Canada also has a federal government. The USA is not unique in being made up of smaller units with their own governments with an overall federal government at a higher level.
And I mean it's not the only stupid thing that journalists do. I just so happen to live near the capital of the country. I'll see articles that say Ottawa wants to ban single-use plastic bags. The city of Ottawa, or the federal government by using the capital city name as shorthand? Then you read the article and it is often impossible to find clues to indicate which organization wants to do the thing.