When it comes to how Canadians feel about federalism, it turns out there aren’t easy answers. Some provinces and territories are feeling shortchanged while their neighbours are satisfied; our identities are growing even more layered; and our preferred federal-provincial balance of powers is different for every issue and every place.

So says the Confederation of Tomorrow, a landmark survey of public opinion on the federation. It’s a joint effort by the Environics Institute, the former Mowat Centre, the Canada West Foundation, the Centre D’Analyse Politique sur la Constitution et le Fédéralisme at UQAM, the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government at St. FX University, and the IRPP, with the first two of three reports released earlier this year.

Today on the podcast, we’re joined by Andrew Parkin, one of the masterminds behind the project. He’s the executive director of the Environics Institute and former director of the Mowat Centre, with a lengthy career researching and advising on policy before that. We discuss how policymakers can speak to the country’s complexity and tap into our willingness to work together.