Unit+2+-+Big+Q2

__**Unit 2 Big Question 2:**__ //In your opinion, was John A. MacDonald right? Is a federal government beneficial to Canadians? How can a federal government be a detriment to Canadians?//

I feel John A. MacDonald was right. The government system he fought so hard to create for our country has lasted over two hundred years. This shows how well it has worked for Canadians then, and now, and how it has helped us have our own distinct nation, while weaving together many different cultures and religions. Granted, there have been some minor changes to the Constitution and some to the government, but the main government structure still stands. This federal government is very beneficial to Canadians. Although some feel it is unfair or should be changed, compare it to other government systems that other countries have had, such as dictatorships or communism. Our government has not become horribly corrupt like many others, and it still tries its best to help the people it governs.

Some benefits of this system include: - Taxation: this helps provinces to become "have" provinces instead of being stuck being a "have not" and being unable to gain a higher status. - Defense: Federal government provides us with defense. - It keeps the many colors of our multi-cultural country together - Without this system, trade would be hard to manage - Lessens the amount of wars and disagreements since we aren't all a bunch of smaller countries fighting for resources. - The smaller governments, such as provincial, are unable to become power hungry and fight their way into power.

Some detriments include: - Wrongful use of taxes: some areas, such as politician pay cheques, don't need the tax money they receive - Policies that the government wants to put through may not always come into play, even with a majority government. - Taxes aren't evenly applied to all provinces. An example being Alberta: Alberta gets taxed more because of the amount of resources it has, and it has to pull the weight of the poorer provinces, or the "have not" provinces. - Enlisting in war: Quebec has refused to enlist when other provinces are obligated to - without this federal system, provinces would have the choice if they wanted to go to war based on how they feel about the war and if the war would be beneficial to anyone. - Federal government may be able to gain complete control - they can also remove parts of government such as the Senate