North-Western Territory
Although Canada is a federal state, a large portion of its land mass in the north is under the legislative jurisdiction of the federal government (called territories, as opposed to provinces). This has been the case since 1870. In 1870 the "Rupert’s Land and North-Western Territory Order" effected the admission of Rupert’s Land and the North-Western Territory to Canada, pursuant to section 146 of the "Constitution Act, 1867" and the "Rupert’s Land Act, 1868". The "Manitoba Act, 1870", which created Manitoba out of part of Rupert’s Land, also designated the remainder of both the Northwest Territories (NWT), over which Parliament was to exercise full legislative authority under the "Constitution Act, 1871".