I'm from Bouctouche, Me by Donald J. Savoie

Author:Donald J. Savoie [Savoie, Donald J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MQUP
Published: 2009-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

PROBLEMS IN FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL COLLABORATION

I read as much as I could on federalism generally and everything that I could lay my hands on about Canadian federalism. The broad outline of my thesis was starting to take shape. I had a number of discussions with both Nevil Johnson and Geoffrey Marshall, and I became increasingly convinced that I was on to something. I saw a hook for my thesis, one that was somewhat original. The federalism literature, in my view, did not pay sufficient attention to the role played by public servants in shaping federal-provincial policies and programs. Modern government was making it more difficult for citizens to determine who was doing what and which politicians were responsible for what policies and programs. To make my case, I would look at the work of my former department, DREE.

The new Canadian federalism was effective in sidestepping our rigid constitution (amending our constitution, as we now know all too well, was not an easy task) and in developing federal-provincial programs. I argued that it came at a cost. Politicians were losing some of their policy-making capacity, voters could no longer tell which level of government was responsible for what, bureaucrats were asked to extend their reach beyond the traditional model, and the federal government was not getting the kind of visibility that its spending warranted.

This was a new perspective, and both my Oxford tutors saw merit in it. Like other authors, I found it exhilarating to write something original and something that resonated with the likes of Nevil Johnson and Geoffrey Marshall. From that moment, the question was no longer how I could be motivated but how I could ensure balance in my life, between my writing and everything else. (This has been a struggle over the years, and I fear that my writing has won far too often.) At some point in my second year at Oxford, I knew that I would be able to get it done. The only question was how long it would take. I gave myself a three-year deadline. I met the objective.

I was able to take some time off, and Linda and I went to Paris one weekend, Rome another, and Brussels yet another. We also decided to visit the Soviet Union, curious to see what life was like under a communist regime. We spent four days in Moscow, three in Leningrad. We enjoyed the visit immensely, though the hotel and food services in the old Soviet Union were memorable mostly for being terrible. One day, I placed a wake-up call with our hotel in Moscow. The call arrived an hour earlier than requested, and the voice at the other end of the line said, “Stand up, please.”

We visited as many museums and art galleries as we could squeeze in. I saw the famous painting in the Museum of the Revolution that features Lenin, Stalin, and other revolutionary leaders. Historians tell us that Leon Trotsky once also figured prominently in the painting but that Stalin had him painted over after Trotsky fell out of favour.

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