Rowell–Sirois Commission
 The members of the Rowell–Sirois Commission in 1938, after Newton Rowell resigned as co-chair because he had suffered a stroke. Seated, from left to right: Prof. H. F. Angus, Mr. J. W. Dafoe, Prof. Joseph Sirois (chairman) and Prof. R. A. MacKay. Standing behind them are commission staff members. | |
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| Inquiry period | August 14, 1937 – May 3, 1940 |
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| Volume I Volume II Volume III | |
The Rowell–Sirois Commission officially known as the Royal Commission on Dominion–Provincial Relations was a Canadian Royal Commission looking into the Canadian economy and federal–provincial relations. It was called in 1937 and reported in 1940.
The Commission was chaired first by Newton Rowell and then by Joseph Sirois. James McGregor Stewart acted as chief counsel. It was called as a result of the Great Depression. The attempts to manage the Depression by the government illustrated grave flaws with the Canadian constitution. While the federal government had most of the revenue gathering powers, the provinces had unexpectedly greater expenditure responsibilities. The founders had given the provinces responsibility for health care, education, and welfare when these were only minor concerns; by 1937, however, these had all become massive expenditure areas.
The Commission recommended that the federal government take over control of unemployment insurance and pensions. It also recommended the creation of equalization payments and large transfers of money from the federal government to the province each year. Other recommendations were not adopted due to resistance from the provinces or the federal government.
Further reading[]
- Bélanger, Claude (26 February 2001). "The Rowell-Sirois Report and Canadian Federalism during the Great Depression (1929-1939)". Studies on the Canadian Constitution and Canadian Federalism. Marianopolis College. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
- Burns, Ronald M. (1961). "The Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations: The Report in Retrospect". Canadian Issues: 143–157. doi:10.3138/9781442652828-012.
- Wardhaugh, Robert Alexander (2021). The Rowell-Sirois Commission and the remaking of Canadian federalism. Vancouver, BC: UBC Press. ISBN 978-0-7748-6501-2.
External links[]
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- Royal commissions in Canada
- Canada in the World Wars and Interwar Years
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- Constitutional commissions
- Great Depression in Canada
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