Canada's Parliament and other political institutions

The contemporary federal state of Canada was formed in 1867, when the Province of Canada merged through confederation with two other British colonies in North America, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Canada's 1867 constitution sets out the rules by which the country is governed and divides government responsibilities into three separate branches: parliament, executive and judiciary. In addition to being a federation, Canada is also a representative democracy and a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth, who resides in the United Kingdom (UK), is Canada's head of state. Canada's system of government is modelled on the UK's Westminster system. Canada's federal parliament, made up of the Queen and the two houses of Parliament, is both the legislature and the source of executive power: in the tradition of 'responsible government', government ministers are responsible and accountable to parliament, and must answer to it for their actions. There are three levels of government within Canada: federal, provincial and territorial, and the local levels. Under Canada's federal system, the powers of government are divided between the federal level and the 10 provincial governments, with federal responsibility for the three territories de facto devolved to them. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court in the judicial system. Canada's political system as a federal constitutional monarchy and its Westminster-style democracy resembles that of Australia. Accordingly, this briefing is similar in structure to the February 2020 EPRS briefing 'Australia's Parliament and other political institutions'.