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Federalism Is Considered Centralized, Or Contrarily Decentralized Federalism?

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Federalism can be perceived as quite complicated although, when explained can be quite simple. Its basic definition is that it is the share of powers between national and subnational governments. Canadian federalism was born along with the country in 1867 and has prospered ever since. Canada as a federation has evolved tremendously since its early years where it mostly started as a centralized state. After the World Wars, Canada progressed to become the decentralized country we know today. The results of said succession make it evident that for this country to thrive, a decentralized federalism is ideal. Federalism is a concept best described when discussing whether a country’s government can be considered centralized, or contrarily, …show more content…

In a decentralized country, “each type of government is… free to delegate its powers to other bodies if it so desires” and does not focus all responsibilities upon one form of government. Nonetheless, a federation being centralized or decentralized is not black and white; “what is not centralized is decentralized” is not necessarily true in many cases. To achieve perfect decentralization, one must assure that the non-federal governments obtain enough autonomy so that, in result, neither becomes subordinate to the other. Additionally, fiscal decentralization is brought about through arriving at a certain level of economic autonomy at both levels of government . The main idea behind subsidiarity is that of the division of responsibilities in an equal manner and that the lowest, qualified levels of government are likewise given powers . Canadian federalism can be considered as quite unique in proportion to others and has vastly changed since its original form. Its evolution can be traced back to the Confederation of 1867 and centralization and decentralization have come and gone throughout Canadian history.
Federalism in Canada pre-World War One can be described as a purely centralized system. In 1867, Canada was born and along with it, a federation. The early years of the country show Canada’s first Prime Minister’s, John A. Macdonald, focus towards a Unitarian state

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