was an occasional Visiting Professor at Queen's University. He has also written and consulted extensively about government. Archives
October 2023
Categories |