The doctrine of limited government rests on the assumptions about the corrupt and evil nature of the human being in general, and the theories of Locke and Jean-Jacque Rousseau about the limitations that should be posted on the government by a constitution, a set of laws, and the social contract between the ruler and the ruled to avoid tyranny and authoritarianism. The principles of constitutionalism and social contract are very well enacted in the Canadian constitution that underlines the main functions and responsibilities for the Canadian government, separating the authorities and protecting citizens from the unlimited authority of the government.
The main code of provisions limiting the Canadian government in its powers towards citizens is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protecting the rights of Canadians. It is stated in the constitution that no authority o any level can ignore the Constitutional provisions and impede on the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals. However, Canada faces the same problem with the limitation of powers as the USA does – since there are many duties shared between the federal and the provincial levels of government, they are often overlapping and are not fulfilled in due course. This is the reason for which one may state the limitations are not meaningful and the division is vague.
The major reason for discrepancies is that the federal and provincial governments still have not reached a consensus on who is responsible for natural resources, conducting the main aspects of economic activity, etc. This dispute creates much inconvenience for Canadians and deprives them of the right to freely use their natural resources.