How Ottawa Spends, 1995-96: Mid-Life Crises

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

The 16th edition of this annual review and assessment of
federal-government initiatives contains interesting articles on
debt-reduction efforts, agricultural-trade-policy negotiations,
subsidies to fisheries, job-creation programs (including the
infrastructure-development program), social assistance, funding for
postsecondary education, young-offender laws, government advertising,
and integrity in government.

Although written by academic experts, the articles are generally free
of theoretical abstraction and discipline-based jargon. Like its
predecessors, this is an invaluable reference guide for those interested
in Canadian governance at the national level. Some readers will find the
appendix on fiscal facts and trends particularly useful for reference
purposes; the chapter abstracts in English and French also facilitate
the use of the book as a reference source, particularly in bilingual
institutional settings.