I'm not the commenter, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in this context, "Government of Canada" did also mean "the people of Canada". It's not as

I'm not the commenter, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that in this context, "Government of Canada" did also mean "the people of Canada". It's not as solid of a distinction outside the U.S. where there is so much anti-government "them vs. us" mentality (rightly or wrongly). If I say "the Government of Canada wants to legalize marijuana", it's generally safe to assume that is the will of the people unless evidence is presented to the contrary. Of course, the government can and does occasionally go against the will of the people but that's more the exception than the rule.