Building and maintaining infrastructure requires lots of funds, and often, it’s not clear who will be responsible. It’s a classic problem in federalism: who will fund what?   

This episode of the podcast explores how the structural characteristics of federalism impact Canada’s economic development and infrastructure. We’ll look at topics like the funding of infrastructure, how to manage regional competitiveness, and the legal and social frameworks that facilitate coordination between the federal and provincial governments.  

Moderated by Hugo Cyr, Director General at Ecole Nationale D’administration Publique (ENAP), the conversation features Herb Emery, Vaughan Chair of Regional Economics at the University of New Brunswick, and Alison O’Leary, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Communities and Infrastructure. 

This episode was recorded during an online event held by the Canada School of Public Service and is the third installment of a partnership between the school and the IRPP’s Centre for Excellence. 

This episode of the podcast is bilingual, with speakers shifting between English and French. 

Download for free. Tweet your questions and comments to @IRPP.

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Ji Yoon Han
Ji Yoon Han is a research associate with the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Previously, she held research positions at the C.D. Howe Institute, the Samuel Centre for Social Connectedness, and the G20 Research Group. She holds a master of public policy degree from the Hertie School in Berlin.
Hugo Cyr
Hugo Cyr, professeur de droit public et de théorie du droit, est doyen de la Faculté de science politique et de droit de l'Université du Québec à Montréal. Il est membre du Barreau du Québec.
Alison O’Leary
Alison O’Leary is Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Communities and Infrastructure. 
Herb Emery
Herb Emery is aughan Chair of Regional Economics at the University of New Brunswick and was a professor of economics at the University of Calgary.