Devolution is the process by which the federal government delegates or downloads decision-making powers to other governments. Through devolution, territories receive the authority to create laws within their borders. This makes them more accountable to their citizens and to local interests. See also Local Government. Since the mids, the federal government has devolved responsibilities to the governments of the Northwest Territories and Yukon.
In both territories, legislative responsibilities are now roughly the same as in the provinces, as outlined in the Constitution Act, This was a vast region covering present-day Alberta , Saskatchewan and Manitoba , northern Quebec and Ontario and the territories.
It was known as the North-West Territories from to It was the first Canadian territory. It was governed by Ottawa through an appointed lieutenant-governor and an unelected council. The North-West Territories Act allowed the territory to pass ordinances relating to roads ; real estate ; inheritance ; the rights of married women; the administration of justice; and the prohibition of alcohol.
However, the federal government could change or void any ordinance. The Act also outlined the creation of an elected legislative assembly and cabinet.
These were introduced by The government was given responsibilities similar to those of provincial governments. However, it was not given control over its lands and resources.
Given its diminished size and population, responsible government was abolished in An appointed government was restored. This lasted until , when citizens were again able to elect members to council. Council became a fully elected body in See also Northwest Territories and Confederation. On 1 April , the Northwest Territories Devolution Act granted the Northwest Territories responsibilities similar to those held by provincial governments. This included control of Crown lands and resources.
The system of government in the Northwest Territories is called consensus government. It does not follow party politics. There are 19 constituencies. Following an election, MLAs choose one member to serve as premier ; another as speaker ; and six more to serve on the Executive Council or cabinet. The premier is responsible for assigning ministerial portfolios and leading cabinet. MLAs who are not in cabinet become the unofficial opposition. They are regular MLAs who question government. They keep it accountable to the people.
A majority of MLAs must agree to a decision, motion or legislation for it to be passed into law. Because the unofficial opposition includes 11 members, it holds the balance of power in government. The position is increasingly ceremonial. The Act established a territorial government. It consisted of a federally appointed commissioner and council. An elected member council was established in However, the gold rush had faded by that point.
The population of Yukon dwindled. As a result, the council and office of the commissioner were abolished in A three-member elected council with reduced authority was established in This remained unchanged until after the Second World War. In , the role of a federally appointed commissioner was reinstated.
The commissioner led an executive committee cabinet. It included both appointed and elected members of the legislative assembly. In , Yukon achieved responsible government when the role of commissioner was redefined. At that point, commissioners came to resemble provincial lieutenant-governors. Also in , the head of government — the premier — was first elected.
See also Yukon and Confederation. The process of devolution in Yukon started in , when the Yukon Devolution Protocol Accord was signed. Since then, resource management — including forestry and mining — has been devolved to the territorial government. In October , the Devolution Transfer Agreement transferred responsibility over land and resources to the territory. On 1 April , Yukon became the first territory to officially take control of its land and resources.
This was achieved by an amendment to the Yukon Act. Candidates for seats in the Yukon Legislative Assembly have run under a party banner since See Canadian Party System. The leader of the party that wins the most seats in an election becomes premier. The premier then forms cabinet. The ruling party must hold the confidence of the member Legislative Assembly to continue to govern. This is especially relevant in minority government situations.
Since the mids, Inuit have pursued a two-track strategy of settling their outstanding Indigenous land claims and achieving self-government. Why not just all be provinces? Within just hours of the question being posted, more than one hundred people had replied to the post, many confirming that they too were unsure about the whole thing. Provinces are cold. In a more serious attempt to answer the question, a number of users did their best to break down the most basic differences between a Canadian province and a Canadian territory.
While several Reddit users did their best to make the situation clearer, some of the information provided was conflicting, making some aspects of their information even more confusing! In response to the answers given, several Reddit users explained that they had never been taught this information in school, noting that it would have been useful to learn properly during high-school.
For those still unsure about the main difference between the two, it is mainly related to their governance. Basically, the territories have their own delegated powers under the authority of the Parliament of Canada.
They are grouped together and ruled by the federal government. However, the provinces have the ability to exercise constitutional powers on their own. So, now you know! This means that the Territorial Governments are not protected by the constitution. The Constitution Act of granted each province the power to amend its own constitution.
The constitution of the Northwest Territories is the Northwest Territories Act, which is a federal statute. Therefore, only the Parliament of Canada has the right to amend the provisions of the Act, and amend the constitution of the Northwest Territories. It used to be that the responsibilities for resource management and other economic and social contributors in the Northwest Territories fell under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government.
This gave the NWT the ability to conduct its own affairs, much like the ability of a province.
0コメント