Federal Structure of Canada: Decentralization and Governance Report

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Canada's federal structure, examining its unique characteristics and the division of powers between the central and provincial governments. It explores the roles of key institutions such as the House of Commons and the Lieutenant Governor, highlighting the significance of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The report also delves into the concept of decentralization within the Canadian context, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and the accommodation of diverse ethnic and linguistic groups, particularly the French-speaking population. The analysis underscores the evolution of the Canadian federal system, from a centralized model to one that promotes interdependence and collaboration between different levels of government. The study highlights how the Canadian federal system functions, and how its structure has evolved to address the unique challenges and opportunities presented by its diverse population.

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Canada’ federal structure
The federal structure of Canada owes itself to the primary aim of enveloping diversity in
the country. The federal System of Canada works a little different than what the federal
government as a political theory propose. It has been divided into two levels- the central
government and the provincial government, both works autonomously according to the
constitution where their jurisdiction and policies are clearly laid out. In its centralized form, the
system demands a highly centralized structure where the entire national policy and legalization
lies in the hand of the central government.
The federal government of Canada or the central government deals with the policies
regarding issues such as legalization of citizenship, immigration and emigration, trade policies
on the national front and most importantly the defense system of the nation. The government still
follows the partial Monarchy where the Queen is the formal head of the state and is represented
by the Governor-General who actively carries out the responsibilities of the head of the state.
The most important role is played by the House of Commons. The house is maintained by the
democratic system of governance where people elect their representatives who are known as the
Members of Parliaments (MPs). The party or the constituency having the most significant
number of MPs choose among them a leader who serves as the Prime Minister of Canada. The
Prime Minister elects the ministers who represent the different sectors and they collectively form
the cabinet.
The second level of government is the provincial government which is formed at the
provincial level, and the leader is known as the Lieutenant Governor who represents the Queen
on this level. Similar to the House of Commons, in the center, the provincial government is

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consisting of the Legislative Assembly who is responsible for making laws which are then
passed to the House for it to be given as the Bill with the discretion of the cabinet. The party who
has the lead on this level elects a premier who in turn chooses representatives to serve as the
ministers in the office.
Decentralization of Canada’s Federal System
The Canadian population is one of the diverse ethnic group and consists of a different,
multilingual group. The Canadian policy of diversity and to accommodate the people of all and
every citizen irrespective of their language and religion led to the decentralization of the system.
The decentralization of the highly centralized federal government was a step to remove the gap
in the French-speaking population dwelling in the provinces. The inclusion of Quebec as the
national language was an attempt to bridge the gap and make it a tolerance government. This
reflected the motive to spread equality in the nation for people with the different ethnic origin
and helped them in identifying them as one nation. The system later elaborated and autonomy
within the two levels helped mend the relationship as well. This has led to the formation of the
system where the levels work independently under their jurisdiction and intergovernmental deals
are more comfortable with making owing to the interdependence which has been created for the
entire government to work.