Division of Responsibility

Levels of elected government

Canada has 3 levels of elected government which are responsible for law-making (a.k.a. creating legislation). These are Federal, Provincial and Municipal.

Federal: Has authority over issues of a national nature. The laws passed by federal government apply to Canadians in every province and territory.
Provincial: Authority over only those issues designated by the constitution as provincial matters. Responsible to pass laws which apply people in that province.
Municipal: Responsible for laws only in their own town, city or region.
A fourth very important level of elections is for local School Board Trustees. The policies and programs approved by school boards (e.g. sexual "education") can shape the values of our children either for good or for ill. Nowadays, it's almost always for ill.

Below are a few examples to illustrate the types of laws and policies (good or bad) that can be passed by each level of government and why it is important to engage politically at all levels.

 

Sample legislation, policy or regulation Level of government responsible
1. Pass a "personhood amendment" to recognize every human being as a person from the moment of conception. Federal
2. Pass a law that bans the destruction of embryonic humans whether for research or fertility treatment. Federal
3. Pass an Informed Consent law requiring that abortion facilities inform women of all risks associated with abortion (breast cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, infertility, etc) Provincial
4. Pass a law requiring parental notification for minor children who seek an abortion. Provincial
5. De-list abortion as an insured service paid for with taxpayer money. Provincial
6. Write school curriculum which undermines parental beliefs about homosexuality, abortion and contraception. Provincial (Ministry of Education)
7. Eliminate taxpayer funding from local groups who promote abortion and/or abortifacient pills, such as Planned Parenthood. Municipal (City Council)
8. Either undermine or protect parental authority when it comes to morally controversial curriculum guidelines from the province. The controversial material usually comes under the guise of "equity", "social justice" or "sexual education" and tends to be focused on homosexuality, abortion and contraception. School board