Institute of Intergovernmental Relations
Queen's UniversityDirector's Office
The State of the Federation
- 2013: State of the Federation
- 2012: Regions, Resources and Resiliency
- 2011: The Changing Federal Environment: Rebalancing Roles?
- 2009: Carbon Pricing and Environmental Federalism
- The Complete Series
Canadian Issues & Topics
- Aboriginal Peoples and Federalism
- The Federal Dimensions of Reforming the Supreme Court of Canada
- Federalism and the Public's Health
- Equalization, Fiscal Imbalance and Canadian Federalism
Events Calendar
2012 Conferences
- 2012 State of the Federation: Regions, Resources and Resiliency
- Workshop on Federalism and Benchmarking
- The Crown in Canada: A Diamond Jubilee Assessment
- Thinking Outside the Box: A Conference in Celebration of Thomas J. Courchene
- Upcoming
- Archive
2012 Courses
2011/12 Publications
- The Democratic Dilemma: Reforming Canada's Supreme Court
- The Federal Idea: Essays in Honour of Ronald L. Watts
- The Evolving Canadian Crown
- A Life of Learning and Other Pleasures: John Meisel's Tale
- Essential Readings in Canadian Constitutional Politics
- Featured
- Recent
- Archive
Navigation
In Memory
Welcome to the Home of Federalism
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations at Queen's University is Canada's premier university-based centre for research on all aspects of federalism and intergovernmental relations, both in Canada and in countries around the world. Use the menus on the left to navigate our website and the menu on the right to view recent news events.
What's Happening at the IIGR
Aboriginal Peoples and Federalism
In light of the renewed interest in the relationships between Aboriginal Peoples, their governments and federal and provincial governments, the Institute has decided to highlight its past publications on this subject. We believe that readers will find them relevant, whether or not they have been involved with these matters in the past. To see our series of publications click here.
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations is resuming publication of working papers on its website. We are interested in receiving papers from scholars in political science, economics, history, law, geography and related fields. Authors should submit a copy by email to iigr@queensu.ca. Papers should normally not exceed 12,000 words, should conform to general academic standards and can be either in French or English. Authors will be advised of possible revisions following the editorial review. We also welcome comments on the papers. Comments will be posted following a review. View papers already submitted here.
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations and the Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Commission hosted Macdonald and Federalism: A Special Conference on January 10th, 2013 at the Grand Theatre, in Kingston, Ontario. The Conference will brought together academics and politicians to engage in a dialogue about the vision of federalism espoused by Sir John A. Macdonald, first prime minister of Canada, and whether his views remain relevant today. Please visit the conference website to see details of this conference.
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations held the 2012 State of the Federation conference, Regions, Resoures and Resiliency , in Kingston, Ontario on November 29, 30, and December 1. The conference will brought together academics, policymakers and politicians to engage in a constructive dialogue about regionalism, resources, and the resiliency of the Canadian federal system. Visit the conference webpage for more information regarding the conference theme. A draft conference program is avaialbe here.
On March 5 - 6, 2012, the IIGR co-hosted, with the National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy, a workshop on provincial climate change policies. A report on the workshop was then prepared for the Round Table by the Institute and the Queen's Institute on Energy and Environmental Policy, another institute of the Queen's School of Policy Studies. The NRTEE report to the Minister of the Environment based on the Round Table's work and on the conference was issued on June 13th, and can be found here.
Take a moment to browse our Events Calendar to view some of the important and exciting activities the IIGR has in store for the near future.
Our Personnel's Recent Activities
André Juneau, in a video interview with Sun News, provides insightful analysis on the implications of the Federal Government's new plan for health care funding, as well as the reactions to the plan of the Canadian Premiers and Territorial Leaders.
Institute director André Juneau comments on the intergovernmental implications of the unilateral pronouncements made by Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty regarding new health care investments planned by the Government of Canada. Read the entire reaction and analysis as published in the Globe and Mail.
Public Sector Digestpublishes an article by IIGR director André Juneau on the Federal Gas Tax Transfer to Canadian Municipalities.
Montréal's La Presse publishes an opinion piece by the Institute's own André Juneau entitled, "D'où viendra le leadership?"
Director André Juneau acts as a discussant at the University of Victoria's international conference, Comparing Modes of Governance in Canada and the European Union: Social Policy Engagement across Complex Multilevel Systems. The conference comparatively assessed Canadian and European Union methods of collaborative governance of social policy with a view toward domestic governance improvement. Visit the conference website to learn more.
The Institute's Christian Leuprecht and Ronald L. Watts present a paper on "The Conditions of Federal Intervention in Constituent Units: A Model of the Effect of Institutional, Constitutional and Social Veto Players" at the 2011 annual meeting of the International Association of Centers for Federal Studies in Speyer, Germany. Hosted by the German Research Institute for Public Administration, the conference examined the theme of "Governing from the Center: The Influence of the Federal/Central Government on Subnational Governments." Visit the conference website to learn more.
Take a moment to browse our Activities section to find out about some of the other important and exciting things undertaken by our personel.
Some Featured Publications
The Institute is happy to announce the release of The Evolving Canadian Crown. The publication is an insightful assessment of the Crown in Canada from a variety of perspectives, including federalism, First Nations, the constitutional role of the governor general, the use of the reserve power, honours and public liturgy, and the "Canadianization" of the Crown. Learn more about this exciting and timely publication, including how to order your own copy, by following the link.
The Institute of Intergovernmental Relations is proud to release The Federal Idea: Essays in Honour of Ronald L. Watts . The publication is a collection of more than thirty papers by Canadian and international scholars on a wide range of issues relating to the theory and practice of federalism, as well as an assessment of Ronald Watts' academic contributions to the study of federalism (including comparative federalism) and his important role as an advisor to federations across the globe. Follow the link to find out more.
Director André Juneau, with David L.A. Gordon, contributes a chapter entitled, " Bridging Mechanisms for the Federal Capital Region", to the recent Invenire Books publication, The Unimagined Canadian Capital: Challenges for the Federal Capital Region. The compilation is based on the proceedings of the January 28-29, 2011 colloquium held at the University of Ottawa under the joint sponsorship of the Forum of Federations and the Centre on Governance of the University of Ottawa. Click here further details on this publication, including how to order.
The University of Toronto Press has published Essential Readings in Canadian Constitutional Politics , edited by the Institute's Christian Leuprecht with Peter H. Russell. The work introduces students, scholars, and practitioners to classic authors and writings on the principles of the Canadian Constitution as well as to select contemporary material. Follow the link for more information.
The latest installment of the IIGR's State of the Federationseries, 2009: Carbon Pricing and Environmental Federalism , has been released. The papers presented here are by an outstanding group of those actively involved in conducting research and developing policy in this contested area. The issues are analyzed from legal, economic and political perspectives, with particular attention paid to their intergovernmental and international aspects. Follow the link to find out how to order this important work.
The Institute is pleased to release The Democratic Dilemma: Reforming Canada's Senate . Contributors examine all angles of the debate on Senate reform. They address the constitutionality of the proposals and bring to light features of the bills that have not yet been analyzed, assessing their significance for the conduct of a reformed chamber. They consider whether the objectives of the reformers are likely to be met by these proposals or whether the result will have unintended consequences. They demonstrate how complicated Senate reform is, full of unexpected twists and turns, and show that successful reform requires a deep understanding of the country’s parliamentary system and culture and a delicate approach to institutional change. More information can be found by simply following the link.
The Role of the Policy Advisor: An Insider's Look , is now available. In this compilation, prominent academics explore the role of policy advisors in the policy-making process. Specifically, they draw on their experiences as policy advisors to consider various issues ranging from factors that influence the effectiveness of experts in the policy-making process, to the accountability of expert advisors when making recommendations to policy makers. Follow the link to find out more about this Institute publication.
To access more Institute publications -- whether recent, featured, or in our archives -- use the navigational links on the left.
Important Information
Please visit our 'Links' page for access to important documents, E-Journals and other useful websites on federalism.
Drawing on many of its most well known titles and series, and an eclectic and renowned group of scholars, writers, and editors, the IIGR's Book Shop is offering a wealth of important publications at reasonable or reduced prices. Follow the link to view our catalogue and start shopping.
All IIGR publications from 1976 to 2002 have been made publically available in PDF. The collection can be found by selecting 'Archive' on the left under the 'Publications' menu.
If you would like to receive notices about upcoming conferences, new publications, and other interesting things taking place at the IIGR, please feel free to join our mailing list.
