1. The Levels of Government
Federal
Provincial
Municipal

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. The three levels of government have different responsibilities!

8. 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

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

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

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

12. 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