Distributed Public Governance: Agencies, Authorities and Other Autonomous Bodies in Canada

Canada’s experience in creating new organisational forms for service delivery is a product of its distinct culture and its political form, federalism. In 1867, Canada adopted a federal form of government. Because the new country included diverse linguistic, cultural and regional communities, federalism was seen as a compromise between full integration of the independent colonies and the status quo.  Its champions thought that it would unite different communities under a common government for common purposes while preserving and respecting their differences and diversity through the creation of separate regional governments.