The Levels of Government Federal Provincial Municipal

Canada has a Federal System of government. What does this mean? We have more than one level of government! In fact, we have 3: Federal Provincial Municipal

The Federal Government This is the level of government that is responsible for issues that are important to all Canadians. These are issues that are best handled nationally. The federal government is lead by the Prime Minister and is based in the capital city of Canada, Ottawa. The federal government has three key components: The House of Commons The Senate The Governor General

The Provincial Government This is the level of government that is responsible for issues that are important in one province or territory. These are usually issues that are best handled locally. The provincial government is lead by the Premier and is based in the capital city of each province (in BC, that would be Victoria). The provincial government has two key components: The Legislative Assembly The Lieutenant Governor

The Municipal Government This is the level of government that is responsible for issues that are important in one town or city. The municipal government is lead by the Mayor. The municipal government has one key component: The city or town council *It is important to remember that many Aboriginal bands have their own form of local government. This is lead by a Chief and a Band Council.

The three levels of government have different responsibilities!

What is the federal government responsible for? National Defence Foreign Policy Aboriginal Affairs Postal Services Banking System Criminal Law Marriage and Divorce Law Federal Prisons

What is the provincial government responsible for? Education Health Services and Hospitals Licences Highways Provincial Police and Prisons Provincial Courts Charities

The federal and provincial governments also share some responsibilities: Immigration Agriculture Health Care Natural Resources Environmental Issues

What is the municipal government responsible for? Garbage Collection Sewage Treatment Water Supply Establishment of Schools Fire Protection

Residual Powers At the time of Confederation (1867), the people who created Canada decided that all residual (leftover) powers should be left to the federal government. This is why the federal government is also responsible for Telecommunications Information Services