The Rowell–Sirois Commission officially known as the Royal Commission on Dominion–Provincial Relations was a Canadian
Royal Commission looking into the Canadian economy and federal–provincial relations. It was called in 1937 and reported in 1940.
The Commission was chaired first by
Newton Rowell
Newton Wesley Rowell, (November 1, 1867 – November 22, 1941) was a Canadian lawyer, politician and judge, as well as a lay leader in the Methodist Church. Rowell led the Ontario Liberal Party from 1911 to 1917 and put forward a platform ...
and then by
Joseph Sirois
Joseph Sirois (2 October 1881 – 17 January 1941), baptised Louis-Philippe-Marie-Joseph Sirois, was a Canadian notary and professor. He was the second chairman of the eponymous Rowell–Sirois Commission
The Rowell–Sirois Commission officially ...
.
James McGregor Stewart
James McGregor Stewart, (June 30, 1889 – February 11, 1955) was a corporate lawyer in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Using crutches as a result of polio at age two, Stewart served as head of a Halifax law firm that became the largest law firm in ...
acted as chief counsel. It was called as a result of the
Great Depression. The attempts to manage the Depression by the government illustrated grave flaws with the
Canadian constitution
The Constitution of Canada (french: Constitution du Canada) is the supreme law in Canada. It outlines Canada's system of government and the civil and human rights of those who are citizens of Canada and non-citizens in Canada. Its contents a ...
. While the federal government had most of the revenue gathering powers, the provinces had unexpectedly greater expenditure responsibilities. The founders had given the provinces responsibility for
health care
Health care or healthcare is the improvement of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delivered by health ...
,
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. ...
, and