​Levels and branches of government

In this section, we will talk about the different parts of government, how they work together, and what they are responsible for.

Canada flag (Photo by Tony Webster)

There are three main levels of government in Canada: 

• The federal government governs the entire country at a national level.
  
  
• Provincial/territorial governments govern each province and territory.
  
  
• Municipal governments govern individual cities, towns, regions or counties. 
  

We will talk more about what each level of government is responsible for in the Jurisdiction section.

In Canada, Indigenous governments are responsible for self-government of many different First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities. These Indigenous governments work with the federal government on a nation-to-nation basis. If you would like to learn more about Indigenous governments in Canada, check out this resource.

Both the federal and provincial/territorial governments are made up of three branches or parts: 

• Legislative
  
  
• Executive
  
  
• Judicial
  

We will talk more about each of these parts of government in the next few sections.