As Sir John A. Macdonald intended, the federal government must be recognized as the nation’s voice.

Power: It means the capacity to encourage and inspire, and it matters. When handled in a positive way, power is the key to the state’s ability to strengthen the nation and improve lives. But state power, John Boyko argues forcefully, works best when concentrated on a federal level, as Sir John A. Macdonald and the other founders intended.

Provincial governments are essential, tending to local matters and sometimes acting as incubators for ideas that grew to become national programs. But in fighting for scraps of power, premiers have often distracted from and occasionally hindered national progress. It is the federal government, as Boyko explains, that has been the primary force in nation-building and emergency response, and is the only entity with the authority to speak for all Canadians. The national parliament, Sir John’s echo, must be recognized as Canada’s only voice.