Canada and American Federal Systems

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a Queen and a prime minister while America is a solely federal system headed by a president. These countries have a federal government overseeing national concerns while the provincial or state authorities handle local ones. Differences with the system occur in matters of power. For example, senators are voted in by the people in America while in Canada, the prime ministers appoint them. Additionally, the size of the government in America is big when compared to that of Canada. Canada happens to be more decentralized of the two and as such, individual provinces such as Ontario and Alberta have progressed economically over the yearsCITATION Bou16 p 67 l 1033 (Bourinot 67). The government of America should focus more on the reduction of expenditure with the hope of improving the lives of Americans. The strategy reduces the rate of unemployment because the private sector would produce more employment opportunities. Conclusively, Americans favor the rights of individuals than the Canadians when it comes to the appointment of government officials. However, the less centralized system of Canada encourages overall national growth.
Similarities
Canada and America have a federal system of government which shares certain features even though there are some differences. First of all, both countries have a written constitution which stipulates the rights and duties of each element in government and for their citizens. Secondly, Canada and America operate on the principle of common law where the guidelines developed apply to all residents within the countryCITATION Buc15 p 71 l 1033 (Buckley 71).

As such, there is no individual greater than the rest and equality are highly emphasized throughout government procedures. The structure of the federal systems is also similar when it comes to the legislative representations. The American House of Representatives and the House of Commons from Canada function as systems for all the different states. On the other hand, the senate bodies from these countries represent the regions as observed by the federal government.
Differences
The federal system follows a different protocol with respect to seniority. In America, the head of state is always the president while the Queen of England is the head of state in Canada. Buckley affirms that the head of government in America is the president while the prime minister occupies that title in Canada (72). The government of America is completely free from the influence of any international body and as such, makes decisions based on their preferences, Canada, on the other hand, is susceptible to decisions made by Commonwealth due to their membership status. Even though, they are both federalist systems, Canada is a parliamentary democracy while the other country uses the representative republic system. Moreover, the Canadian federal government has more power on its people as compared with that of the American system when viewed in the constitution. In practice, though, all federal government possesses a higher power than those of provincial or state bodies.
Possible Reforms for the American System
The Canadian federalism developed in respond to the need of a centralized system of governance free from civil wars common in America at that particular time. They sort to strengthen the federal government with the hope that the individual provinces would remain as peaceful as possible. A good example has to why the Canadian system placed more emphasis on centralized government dealt with civil unrest. The fact that the individual states at the time of formation in America had their own defensive system promoted the famous civil war in America. Thus, the Canadian government eliminated that possibility through organized defense common to all provinces. Equal distribution of power increases resource management where all states in America have access to economic and social sources of power. The Canadian government cut down government spending from 53% to 39% between the years 1992 to 2007CITATION Bou16 p 45 l 1033 (Bourinot 45). The change saw the economic improve the benefits of the people. Alternatively, the American could do the same as a way of improving the economy in sectors such as Health and Education. More so, reducing the size of the government would save money, and the job market would increase due to economic growth. The trend reduces the rate of unemployment in the country.
Possible Reforms for the Canadian System
The American system applies a more liberal system of appointing senators from their respective regions. According to Bourinot, Canada has a prime minister in-charge of appointing officers to the body (46). The amount of power placed under the control of one person increases issues of transparency in the government. It would suggest that these senators possess minimal political freedom as representatives of their regions because the Prime Minister has the final word. Therefore, the Canadian government should consider increasing the power of the senators with an aim to increase democracy. The party system in Canada is another worrisome trend in the federal system. Elected members are forced to side with the decisions of their parties. The American system allows senators to make decisions based on their conscience in the last two decades. As such, they consider the views of citizens and the parties before any important change. Canadian senators normally follow what their party wants. Therefore, the sovereignty of these officials is questionable, and more so, it means that they are susceptible to supporting their party than what the ordinary man in the street wants.
State-federal Relationships and Conclusion
The system in Canada functioned well to distribute power to individual provinces. The results reveal that each province contributes the general welfare of the country. More so, Ontario became the most industrialized province in the region while Quebec is known for its contribution to safe hydroelectric energy. Other provinces such as Alberta and Newfoundland have become sources of natural resourcesCITATION Buc15 p 78 l 1033 (Buckley 78). Examples of resources would be oil and gas. The progress made by the individual provinces shows that the government promotes individualized growth as a strategy for economic success. In so doing, the federal system in Canada is one of the most decentralized systems in the continent. America favors the idea of sovereignty for their states, and so, the state-federal relationship attempts to maintain a balance. In fact, the federal action takes precedent only when issues of national security arise. Unfortunately, these sentiments are highly theoretical because the federal government always has more power than the state authorities in most matters. The fact that the government controls the critical aspects of the country such as healthcare budget, education reforms, and national security places individual states at their mercy. Some states in America have better resources than others despite state intervention. The American federal system is more centralized than the Canadian system. More so, the Canadian system encourages provincial growth centered on individual resources as observed from Ontario and Quebec. American states rely on federal funding for growth which is the opposite of what happens in Canada.

Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Bourinot, John George. Federal Government in Canada. Charleston: BiblioBazaar, 2016.
Buckley, F H. The Once and Future King: The Rise of Crown Government in America. New York: Encounter Books, 2015.