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How Canada is governed

Crown, Parliament
and the confidence of the House.

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a federation. The King reigns through a Governor General; a Prime Minister governs for as long as the elected House of Commons will have them; the provinces hold powers of their own; and municipalities, school boards and Indigenous governments sit closer to the ground. This page walks the whole tree, from the Crown to the ward, with the law that sets each rule.

Top to root

Every level,
one tree.

The Constitution sits at the top. Beneath it are the federal Crown in Parliament, ten provinces, three territories created by federal Acts, and Indigenous governments whose rights section 35 recognises. Municipalities hang from the provinces, and the ward is where the tree ends.

Try it · Top to root

From the Crown to the ward.

Pick a level. Each one says who is elected or appointed, how, for how long, and what they may do, with the law that sets it.

  • Hereditary
  • Appointed
  • Elected
  • Chosen by the elected
  • Mixed

The Constitution of Canada › The King of Canada › Governor General › Parliament of Canada › House of Commons

House of Commons

Chambre des communes

Elected · 343 seats; majority 172

How
343 MPs, one per electoral district, first past the post. The Speaker is elected by MPs by secret ballot at the start of each Parliament (s.44; Standing Order 4).
Term
Up to five years; fixed-date elections every four (s.56.1 CEA), unless dissolved earlier.
Powers
  • Money bills must start here (s.53)
  • The government needs its confidence
  • Questions decided by a majority of members voting; the Speaker votes only on a tie (s.49)
Source
Constitution Act, 1867, ss.44–53

Below

I

Head of state · La Couronne

The Crown

Executive government is vested in the King (Constitution Act, 1867, s.9), and Parliament is the King, the Senate and the House of Commons (s.17). In practice the Governor General exercises the Crown's powers in Canada, on the advice of ministers.

King of Canada · Roi du Canada

Charles III, since September 8, 2022

Governor General · Gouverneure générale

Louise Arbour, since June 8, 2026

What the Governor General does

Appointed
By the King on the Prime Minister's advice; by convention for about five years.
On advice
Summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament; appoints ministers, senators and judges; gives Royal Assent (s.55); recommends every spending measure to the Commons (s.54).
Reserve powers
In a crisis the Governor General may act without, or against, advice: choosing a Prime Minister when no one clearly holds the House, or refusing a dissolution. Byng refused Mackenzie King in 1926; Michaëlle Jean granted Stephen Harper a prorogation in 2008 (see confidence).
Provinces
Each province has a Lieutenant Governor, appointed by the Governor General in Council (s.58) and not removable within five years except for cause (s.59).
Territories
Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have Commissioners, appointed by the federal government under their territorial Acts.
Lieutenant Governors and Commissioners (13; mostly secondary sources)
  • NL Joan Marie Aylward
  • PE Wassim Salamoun
  • NS Mike Savage
  • NB Louise Imbeault
  • QC Manon Jeannotte
  • ON Edith Dumont
  • MB Anita Neville
  • SK Bernadette McIntyre
  • AB Salma Lakhani
  • BC Wendy Cocchia
  • YT Adeline Webber
  • NT Gerald Kisoun
  • NU Not confirmed
II

The executive · Le Cabinet

Prime Minister & Cabinet

No statute creates the office of Prime Minister. By convention the Governor General appoints whoever can hold the confidence of the House of Commons, and the ministers that person chooses are sworn to the King's Privy Council.

Prime Minister Mark Carney Liberal · MP for Nepean · since March 14, 2025

30th Ministry · as of November 5, 2026

28 in Cabinet, 38 in the Ministry

Cabinet has 28 members including the Prime Minister, plus 10 secretaries of state; unchanged since the shuffle of December 1, 2025. There is no Deputy Prime Minister. Key portfolios:

  • Prime MinisterMark Carney
  • Finance and National RevenueFrançois-Philippe Champagne
  • Foreign AffairsAnita Anand
  • Justice and Attorney GeneralSean Fraser
  • Public SafetyGary Anandasangaree
  • National DefenceDavid McGuinty
  • President of the King's Privy Council; Canada–US Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Internal Trade and One Canadian EconomyDominic LeBlanc
  • IndustryMélanie Joly
  • President of the Treasury BoardShafqat Ali
  • Government House Leader; TransportSteven MacKinnon

Privy Council and the Clerk

Privy Council
The formal council that advises the Crown. Members are appointed for life (styled “The Honourable”); Cabinet is its working committee, and orders in council are made by the Governor General on its advice.
Clerk
The Clerk of the Privy Council is Secretary to the Cabinet and head of the public service. Michael Sabia was appointed from July 7, 2025 (pm.gc.ca); his current status was not confirmed for this page.
III

The elected chamber · Chambre des communes

House of Commons

343 members, one for each electoral district, elected by first past the post for up to five years (Charter s.4). The fixed date for the next general election is the third Monday of October 2029 (Canada Elections Act s.56.1), unless the House is dissolved sooner.

Party standings · November 6, 2026

337 members, 6 vacant

172 seats is a majority of the full House. The Liberals' 173 include the Speaker, who votes only to break a tie. Six by-elections are set for December 7, 2026.

Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Liberal · 173 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Conservative · 137 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 Bloc · 21 NDP · 5 NDP · 5 NDP · 5 NDP · 5 NDP · 5 Green · 1 Vacant · 6 Vacant · 6 Vacant · 6 Vacant · 6 Vacant · 6 Vacant · 6
172 a majority of 343
  • LPC 173
  • CPC 137
  • BQ 21
  • NDP 5
  • GPC 1
  • VAC 6

Speaker of the House of Commons

Francis Scarpaleggia · Liberal, Lac-Saint-Louis; elected Speaker 2025-05-26

Leader of the Official Opposition

Pierre Poilievre · Conservative, Battle River—Crowfoot since the by-election of 2025-08-18

How the House works

Speaker
Elected by the members by secret ballot when a new Parliament first meets (s.44). Presides, rules on procedure, and votes only when the voices are equal (s.49).
Quorum
Twenty members, the Speaker included (s.48).
Money
Bills that spend public money or impose a tax must start in the Commons (s.53), and only after a royal recommendation (s.54).
Parties
A party needs 12 seats to be a recognised party in the House, with research funds and places in debate; the NDP (5) and Greens (1) are below it.
IV

The appointed chamber · Sénat

Senate

105 senators, summoned by the Governor General on the Prime Minister's advice and sitting until 75 (s.29(2)). Seats are fixed by region, not population: the Senate was the price of Confederation for the smaller provinces and Quebec.

Senate standings · sencanada.ca

92 senators, 13 vacant

Since 2016 most senators are named from merit-based recommendations of the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and sit in non-partisan groups. Only the Conservatives keep a party caucus.

  • Independent Senators Group 37
  • Progressive Senate Group 17
  • Canadian Senators Group 15
  • Conservative Party of Canada 13
  • Non-affiliated 5
  • Government Representative Office 5
  • Vacant 13
Senate divisions (Constitution Act, 1867, ss.21–22)
DivisionSeats
Ontario24
Quebec (24 named senatorial divisions)24
Maritimes: Nova Scotia 10, New Brunswick 10, Prince Edward Island 424
Western provinces: 6 each for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia24
Newfoundland and Labrador6
Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut1 each
Total105

Powers and rules

Veto
The Senate must pass every bill and may amend or reject it; there is no Parliament Act to override it. It cannot originate money bills (s.53). On a constitutional amendment it can only delay, for 180 days (Constitution Act, 1982, s.47).
Voting
The Speaker always votes, and a tie is a defeat (s.36). Quorum is fifteen (s.35).
Speaker
Appointed by the Governor General (s.34). Raymonde Gagné was Speaker in the debates of June 3, 2026; her status since was not confirmed.

Making law

From bill
to Act.

A bill is read three times in each House, with committee study and a report stage between the second and third readings. Both Houses must agree on the same words before the Governor General gives Royal Assent in the King's name. A bill not through when Parliament is prorogued or dissolved dies on the Order Paper.

Try it · How a bill becomes law

Take a bill through both Houses.

Choose the bill and what each House does, then step through it stage by stage. Stage names are Parliament's own (LEGISinfo).

Sponsor
Spends money or taxes?
Introduced in
First House
Session
Second House
First House on the amendments
Amending House

    Responsible government

    Confidence
    and minority Parliaments.

    A government stays in office only while it holds the confidence of the House of Commons. That is a convention, not a law: budgets, supply and the reply to the Speech from the Throne are confidence votes, and a government may declare any vote one. Lose it, and the Prime Minister resigns or asks for a dissolution.

    Try it · Confidence simulator

    Does the government survive?

    Set each caucus to back the government, oppose it or abstain. A division is won by a majority of the members voting, so vacancies and abstentions lower the bar (the dashed line is half of those voting); the Speaker votes only to break a tie.

    House
    Motion
    • Liberal
    • Conservative
    • Bloc
    • NDP
    • Green

    The 45th Parliament

    Close calls before the majority

    • 2025-11-17Budget 2025: budgetary policy motionpassed 170–168
    • 2026-02-25Bill C-15, report stagepassed 168–163
    • 2026-06-03Bill C-31, second readingpassed 170–165

    From the House of Commons recorded divisions, 45th Parliament, 1st session.

    Prorogation crises

    December 2008

    Weeks after the October 2008 election the Liberals and NDP agreed to defeat Stephen Harper's minority and form a coalition with the Bloc Québécois's support. On December 4, 2008, Governor General Michaëlle Jean granted Harper's request to prorogue Parliament until late January, ending the session before the confidence vote could be held. The coalition broke up, and the January budget passed.

    Later prorogations: December 2009 (Harper), August 2020 (Trudeau) and January 2025 (Trudeau, until March 24). Secondary sources.

    Minority Parliaments since Confederation

    14 times no party won a majority

    Secondary source: Wikipedia, “Minority governments in Canada”. The election-by-election figures are on the history page.

    1. 1921Mackenzie King (Liberal)118 of 235 seats, a bare minority at the outset; the Progressives, second with 58, declined to be the Official Opposition.
    2. 1925–26Mackenzie King, then Arthur MeighenThe King–Byng affair: Governor General Byng refused King a dissolution in June 1926 and invited Meighen, whose government fell within days. The election that followed made King's case that the Crown must take its Prime Minister's advice.
    3. 1957John Diefenbaker (PC)Governed alone for nine months, then won a landslide in 1958.
    4. 1962John Diefenbaker (PC)Defeated on a non-confidence motion in February 1963.
    5. 1963Lester B. Pearson (Liberal)Medicare, the Canada Pension Plan and the Maple Leaf flag came out of two Pearson minorities.
    6. 1965Lester B. Pearson (Liberal)Two seats short of a majority.
    7. 1972Pierre Trudeau (Liberal)Kept in office by the NDP; defeated on its budget in 1974.
    8. 1979Joe Clark (PC)Defeated on its first budget in December 1979, 139 to 133.
    9. 2004Paul Martin (Liberal)Survived on 19 May 2005 by the Speaker's casting vote (Bill C-48); defeated on a non-confidence motion in November 2005.
    10. 2006Stephen Harper (Conservative)Lasted two and a half years; Harper sought an early dissolution in 2008 despite the fixed-date law.
    11. 2008Stephen Harper (Conservative)The prorogation crisis (below); defeated in March 2011 on a motion finding the government in contempt of Parliament.
    12. 2019Justin Trudeau (Liberal)Governed case by case; prorogued Parliament in August 2020.
    13. 2021Justin Trudeau (Liberal)A supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP ran from March 2022 to September 2024.
    14. 2025Mark Carney (Liberal)Three short at the election (169 of 343); five floor crossings and by-election wins gave the Liberals a majority on 2026-04-13 without a new election.
    V

    The judiciary · Cour suprême du Canada

    The courts

    The Supreme Court of Canada is the final court of appeal on every kind of law. Since 1982 it can strike down any statute, federal or provincial, that breaches the Charter, unless a legislature uses the notwithstanding clause.

    The nine judges · scc-csc.ca

    A Chief Justice and eight puisne judges

    Appointed by the Governor in Council (Supreme Court Act s.4), from an Independent Advisory Board's shortlist; at least three from Quebec's bar or bench (s.6), so that civil-law cases are heard by civil-law judges. They retire at 75 (s.9(2)).

    • Richard Wagner Chief Justice of Canada since 2017-12-18
    • Andromache Karakatsanis
    • Suzanne Côté Quebec
    • Malcolm Rowe
    • Nicholas Kasirer Quebec
    • Mahmud Jamal
    • Michelle O'Bonsawin
    • Mary T. Moreau
    • Glenn D. Joyal appointed 2026-07-15, replacing Sheilah Martin

    The courts below, and the Charter

    Superior courts
    Each province's superior court and court of appeal; their judges are appointed by the Governor General (s.96) and sit to 75 (s.99).
    Provincial courts
    Created and staffed by the provinces under s.92(14): most criminal trials, family and small claims.
    Federal courts
    The Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, created by Parliament under s.101, for federal boards, immigration, tax and intellectual property.
    Charter review
    Any court may find a law inconsistent with the Constitution “of no force or effect” (Constitution Act, 1982, s.52). Section 1 lets a law stand if it is a reasonable limit, demonstrably justified.
    s.33
    Parliament or a legislature may declare that a law operates notwithstanding s.2 or ss.7–15 of the Charter, for five years at a time, renewable. It cannot override the right to vote (s.3), language rights or mobility rights.

    Photos: Louise Arbour — Snowolf, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mark Carney — Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Richard Wagner — Andrew Balfour Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0 . Others public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

    VI

    The electoral authority · Élections Canada

    Elections Canada

    An independent, non-partisan agency of Parliament that runs federal elections, by-elections and referendums, registers parties and publishes what they raise and spend.

    Three independent offices

    Chief Electoral Officer
    Appointed by resolution of the House of Commons for a single term of 10 years, during good behaviour; removable only by the Governor General on an address of both Houses, and never reappointed (Canada Elections Act s.13). Stéphane Perrault holds the office (since 2018).
    Commissioner of Canada Elections
    Enforces the Act: investigates, settles compliance agreements, issues penalties and refers prosecutions. Appointed by the CEO, after consulting the Director of Public Prosecutions, for a non-renewable 10-year term (s.509). Caroline J. Simard (since 2022; not re-checked today).
    Broadcasting Arbitrator
    Allocates the free and paid broadcasting time parties are entitled to in a general election. Chosen unanimously by the registered parties or, failing that, named by the CEO (s.332).

    The provinces run their own

    Each province and territory has its own election agency under its own law: Élections Québec (Loi électorale, E-3.3), Elections Ontario, Elections BC, Elections Alberta, Elections Saskatchewan, Elections Manitoba, Elections New Brunswick, Elections Nova Scotia, Elections PEI, Elections NL, Elections Yukon, Elections NWT and Elections Nunavut. Municipal elections are usually run by each municipality's clerk under provincial law.

    Federalism

    Two orders
    of government.

    The Constitution Act, 1867 gives Parliament the national subjects and a residual power to make laws for the “Peace, Order, and good Government of Canada” (s.91), and gives the provinces exclusive power over the local and the social (s.92). Neither is subordinate to the other; the courts police the line.

    Try it · Division of powers

    Who does what?

    Sections 91 to 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867 split law-making between Parliament and the provinces; municipalities get what their province delegates. Filter by order of government or by area.

    Parliament · Parlement

    • Criminal law s.91(27)

      Parliament writes the Criminal Code; provinces prosecute most offences and run the courts that try them (s.92(14)).

    • Defence s.91(7)

      Militia, military and naval service, and defence.

    • Currency and banking s.91(14)–(15)

      Currency and coinage, banking and the incorporation of banks.

    • Trade and commerce s.91(2)

      The regulation of trade and commerce, read by the courts as interprovincial and international trade.

    • Citizenship and naturalization s.91(25)

      Naturalization and aliens; citizenship is federal law.

    • Postal service s.91(5)

      Canada Post.

    • Sea coast and inland fisheries s.91(12)

      Fisheries management; fish habitat.

    • "Indians, and Lands reserved for the Indians" s.91(24)

      The constitutional basis of the Indian Act; Aboriginal and treaty rights are recognised by s.35 (1982).

    • Unemployment insurance s.91(2A)

      Added in 1940: Employment Insurance.

    • Taxation by any mode s.91(3)

      Parliament may raise money by any system of taxation; provinces only by direct taxation (s.92(2)).

    • Peace, order and good government s.91 (opening words)

      The residual power: what is not given to the provinces is federal, including matters of national concern and emergencies.

    Provinces · Provinces

    • Hospitals and health care s.92(7)

      Provinces run medicare; Ottawa attaches conditions to transfers (Canada Health Act).

    • Education s.93

      Exclusive provincial power, with guarantees for denominational schools and minority-language education (Charter s.23).

    • Property and civil rights s.92(13)

      Contracts, property, most labour law and consumer protection; Quebec's Civil Code.

    • Administration of justice s.92(14)

      Provinces organise the courts and policing; superior court judges are federally appointed (s.96).

    • Municipal institutions s.92(8)

      Municipalities exist only under provincial law.

    • Natural resources and energy s.92A, s.109

      Provinces own public lands and resources; s.92A (1982) confirms power over non-renewable resources, forestry and electricity.

    • Direct taxation s.92(2)

      Provincial income and sales taxes.

    • Local works and undertakings s.92(10)

      Except interprovincial railways, canals and telegraphs, and works declared for the general advantage of Canada.

    • Provincial elections s.45 (1982), s.92(1)

      Each province amends its own constitution and runs its own elections.

    Shared · Partagé

    • Agriculture s.95

      Both may legislate; federal law prevails in a conflict.

    • Immigration s.95

      Both may legislate; Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada–Quebec Accord.

    • Old-age pensions s.94A

      Parliament may legislate, but provincial law prevails: Quebec runs the QPP, the rest the CPP.

    • Environment ss.91–92 (no head)

      Not named in 1867; both act through their own powers (the carbon-pricing reference, 2021 SCC 11).

    Municipal (delegated) · Municipal

    • Local roads, transit and water delegated under s.92(8)

      Municipal Acts give councils these services and the property tax to pay for them.

    • Zoning and land use delegated under s.92(8)

      Official plans and zoning by-laws, under provincial planning law.

    • Local policing delegated under s.92(14)

      Big cities run their own forces; elsewhere the RCMP (by contract) or a provincial force (OPP, Sûreté du Québec).

    Provinces and territories · first ministers

    Thirteen premiers

    Each province is a parliamentary system of its own, with a unicameral legislature. In the Northwest Territories and Nunavut there are no parties: members choose the premier. Seats, election dates and the 2026 votes are on the provinces page; Quebec's sovereignty referendums are on the history page.

    Province or territoryPremierPartyAssembly
    Newfoundland and Labrador Tony Wakeham Progressive Conservative 40
    Prince Edward Island Rob Lantz Progressive Conservative 27
    Nova Scotia Tim Houston Progressive Conservative 56
    New Brunswick Susan Holt Liberal 49
    Quebec Paul St-Pierre Plamondon Parti québécois 127
    Ontario Doug Ford Progressive Conservative 124
    Manitoba Wab Kinew New Democratic 57
    Saskatchewan Scott Moe Saskatchewan Party 61
    Alberta Danielle Smith United Conservative 87
    British Columbia David Eby (outgoing; Lorne Doerkson premier-designate) BC NDP 93
    Yukon Currie Dixon Yukon Party 21
    Northwest Territories R.J. Simpson Consensus (no parties) 19
    Nunavut John Main Consensus (no parties) 22

    Local government

    Creatures
    of the provinces.

    Municipalities have no constitutional existence of their own: section 92(8) gives each province exclusive power over “Municipal Institutions in the Province”. The province draws their boundaries, sets their powers, can merge or dissolve them (Ontario amalgamated Toronto in 1998), and fixes how and when councils are elected. Every province now elects councils for four years.

    Municipal elections by province

    Four-year terms, ten election days

    ProvinceTermLast general voteLaw
    Ontario 4 years Oct 26, 2026 Municipal Elections Act, 1996
    Quebec 4 years Nov 2, 2025 Loi sur les élections et les référendums dans les municipalités (E-2.2)
    British Columbia 4 years Oct 17, 2026 Local Government Act
    Alberta 4 years Oct 20, 2025 Local Authorities Election Act
    Manitoba 4 years Oct 28, 2026 Municipal Councils and School Boards Elections Act
    Saskatchewan 4 years Nov 13, 2024 Local Government Election Act, 2015 *
    Nova Scotia 4 years Oct 19, 2024 Municipal Elections Act *
    New Brunswick 4 years May 11, 2026 Local Governance Act / Municipal Elections Act
    Prince Edward Island 4 years Nov 2, 2026 Elections PEI — 2026 municipal results
    Newfoundland and Labrador 4 years Oct 2, 2025 Municipal elections regulations (NL)

    Election days from each province's official calendar. * term from the statute, not re-read for this page. The territories set their own terms for cities, towns, villages and hamlets.

    Layers below the province

    Council
    A mayor (or reeve, or warden) elected by the whole municipality, and councillors elected at large or by ward, by plurality. Party slates are rare outside Montreal, Quebec City and Vancouver.
    Upper tier
    Ontario's counties and regional municipalities, Quebec's regional county municipalities (MRC) and British Columbia's regional districts provide shared services; their councils are mostly made up of local mayors and councillors.
    School boards
    Trustees are elected on the municipal ballot in most provinces, with separate French-language boards (Charter s.23) and, in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan, Catholic boards (s.93). Quebec replaced its French-language school boards with service centres in 2020 (secondary).
    Ward
    The root of the tree: where a council is elected by ward, each ward chooses one councillor, the smallest unit of election in Canada.

    Indigenous governments

    Nations
    within the federation.

    Section 35 of the Constitution Act, 1982 recognises and affirms the existing Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. How a community chooses its leaders depends on which of several regimes it lives under, and many are moving from the Indian Act to laws of their own.

    • Indian Act

      Band councils

      Where the Minister has ordered it, a chief and councillors are elected by the band's electors (s.74) for two-year terms (s.78), and may make by-laws on local matters (s.81).

    • Since 2014

      First Nations Elections Act

      An opt-in regime with four-year terms (s.28), common election days and appeals to the courts rather than the Minister.

    • Community choice

      Custom codes

      Most First Nations select leaders under their own codes, ratified by community vote; councils may be elected, hereditary or both. Indigenous Services Canada's 2015 count: 344 of 618 custom, 234 Indian Act, 38 self-governing, 2 under the new Act.

    • Beyond the Indian Act

      Self-government and modern treaties

      Since the James Bay and Northern Québec Agreement of 1975, modern treaties and self-government agreements have replaced the Indian Act for many nations, such as the Nisga'a Lisims Government in British Columbia (in force 2000) and most Yukon First Nations.

    • Inuit Nunangat

      Inuit governance

      Nunatsiavut in Labrador elects a President and Assembly; Nunavik has the Kativik Regional Government; the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation serves the western Arctic. Nunavut itself, created in 1999 with an Inuit majority, has a public government that answers to all residents, run by consensus.

    • Métis

      Métis governments

      Métis citizens elect province-wide governments, and Canada has signed self-government recognition agreements with several. In Alberta the eight Métis Settlements elect their own councils under provincial law.