The Rise and Fall of the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs: Exploring the Nature of Federal-Urban Engagement in Canada

Abstract

From 1971 to 1979, the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs operated in Canada. The government, who largely ignored the concerns of municipalities until 1971, felt compelled to create the ministry and this study examines the causes that led to this dramatic reversal of policy and the factors that led to its demise. Utilizing a policy networks and communities framework, this study identifies five governmental and non-governmental actors who contributed to the rise and fall of the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs. Through episodic content analysis of newspaper coverage of Canadian urban issues and government publications, the story of the creation and dissolution of the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs will be studied. It is concluded that the Ministry of State for Urban Affairs ultimately crossed into provincial jurisdiction, causing the provinces to object to its existence.