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Advantages Of Canadian Federalism

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Canadian Federalism emerged in 1867 and brought together disparate colonies under one centralized government. Initially, the colonies were opposed to the thought of federalism, as many believed they would lose their independence by giving up certain powers to a national government. The central government would control defense, foreign affairs, money, postage, and taxation; Furthermore, numerous colonists preferred dealing with London, as opposed to Canada East or Canada West. The colonies additionally did not feel a great attachment to the people of other colonies. French Canadians felt no desire to become a minority in a larger English-speaking majority country. Similarly, the maritime provinces had closer economic links to Britain and the Eastern United States than to the Canadas. The push towards federalism though took root after the threat of annexation by the United States, and the idea of Manifest Destiny; which led to the system of government that Canada utilizes today. Although, advocates of federalism argue that it promotes unity, and financial benefit, opponents believe the time-consuming process and special favoritism to Central Canada is a drawback to Federalism. Canada is the second largest land mass of any country and is composed of 10 provinces, and three territories; However, Quebec and Ontario make up the majority of the seats in the house of commons. Political parties must gain the support of either Quebec or Ontario if they want to win a federal

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