Working Paper on Patent Law Revision and Proposed Patent Law

Abstract

proceeds to apply to certain areas of urban concern. The overall aims of the recommendations are to give back to local governments control over their own resources, and to give to local government a political adversary system through which residents may more closely control decisions that affect them. The emphasis on the non-redistributive function of local governments is an important recognition ofjurisdictional limits. However, this also leaves to the provincial and federal levels of government the responsibility to redress the problems caused by an inequitable municipal tax system. Although redistribution is not a local function, it is a local concern related to the well-being of the citizens, and so the consequences of municipal actions must be considered by the municipal authorities. As it stands, the envisaged system tends to rely too optimistically on the premise that the federal and provincial governments will efficiently carry out the redistributive function and will establish goals that do not interfere with the internal workings of the city. It is very much trusting, in its proposal of a laissez-faire attitude for municipal governments, that the market and pricing mechanisms work efficiently; and is also reliant on a world of non-conflicting policy objectives. Many of the recommendations made in the document are interdependent, and thus, for the realization of many of the points brought out near complete implementation would be required to achieve most of the goals. For example, direct costing would be of little use if the citizens could exercise no choice in the decisions made. The recommendations concerning the property tax do stand on their own and could be considered independent of the rest. The implementation of most of the suggestions depends greatly on the cooperation of a number of government bodies at different government levels (as the report itself realizes). Castonguay's task force serves to focus attention on existing urban problems, to suggest lines of solution, and to translate changes in societal values into appropriate changes in the structure and function of urban systems.