The Politics of Resentment: British Columbia Regionalism and Canadian Unity

Agar Adamson is the author of Letters of Agar Adamson, 1914–19 and former chair of the Department of Political Science at Acadia University in Nova Scotia.

The results of the November 27, 2000, Canadian election gave new life to
the voices of British Columbia “separatism.” These voices are
perhaps most appropriately recognized as “regionalism,” an old
Canadian ailment.

Resnick, a UBC political scientist, has gone to great lengths to
illustrate the frustrations of British Columbia’s government and
citizens with the Canada “on the other side of the mountains.” He
provides ample evidence of how British Columbia has been ignored by the
rest of Canada, and argues convincingly that the province deserves
greater representation in federal organizations, including the Senate.
His extensively documented book serves as a wake-up call for those in
Ottawa who are responsible for intergovernmental relations. The book,
which demonstrates how and why British Columbia will play a major role
in the future of Canadian federalism, should be read by scholars and
citizens alike.