Rebalanced & Revitalized

In this third volume of Canada Strong and Free, Mike Harris and Preston Manning propose to revitalize and rebalance Confederation to make Canada the best governed democratic federation federation in the world. Specifically they propose to:

Revitalize government through increased transparency and accountability

• A Canadian Sarbanes-Oxley act for government: Company officials who break the trust of shareholders can suffer strong legal penalties; government officials who break the public trust should now know the law of the land applies to them as well.
• Develop and publish an annual Report Card on government to grade government performance by measurable standards.

Revitalize our democracy with increased participation and freer votes

• Create citizens assemblies and referendums to give the public direct involvement in democratic reform.
• Revitalize our democracy with freer votes in Parliament and legislatures so the people's representatives can better represent the people who elect them.

Rebalance Confederation to allow for greater flexibility and efficiency

• Full withdrawal of the federal government from provincial areas of responsibility, particularly education, health care, welfare, and child care, vacating equivalent tax room to the provinces.
• Invigoration of the Council of the Federation as a meeting place to develop strong inter-provincial cooperation and agreements.

Rebalance federal government checks and balances

• Utilize a democratically elected Senate and a reformed committee structure in Parliament to monitor and check the power of the Cabinet
• Rehabilitate our Constitution's Notwithstanding Clause so the people and their representatives can block overreaching by courts.