Volume 22 • 2021

Both the concentration of power in the executive in the Westminster system and the creation of veto points in the Presidential system are reasons why the Canadian federal government is comparatively free from restraints on the exercise of its power. [...] The Constraints of Intergovernmental Interdependence The previous section outlined how thinking of the balance of power between two levels of government as simply the requirements and resources ascribed to each level is too simplistic, as the independence of the Canadian federal government executive allows it much fuller use of its powers. [...] The Ontario legislation also reflects the duality of authority between the provincial and federal levels.1 The result is a system that neither serves the patients nor the society which entrusts the system to treat these individuals which the community perceives as dangerous. [...] The coordination of these groups is largely left at the hospital’s discretion and limited to the local area, further illustrating the problem of legal confusion that this paper's reforms attempt to address.23 The first stage of the reform would be to establish a separation of authority from the health care system for NCR funding, housing, staffing, and support. [...] The biggest opposition to this proposal would be to the possible change of perception of the NCR from patients to the prisoner.40 This problem could be addressed in the next step with the establishment of a federal mental health hospital.