In 1957 after a century of scathing debates and threats of provincial separation Ottawa finally tackled the dangerous fiscal inequalities among its richer and poorer provinces. Equalization grants allowed the poorer provinces to provide relatively equal services for relatively equal levels of taxation. The Art of Sharing tells the dramatic history of Canada's efforts to save itself. The introduction of federal equalization grants was controversial and wealthier provinces such as Alberta – wanting to keep more of their taxpayers' money for their own governments – continue to attack them today. Mary Janigan argues that the elusive ideal of fiscal equity in spite of dissent from richer provinces has helped preserve Canada as a united nation. Janigan goes back to Confederation to trace the escalating tensions among the provinces across decades as voters demanded more services to survive in a changing world. She also uncovers the continuing contacts between Canada and Australia as both dominions struggled to placate disgruntled member states and provinces that blamed the very act of federation for their woes. By the mid-twentieth century trapped between the demands of social activists and Quebec's insistence on its right to run its own social programs Ottawa adopted non-conditional grants in compromise. The history of equalization in Canada has never been fully explored. Introducing the idealistic Canadians who fought for equity along with their radically different proposals to achieve it The Art of Sharing makes the case that a willingness to share financial resources is the real tie that has bound the federation together into the twenty-first century.

Mary Janigan is a Toronto-based journalist and historian.

Mary Janigan's profile page

"The Art of Sharing is a book we didn't know we needed. Janigan uses deep scholarly research to illuminate in a readable way the decades- long grudge match between the richer and poorer provinces, with a series of federal governments acting as hesitant referees." Literary Review of Canada

"The Art of Sharing is the first and only work of its kind. Janigan does a fantastic job documenting the path towards equalization, a fundamental program for the Canadian political community." André Lecours, University of Ottawa and co-author of Fiscal Federalism and Equalization Policy in Canada: Political and Economic Dimensions

"Financial equalization is Canada's main solution to spreading wealth between have and have-not provinces. It is also the topic of Mary Janigan's superb new book. Her crystal-clear account prepares us for possible turbulence ahead. As regional wealth and provincial revenues shift again, Canada's equalization system will be an essential tool for divvying up the pie and for evening out winners and losers." Canada's History