Why have different levels of government?
Imagine one person trying to fix every pothole, run every school and defend the whole country. It would be impossible! Instead, Canada and the United States share the work among different levels of government. Each level looks after the things it is best placed to handle.
Both countries are federal countries. That means power is shared between a national government and regional governments, with local governments looking after cities and towns.
The three levels
| Level | Canada | United States | Looks after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local | municipal (city, town, village) | city, town, county | the community nearby |
| Regional | provincial and territorial | state | a large region |
| National | federal | federal | the whole country |
Local government
Local government runs your city, town or village. It is the government closest to you.
- Leaders: a mayor and a council (councillors or council members), elected by local voters
- Meets at: city hall or town hall
- Responsibilities: garbage and recycling, local roads and sidewalks, parks and recreation centres, libraries, public transit, fire departments, local police, water and sewers, snow removal, building permits
Regional government
Regional government looks after a province or territory in Canada, or a state in the United States.
- Leaders: in Canada, a premier and the elected members of the legislature; in the United States, a governor and the state legislature
- Meets at: the provincial legislature or the state capitol, in the region’s capital city
- Responsibilities: education and schools, health care and hospitals, highways, driver’s licences, many laws about property and business
National government
The national government (also called the federal government) looks after the whole country.
- Canada: the prime minister and Parliament, which meets in Ottawa
- United States: the president and Congress, which meets in Washington, D.C.
- Responsibilities: national defence and the military, relations with other countries, citizenship and immigration, money and banking, mail, trade between provinces or states and with other countries
Who does what? Some examples
| Situation | Which level? |
|---|---|
| A pothole on your street | local |
| Building a new school | regional (with the local school board) |
| Getting a passport | national |
| The library hours | local |
| Rules for getting a driver’s licence | regional |
| Printing money | national |
| A new skate park | local |
| Defending the country’s borders | national |
Sometimes levels work together. A big highway or a new subway line might be paid for by all three levels.
Choosing leaders
At every level, adult citizens choose their leaders in an election. People vote for the person or party they think will do the best job. Local, regional and national elections happen at different times.
Citizens can also contact their leaders at any level to share ideas or ask for help. A letter to the mayor about a dangerous crosswalk can make a real difference!
Indigenous governments
In Canada, many First Nations have their own governments, often led by a chief and council. Some Inuit and Métis communities and regions also have their own governments. In the United States, Native American tribes are sovereign nations with their own tribal governments. These governments make decisions for their communities and work with the other levels.
Try it yourself
- Find the names of your mayor, your premier or governor, and your country’s leader.
- Sort these into local, regional or national: hospitals, the army, parks, passports, schools, garbage pickup.
- Write a short letter to your local council about something you’d like to improve.
- Find your provincial or state capital on a map.
Quick recap
- Canada and the United States have local, regional and national levels of government.
- Local governments handle nearby services like parks, roads and garbage.
- Provinces, territories and states handle education, health care and highways.
- National governments handle defence, money, passports and relations with other countries.
- Citizens choose leaders at each level in elections.