Abstract

Inter-institutional relations, understood as the set of relations among members of the executive apparatus at both the central and peripheral levels, are a distinctive and structural feature of Canadian federalism, although it is not institutionally formalized. The essay examines the dynamics of these inter-governmental relations, especially in areas of especial importance for the Canadian order like revision of the Constitution, relations with the indigenous peoples, and foreign trade relations, investigating whether the shift of decision-making from elected legislative organs to non-institutionalized executives effectively protects the rights of the provinces or whether it prefigures a reduction in the democraticity of the system.