Federalism
Federalism is a defining feature politics and governance, in Canada and around the world. This multi-part series explores the various facets of federalism, from its constitutional foundations to how its interpreted in various countries to its evolving role in reconciliation with Indigenous people in Canada.
An Introduction to Canadian Federalism
July 9, 2025
Federalism, or multi-order governance, is a defining feature of Canadian politics and government. It means that powers and authorities are divided between the federal government and its provincial and territorial counterparts. Though municipal governments are part of the mix too, they are not constitutional entities in and of themselves. They are sometimes referred to as “creatures of the provinces” because it is provincial legislation that determines what municipalities can and cannot do. Territorial governments are creatures of the federal government in a similar way. Indigenous governments have historically been excluded from intergovernmental decision-making tables in Canada. Part of the work of reconciliation is determining how to address this issue.
Federalism: Between Unity and Autonomy
By Karl Salgo
August 6, 2025
Federalism is a defining feature of Canadian politics and government, but it is not unique to Canada. Many countries around the world are governed by systems that share responsibilities among different levels of government, so called federalism. What are the defining characteristics of federalism? This article explores some of those common features.
On Federalism: How do Australia, Canada, the UK and the US stack up?
By Karl Salgo
August 6, 2025
Australia, Canada the United Kingdom, and the United States all have links to the Westminster system. The United Kingdom, traditionally a unitary state, is the original Westminster parliamentary democracy, and directly established both the Canadian and Australian federal systems in its own image through legislation that united several of its colonies into a single national entity under the British Crown. By contrast, the United States, though also a union of former British colonies, was born in direct rebellion against British rule, adopting a separation of powers system that in important ways was differently conceived than British parliamentarian government.
Federalism and The Reconciliation Agenda
September 10, 2025
When Canadian federalism was built, it was based on the division of powers between the federal government and the provinces; however, it left Indigenous nations outside the constitutional bargain. For too long, “consultation” and “engagement” have been the language used to describe the relationship, words that suggest listening, but not sharing authority and decision-making. At the same time, what has been evident since 1867 is that Canadian federalism is a living system rather than a fixed design. This mutability has been achieved through evolving interpretation of Sections 91 and 92 of the Constitution Act (formerly the British North America Act), financial pragmatism, national standard-setting, and changing values and visions of nationhood.
September 10, 2025
The models of co-management in Nunavut, Northwest Territories (NWT), and Yukon reflect their distinctive Indigenous populations and demographics, their histories, and their cultures. The three models show how co-management has evolved from an essentially advisory function based on a model of institutionalized local consultation in Yukon, to a more mixed mosaic of different regional institutions in NWT, and finally to a legally-enforceable regulatory function in Nunavut. In this article, we take a look at how co-management models across the three territories are similar and how they differ.