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The road to centralization and the Rowell-Sirois Report

Broadcast Date: Nov. 25, 1957

The new century brings great uncertainty. Two World Wars, the Great Depression, and an increasingly industrialized core alter the character and needs of the country. As provincial social security systems falter, the federal government attempts to secure a national standard of living. Critics argue that federal powers are unduly threatening provincial autonomy. A Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations is called in 1937. This CBC Radio clip examines the external forces that drew power to the central government.

The road to centralization and the Rowell-Sirois Report

• The Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations was called in 1937 and headed by statesman and judge N.W. Rowell and notary Joseph Sirois. They were to study the financial and economic basis of Confederation.

• The commission spent three years visiting the provinces, receiving briefs and commissioning specialized studies. It recommended that the responsibility for the unemployed be transferred to the federal government, a crucial issue as the country emerged from the economic hardships of the Great Depression. The commission also suggested the development of a National Adjustment Grant system to distribute wealth evenly between the provinces, an early form of equalization.

• In January 1941, the premiers discussed the Rowell-Sirois Report. Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta rejected the report's recommendations. Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Maritimes responded favourably to the report. Quebec's premier Adélard Godbout wavered on the proposals. The recommendations were shelved but the comprehensive report was used as a constitutional focal point over the years. In 1940, a constitutional amendment was made regarding the transfer of unemployment insurance from the provincial to the federal portfolio.

The road to centralization and the Rowell-Sirois Report

Medium: Radio

Program: CBC Radio News Special

Broadcast Date: Nov. 25, 1957

Guest(s):

Commentator: Eugene Forsey
Host: Anne Francis

Duration: 5:41

Photo: National Archives of Canada, PA-128007, Chris Lund

Last updated:
July 21, 2006

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