Writing Public Philosophy: Canada’s Royal Commissions on Everything

Abstract

This article explores the contributions to Canadian policy development and policy thought of three royal commissions of political-economic inquiry: the 1940 Royal Commission on Dominion-Provincial Relations; the 1958 Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects; and the 1985 Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada. Each commission is examined through three areas of concern: the context for its appointment, the content of its report and the nature of its subsequent influence. Revealing similarities and differences across the three inquiries, the article highlights the importance of the commission process in renewing Canada's National Policy tradition in periods of great economic stress and policy uncertainty. The significance of Canada's “commissions on everything” is related to the deficiencies in innovation of other representational institutions and policy development channels in the Canadian political system.