Bourassa, Brian Mulroney, Claude Ryan, and Jean Lesage. "Status-quo" federalism Currently, governmental oversight is shared amongst a federal legislature and a number of legislatures whose power is distributed as per the Constitution. Federalists in favour of the status quo, or symmetrical federalists, also defend Quebec remaining within Canada; however, they support the status quo division of powers between Ottawa and Quebec City and the current Constitution. Current Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau at one point suggested that gaining Quebec's signature to the Constitution was not a priority, putting him at odds with many past federalists from his home province. This strain of Canadian federalism is strictly against reopening the Constitution and supports policies of shared and exclusive provincial jurisdiction in areas such as taxation, healthcare and immigration. They defend the federal government occasionally encroaching on areas that Quebec governments (both federalist and sovereigntist) consider their rightful jurisdiction. In general, federalists of this school of thought are opposed to officially recognising Quebec as a "nation" or "distinct society" within Canada, and support the Clarity Act (legislation introduced by the Chrétien government, essentially giving the federal government the right to establish a "clear majority" threshold for any sovereignty referendum at its own discretion and after the fact - this is opposed by the Quebec Liberal Party). Notable symmetrical federalists have included Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chrétien, Stéphane Dion and Justin Trudeau. Although this strain of uncompromising, centralising Canadian federalism is most often associated with the Liberal Party of Canada and the political tradition of Pierre Trudeau, it also has adherents from other parties and across the political spectrum. Related Terms In French, fédération can be defined as: (1) a methodical approach of defining a set of types in regards to complex realities, applied to state organization. a grouping of various associations, unions, parties, and clubs. It can also be used as synonym for federal state. In English, federalism has been defined as a "mode of political organization that unites separate states or other polities within an overarching political system in such a way as to allow each to maintain its own fundamental political integrity". This compromise as political system has been called a “quasi-federal concept”, as well as described as a "post-nation" state. Federalist parties Represented in the Parliament of Canada Liberal Party of Canada Conservative Party of Canada New Democratic Party Represented in the National Assembly of