3. Provincial and Territorial Governments

Similar to the U.S. system of states, each Canadian province has its own elected Premier (similar to a U.S. governor), provincial Cabinet of Ministers, a Legislative Assembly (i.e., lawmakers), political parties and court system.

Municipalities and their governments are considered "creatures" of the provinces and derive their authority from provincial laws. Canada also has territories, which can be created by the Parliament of Canada under its constitutional authority. While not full-fledged provinces, territorial governments are often delegated powers within the federal domain and have government structures similar to provinces.

Some of the laws that provinces are responsible for include family law, health law, labour standards, education, social services and housing. Similar to Parliament, voters in provinces elect members to sit in the provincial legislature based on ridings.

These elected officials are Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) or Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). The ruling government is the party that controls the most seats in the legislature. Today, Canada has 10 provinces and three territories.

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