Canada’s system of Government is near identical to the Westminister System of Govt that is found in most Commonwealth Countries.

There are three levels of Govt in Canada:
  • Federal
  • Provincial/Territorial
  • Municipal

Federal: the federal government consists of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches:
  • Legislative branch or the Federal Parliament that is bicameral and consists of the Upper and Lower Houses: The federal parliament has law-making powers that extend across the whole of Canada. Its powers include:
    • defense
    • federal direct and indirect taxation
    • citizenship
    • shipping etc
  • Executive branch or the Federal Government consists is the Prime Minister and the Cabinet: The Federal Government has executive powers that extend across Canada. The federal government is headed by the Sovereign of England. The Sovereign is represented in the cabinet by the Governor-General.
  • Judicial Branch consists of the Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of Canada: these courts interpret the laws made by the Parliament of Canada.

The three branches of government in-detail:
  • Parliament of Canada: parliament of Canada is the highest law-making body in Canada. It consists of two houses:
    • The House of Commons: the House of Commons, or known in other countries as the House of Representatives, is the highest law-making body in Canada. It consists of elected representatives who are directly elected by the people every 4 years.
    • The Senate: the Senate, or the known in other countries as House of Lords or House of Elders, is the house appointed at the recommendation of the prime minister.
  • Government of Canada: the prime minister is the head of the cabinet in Canada which in itself is a part of the Governor in Council (GIC), or as known in other countries the King-in-Council or Queen-in-Council. The cabinet is formed by ministers who are from the political party that gets the most amount of seats in the House of Commons.
  • Federal Courts: The federal court system consists of:
    • Federal Courts
    • Federal Appeals Courts
    • Supreme Court of Canada


Provincial or Territorial: each of the 10 provinces and 3 territories of Canada have their own level of government. These governments are unicameral or bicameral in structure. These governments are able to make laws that come within the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories. These are:
  • Direct taxation within the Provinces/Territories
  • Prisons
  • Hospitals
  • Municipalities etc

Provinces are headed by Premiers.

Concurrent or Shared Powers between the Federal and Provincial/Territorial governments: these powers include Immigration, old-age pensions, and agriculture. This means that both the federal government and the provinces/territories have the ability to make laws on these subjects.


Municipal Government: municipalities such as Toronto and Vancouver have their own level of government that make by-laws that apply to the municipality. Municipal governments derive their jurisdiction from the Provincial/Territorial governments. Their jurisdiction includes parking, public transit, fire service, policing, etc.

Municipalities are headed by Mayors.