Levels of Government

Federal - The federal government is located in Ottawa, the capital of Canada, and is responsible for issues that affect Canada as a whole country. The federal parliament includes the House of Commons - made up of 338 members of Parliament (or MPs for short) from every province and territory, the Senate - which includes Senators appointed by the Prime Minister, and the Monarch represented by the Governor General. The political party that elects the most MPs forms the federal government. Their leader becomes the head of the federal government - the Prime Minister.

The federal government is responsible for the following issues: international relations, immigration, criminal law, taxes, national defence, foreign policy, public debt & policy, regulation of trade/commerce, direct/indirect taxation, postal service, census/statistics, navigation/shipping, quarantine, sea coast & inland fisheries, currency/coinage, banking/paper money, weights & measures, bankruptcy, patents, copyrights, indigenous peoples & reserves, citizenship, marriage & divorce, criminal law & procedure, penitentiaries, public works, railways, telecommunications, radio & television broadcasting, and pipelines.

Provincial - The provincial government is responsible for issues that affect the province or territory as a whole. Provincial or Territorial governments consist of elected representatives called Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs for short) elected from across the province or territory, and the Monarch represented by the Lieutenant Governor. Each MPP represents a geographical area of the province or territory called a riding. The political party with the most MPPs form the provincial government. The leader becomes the Premier, and she or he is the head of the provincial government. The provincial government is responsible for the following issues: education, health care, social welfare, environment, agriculture, highways, taxation within province, management/sales of public lands within province, prisons, formalizations of marriage, property & civil rights, and administration of justice.

Municipal - The municipal government receives its power from the provincial government. The city or town council decides on by-laws that deal with issues concerning their community. The municipal government is responsible for the following issues: property taxes, property standards, zoning, business licenses, and local bylaws.

Municipal Government Explained

The past is to be respected and acknowledged, but not to be worshipped. It is our future in which we will find our greatness. - Pierre Trudeau