Regional & Local Government

Canada is among the most decentralised countries in the world. It is comprised of 13 regions, of which 10 are provinces and three are territories. The difference between these is constitutional. Provinces are granted constitutional powers in their own right and each province has a lieutenant governor and premier. Territories, on the other hand, exercise the powers delegated to them by the federal government. Historically, this arrangement has meant that government officials largely governed the territories. However, in recent years a process of decentralisation or devolution has occurred which has resulted in greater local decision-making.

Each of the provinces is divided into sub-regions including counties, districts, district municipalities, metropolitan municipalities, regional municipalities, and united counties. Another tier will often exist to include boroughs, cities, municipalities, municipal townships, separate towns, and villages. The distinction in tiers is flexible, however, as a subdivision could appear to fit into the former tier as well as the latter within and across regions. A report by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum states that there are 143 sub-regional authorities and over 3,600 local governments in Canada.