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Administrative history
Early in 1968, Prime Minster Pearson placed responsibility for the coordination of federal-provincial relations with the Cabinet Secretariat. Later the same year, Prime Minister Trudeau established the Federal-Provincial Relations Secretariat as a special office within the Privy Council Office. Prior to that time, the Department of Finance had a dominion-provincial unit responsible primarily for fiscal relations. But the Privy Council Office had no special office for dominion-provincial relations, and only one or two persons were assigned full time responsibilities for these matters. (It is important to note that up until the 1960s, the word "dominion" had been used in the sense of "federal," as in the phrase "dominion-provincial relations." Gradually, it became common to use the phrase "federal-provincial relations" instead). The Secretariat was headed by a deputy secretary of the Cabinet responsible for developing policy, maintaining liaison with departments and coordinating federal-provincial conferences and constitutional review. In January 1975, this division became the Federal-Provincial Relations Office with a secretary to the Cabinet for federal-provincial relations (23 Eliz. II, c.16, 1974-76).
The Federal-Provincial Relations Office had no Minister and reported directly to the Prime Minister. Finally, in 1984, the Federal Provincial Relations Office became fully integrated into the Privy Council Office. However, the office of Secretary for Federal-Provincial Relations was maintained.
Over the years, it has been necessary to hold federal-provincial conferences from time to time, especially on issues arising out of the distribution of powers between the federal and provincial governments involving shared or overlapping responsibilities, on financial matters and on the constitution. Neither level of government can act on its own in matters touching on the jurisdiction of the other without its cooperation and approval. Federal-provincial relations or intergovernmental financial arrangements may be achieved through bilateral agreements reached at such conferences involving the federal-government and a particular province, or the federal government and several provinces. However, larger issues such as the constitution may require a first minister's conference involving the Prime Minister and the premiers of all the provinces.
Since Confederation, a number of federal-provincial conferences, intergovernmental conferences or regional conferences have been held. For example, interprovincial conferences were held in 1887 and 1902, but most early federal-provincial conferences such as those in 1902, 1910, 1918 and 1927 related to finance.
"In 1935, transportation and unemployment were the main topics and in 1941, the Royal Commission (Rowell-Sirois) Report on Dominion-Provincial Relations... However, a conference was held in 1945 devoted to the problems of post-war reconstruction... Finance was still a major concern of conferences held in 1947, 1950, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1968, and 1969, but other topics have been the subject of conferences. Conferences on tourism were held in 1946 and 1947; the Canadian constitution 1950, 1964, 1968, 1969 and 1971; coal research in 1960; mental retardation in 1964; social security and welfare services in 1965 and 1969; tax reform and inflation in 1970; and energy in 1974. Some ten federal-provincial conferences were held between 1945 and 1959 and fifteen during the 1960s. Other types of conferences involved cabinet ministers in shared fields, such as welfare; some deal with problems of specific regions only; still others since 1959 have once more involved only the provincial governments."
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