In Canada, the provinces do not automatically enforce the international treaties that are concluded by the federal government. The situation became more complicated in 2002 when the Quebec government unanimously adopted legislation that forces ratification by Quebec's National Assembly of any federal treaty that concerns Quebec's areas of jurisdiction. By this legislation, the Quebec National Assembly becomes the first parliament modelled on the British type of parliament to be so closely associated with the central government's process of making international commitments. Given this unstable situation, which has a significant impact on the ability to conclude new free trade agreements, for example, it is useful to examine how things work in other federations in order to propose ways to enhance the sharing of roles in matters of international relations in Canada. The federations being studied are Germany, Belgium, Spain, and Switzerland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]