Canada is a nation divided into separate entities around issues of regionalism and provincialism. Canadians in general do not trust their federal government and place more faith in the governments of the different provinces. Regionalism developed early in Canadian history and has become entrenched with the creation of the Confederation. Canada evolved over time as an independent nation while being part of the British Commonwealth. The provinces were unified into the Dominion of canada in 1867. The Canadian Confederation was an attempt to create a strong central government, seen by some as necessary to help the country develop economically.
The government of Canada contributes to the continuation of regionalism. This government is a parliamentary system with an executive cabinet that can control the House of Commons. The country has a presidential, divided-powers system in which the executive does not control and must negotiate with both houses of Congress. Demographics based in part on geographical differences and climatic differences also contribute to regionalism, for each area in the country has its own identity, its own needs, and its own values to a great degree.
In some degree, the battle over Confederation and specifically over the desire on the part of the Québecois to separate from the Confederation shows how Confederation is a conservative movement. This is so not merely because maintaining the Confederation is conserving the status quo but also because of what is most important to Canadians as an underlying value in their political and social life. Pierre Berton tells a story about the clash of values between an American gunfighter and the Canada of the era and shows how the maintenance of order is given top priority in the Canadian context. Berton sees the role of the Mounted Police in this light. He states that liberty was secondary to order, and he says that the pursuit of happiness was not as vital...