Premiers Abroad

Abstract

International affairs has typically been seen as the sole domain of the central government in a Federal state, however there has been a rise in subnational actors involving themselves in international affairs. The object of this paper is to analyze the place of Regional Paradiplomacy within the Canada-US context, and to determine the necessity and purpose of these kinds of relationships in the context of state-based international relations. This analysis is done through the review of previous research on the topic as well as looking to primary resources concerning subnational governments involved in international affairs. The result of this paper is the discovery that Regional Paradiplomacy provides a more direct tool for substate governments to enact policy and represent their jurisdiction without the need to submit to the central government. The results indicate a greater decentralization of sovereignty at least in the Canadian context, with tacit permission given by the Federal government to allow provinces the ability to exercise agency over issues pertaining to their own jurisdiction within a shared region.