How Canadians Govern Themselves

Canada is a federal state: the power to make laws is divided between the federal government and the provincial and territorial governments. The federal government in Ottawa takes responsibility for matters of national and international concern, including national defence, foreign policy, interprovincial trade and communications, currency, navigation, criminal law and citizenship.

The provinces are responsible for municipal government, education, health care, natural resources, property and civil rights, and highways. Some areas — such as agriculture and immigration — are shared between the federal and provincial governments.

Municipal (city or local) governments handle local matters in cities and towns — services such as firefighting, snow removal, recycling, and city streets. In the territories, and for many local matters, responsibilities may be arranged differently, but the federal–provincial division of powers is the pattern to remember for the test.

In Canada's parliamentary democracy, the people elect members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures. Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign (King or Queen), the Senate, and the House of Commons. Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by voters in their electoral districts, while Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75.

The Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers he or she selects run the government. Cabinet ministers are responsible for government departments, and together with the Prime Minister they make important decisions about how the country is governed. They must retain the confidence of the House of Commons — this is called responsible government.

For a bill to become law, it must pass through set stages in the House of Commons: first reading, second reading (debate on principle), committee stage, report stage, and third reading. The Senate follows a similar process. Finally, the bill receives royal assent from the Governor General — the Sovereign's representative — and becomes law. Provincial legislatures pass laws in areas of provincial responsibility in a similar way.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy. The Head of State is the Sovereign — King Charles III — while the Head of Government is the Prime Minister. This distinction matters: the Sovereign is the symbol of Canadian sovereignty and the guardian of constitutional freedoms, while the Prime Minister actually directs the governing of the country. Do not confuse the head of state with the head of government on test day.

The Sovereign is represented in Canada by the Governor General, appointed by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister, usually for five years. In each of the ten provinces, the Sovereign is represented by a Lieutenant Governor, appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, also normally for five years.

There are three branches of government: the executive (the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which runs the government), the legislative (Parliament, which makes laws), and the judicial (the courts, which interpret and apply the law). Together with the Sovereign, these branches keep power balanced and government accountable.