Each provincial and territorial government has an elected legislature where provincial and territorial laws are passed. The members of the legislature are called members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs), members of the National Assembly (MNAs), members of the Provincial Parliament (MPPs) or members of the House of Assembly (MHAs), depending on the province or territory.
Municipal governments usually have a council that passes laws. These laws are called by-laws, and affect only the local community. The council includes a mayor and other elected representatives, often called councillors.
Provincial, territorial and municipal elections are held by secret ballot, but the rules are not the same as those for federal elections. It is important to find out the rules for voting in provincial, territorial and local elections so that you can exercise your right to vote.
| Levels of Government |
Elected Officials | Some Responsibilities |
| Federal | Members of Parliament (MPs) |
National Defence Foreign Policy Citizenship Policing |
| Provincial and Territorial |
Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Members of the National Assembly (MNA) or Members of the Provincial Parliament (MPP) or Members of the House of Assembly (MHA) |
Education Health Care Highways Policing |
| Municipal (local) | Mayor Councillors |
Policing Firefighting Snow Removal Recycling Programs |
This material is based on the official copyright publication "A Look At Canada" produced by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 2006. It is reproduced here for the purposes of educating applicants for Canadian Citizenship.