Public Money in the Private Sector: Industrial Assistance Policy and Canadian Federalism

Kenneth M. Glazier was Chief Librarian Emeritus at the University of Calgary, Alberta.

This monograph is one in a series of studies published by Queen’s University on current problems and possibilities for change within the Canadian federal system. Allan Tupper is associate professor of political science at the University of Alberta and a specialist in Canadian politics and economic policy. This is surely a pertinent subject of discussion in all parts of the country, as the words “free enterprise” and “state socialism” are bandied about and hurled at leaders in the political and business life of the nation. There are two principal problems — first, the struggle to maintain some kind of understanding of the respective powers and responsibilities of the provincial governments in a country which is a federal system with a strong federal power; and next, how to maintain the right of the state to intervene and at the same time respect the market forces of business. As the book points out, there is often a contradictory attitude: individuals and groups who advocate that the government should stay out of individual and corporate lives at the same time call for more government funds, whether for medicare or for building a centre for the performing arts. The treatise is replete with examples, from business and from all levels of government, of how these issues relate to our daily lives and also to the destiny of this nation. The book brings learning and light to the crucial issues for every citizen of Canada.