In both Belgium and Canada, federalism is a hot and important topic. In order to explore the federal perceptions and preferences of the citizens in these two federations, four citizens’ meetings or assemblies are organised: two in Belgium (in Liège, Wallonia, in French, and in Antwerp, Flanders, in Dutch), and two in Canada (in Montreal, Quebec, in French, and in Kingston, Ontario, in English). During a whole day, sixty citizens are gathered to discuss with four experts and in small groups about the federalism in their country. The organisation and the methodology of the meetings are inspired from both citizens’ assemblies and deliberative polls. The first meeting took place at the Université de Liège, on September 29, 2007. The preliminary analyses of the qualitative and quantitative data collected during the nine hours long exchanges are presented in this paper. The first analyses shed light on the relations between the federal perceptions and preferences of French-speaking Belgian citizens. The preliminary results emphasise the diversity of knowledge, attitudes and opinions on Belgian federalism and highlight the contrast between these perceptions and preferences and the federal reality of Belgium as well as its possible evolution. The second meeting took place at the Université de Montréal, on March 15, 2008 and will be followed, respectively in June and November 2008, by the meetings in Kingston and in Antwerp. ; En Belgique et au Canada, le fédéralisme est un sujet brûlant et récurrent d’actualité depuis de nombreuses années. Afin de mieux comprendre les perceptions et les préférences fédérales des citoyens de ces deux fédérations, quatre rencontres ou assemblées citoyennes sont organisées : deux en Belgique (à Liège, en français, et à Anvers, en néerlandais) et deux au Canada (à Montréal, en français, et à Kingston, en anglais). Pendant toute une journée, la soixantaine de citoyens rassemblés discute de thèmes liés au fédéralisme avec des experts et en petits groupes, selon une méthodologie inspirée des ...