British Columbia's relations with the United States

Abstract

Abstract. The objective of this study was to develop a profile of the international behaviour of Canadian provincial governments. This was done by studying British Columbia's relations with the United States. The provincial government was divided into three levels of authority (bureaucratic, ministerial and premier), data were gathered in interviews with all departments in the government, and supplemented by five historical case‐studies of intensive relations between b.c. and u.s. governments.Numerical data which were assembled were used to prepare a conceptual framework of provincial international behaviour. This framework revealed that: the Bureaucratic actor is the most actively involved with U.S. governments, a variety of mechanisms are used to conduct relations, the majority of subjects are within provincial jurisdiction, and the principle motivating factor was the perceived interests of the provincial government in a particular situation. A significant finding was that b.c. had deh'berately involved the international sector as a source of leverage over the federal government, although it was noted that the u.s. undoubtedly is a special case for provincial activities.The study concluded that there are extensive international activities by the provinces, and that by their nature, they are likely to expand in the future. This would seem to require improved means of accommodating provincial government interests in the formulation of foreign policies by the federal government.