The Resource Amendment (Section 92A) and the Political Economy of Canadian Federalism

Authors

Robert D. Cairns
Marsha A. Chandler
William D. Moull

Document Type

Article

Abstract

The 1982 resource amendment to the Constitution, section 92A, purports to alter the balance of federal-provincial legislative powers in relation to natural resources. Section 92A was enacted into the Constitution largely as a result of the federal-provincial resource conflicts of the 1970's and early 1980's; conflicts in which the chief antagonists were the federal government and the governments of the Western provinces. In this article, the authors discuss the development of section 92A from its roots in the conflicts of the 1970's, and explore section 92A's possible legal, political and economic effects on the inter-governmental framework for managing Canadian resources and on the resolution of any future federal-provincial conflicts over resources.

Citation Information

Cairns, Robert D.; Chandler, Marsha A.; and Moull, William D.. "The Resource Amendment (Section 92A) and the Political Economy of Canadian Federalism." Osgoode Hall Law Journal 23.2 (1985) : 253-274.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.60082/2817-5069.1901
https://digitalcommons.osgoode.yorku.ca/ohlj/vol23/iss2/2