HillNote
Some 160 years ago, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation hit upon a phrase that has come to define Parliament’s lawmaking authority in relation to the provinces. The phrase “peace, order and good government” is found in the opening to section 91 of the British North America Act (BNA Act), now the Constitution Act, 1867. This provision, referred to as the “POGG power,” allocates residuary jurisdiction for the areas of law not otherwise set out in sections 91 and 92 to the federal Parliament.