Difference Between Province and Territory

Province vs Territory

In Canada, the difference between a province and a territory, lies mostly in how it came into existence. A province is created due to a constitutional act. A territory comes into existence through the determination of federal law.

There are more provinces (10) than territories (only 3). The three territories are Nunavut, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. The territories are farther north on the map than the provinces.

When you start to get into political differences between the provinces and the territories, things get a little more tricky. While they are all held under basically the same laws, it is not completely across the board when it comes to things like the distribution of funds, or required mandates.

The provinces are often open to financial pressure from the federal government. Often the monies collected through a wide variety of programs are distributed through the federal power, at the request of the provinces. The government has then imposed mandates to ensure that the funds are not only used as the government sees fit, but also to help put pressure on the territories to back up their requirements with consistent evidentiary proof. As an example, if a province requests funds for medical care, it has to prove that the province is consistently providing access to the universal health care system that is in place in order to receive those funds.

The territories often have mandates that aren’t in exact cohesion with the mandates laid out for the territories. While there isn’t necessarily a vast amount of difference, the relative changes can make a difference. For instance, a territory might not have to produce the same type of evidentiary proof, or it might have more funds available for the same evidentiary proof. Not all of the differences work out in favor of the territories, but many do.

The territories are not heavily populated. The latest census reveals that the entire span of all three put together might hold about 100,000 people. The territories are seeking, and are expected to eventually become, provinces of Canada.

Summary

-· Constitutional acts create provinces.

-· Federal law mandates territories.

-· Funding distribution and mandates can be different for territories.

-· The territories have fewer people per square kilometer.

-· Territories are headed toward becoming provinces of Canada.

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