Federalism

Federalism is a political concept describing the practice whereby a group of members are bound together by agreement or covenant (Latin: foedus, covenant) with a governing representative head. It refers to a system of government in which sovereignty is constitutionally shared between a central governing authority and constituent political units (such as states or provinces). Leading examples of such a political system, or federation, include Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Canada, Australia and India. Federalism is a system based upon democratic rules and institutions in which the power to govern is shared between national and provincial/state governments. The term federalist describes several political beliefs around the world depending on context.

European vs. American Federalism

In Europe, "Federalist" is sometimes used to describe those who favor a common federal government, with distributed power at regional, national and supranational levels. Most European federalists want this development to continue within the European Union. European federalism originated in post-war Europe; one of the more important initiatives was Winston Churchill's speech in Zurich in 1946.

Federalism (disambiguation)

Federalism may refer to:

Politics

Other

See also

Canadian federalism

Canadian federalism involves the current nature and historical development of federal systems in Canada. Canada is a federation with 11 jurisdictions of governmental authority: the country-wide federal Crown and 10 provincial Crowns. (Three territorial governments in the far north exercise powers delegated by the federal parliament.) Each, generally independent from the others in its realm of legislative authority, derives its authority from the Canadian Crown and includes the Queen-in-Parliament, the Queen-in-Council, and the Queen's Bench. Most sectors are under federal jurisdiction (such as foreign affairs and telecommunications) or that of the provinces, such as education and healthcare. The division of powers is outlined in the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerly the British North America Act 1867), a key document in the Constitution of Canada.

The federal nature of the Canadian constitution was a response to the colonial-era diversity of the Maritimes and the Province of Canada, particularly the sharp distinction between the French-speaking inhabitants of Lower Canada and the English-speaking inhabitants of Upper Canada and the Maritimes. John A. Macdonald, Canada's first prime minister, originally favoured a unitary system; later, after witnessing the carnage of the American Civil War, he supported a federal system to avoid similar violent conflicts.