Federalism is the cornerstone of the Canadian state.
At Confederation, political leaders told their respective communities that the Canadian union would be able to reconcile diversity with unity. There are twenty three federations in the world containing approximately two billion people, or forty per cent of the world's population. Among these twenty three federations are the countries that have the longest surviving constitutions, are the most stable and secure, are the most at peace, exhibit the strongest democratic tendencies, are the wealthiest and are accounted the most advantageous places to live by all international indexes. Political history testifies to the genius of federalism as a highly adaptable and liberating form of political organization. Notwithstanding these developments, the merits of federalism are still hotly debated.