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Home > Features > Local Government in Canada: Organization & Basic Institutions
Created 2007-11-29 19:16
Feature by Jay Makarenko [1]
In Canada, there are several different levels of government: federal, provincial, territorial, and local government. The federal or national government, which includes institutions such as the Prime Minister [2] and Parliament [3], is responsible for areas of jurisdiction affecting all Canadians, such as national defence, foreign policy, criminal law, and citizenship. The federal government (also known as the Government of Canada) also has the authority and responsibility of governing the Territories (though it usually delegates this role to elected territorial governments).
Local governments also have a significant relationship with the federal level of government. The federal government often provides direct funding to communities for infrastructure projects, local events, or the development and implementation of social-welfare programs. Additionally, the federal government participates in local politics through the exercise of its own powers and jurisdictions. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Agency [4], for example, is a federal agency that works closely with municipalities in the area of housing policy. Similarly, Transport Canada [5] (the federal department of transport) works with local governments in the development of airports, harbours, and railroads, which have a critical impact on the economic life of communities. One of the clearest examples of federal-local relations is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police [6], a federal policing agency that operates in many small and rural communities across Canada.
Finally, local governments also have close relationships with one another. Most municipalities in Canada belong to provincial and federal associations, such as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities [7]. The purpose of these associations is to promote cooperation and assistance amongst member municipalities, in addition to providing a unified voice in municipal relations with other levels of government. In addition to provincial- and federal-based associations, there are also international municipal organizations, which promote the sharing of knowledge and cooperation between municipalities in different countries (such as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives [8]).
One of the clearest examples of this type of local government is the Greater Vancouver Regional District [9] (or “GVRD”), which has 21 member municipalities [10] in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia. The GVRD is responsible for overseeing essential utilities for these municipalities (such as drinking water, sewage treatment, recycling, and garbage disposal), managing and planning regional growth and development, as well as protecting air quality and green spaces. The GVRD’s board of directions is comprised of mayors and councillors from each member municipality.
An alternative bureaucratic style common in Canada is the Chief Administrative Officer System, in which the municipal council delegates day-to-day oversight of the municipal public service to an appointed senior official (whom usually has strong credentials in city planning and management). This official (referred to as a chief administration officer, city administrator, municipal manager, or city commissioner) will manage all of the municipal departments and their employees, and then provide reports and updates to the municipal council. This type of administrative style is common in most large Canadian municipalities. Board of Commissioners System Another form of administrative organization is the Board of Commissioners System, where municipal council appoints a management board (or group) of three or four commissioners (one of whom becomes the chief commissioner). Each member of this management group is responsible for their own set of interrelated public policy fields and departments. The board then, collectively, reports to the municipal council on the administration of the entire municipal bureaucracy.
Lightbody, J. “Regional Government.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 20 November 2006. <http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0006748 [11]>
O’Brien, A. “Municipal-Provincial Relations.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 20 November 2006. <http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005519 [12]>
Plunkett, T.J.“Municipal Government.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. 20 November 2006. <http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0005517 [13]>
City Mayors: Canadian Local Government [14]
MUNISOURCE.org [15]
Federation of Canadian Municipalities [7]
International Centre for Municipal Development [16]
Source URL: http://mapleleafweb.com/features/local-government-canada-organization-basic-institutions
Links:[1] http://mapleleafweb.com/user/jay-makarenko
[2] http://mapleleafweb.com/prime-minister-cabinet
[3] http://mapleleafweb.com/parliamentary-government-canada
[4] http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/
[5] http://www.tc.gc.ca/
[6] http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/
[7] http://www.fcm.ca/
[8] http://www.iclei.org/
[9] http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/
[10] http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/about/municipalities.htm
[11] http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&amp;Params=A1ARTA0006748
[12] http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&amp;Params=A1ARTA0005519
[13] http://www.canadianencyclopedia.ca/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&amp;Params=A1ARTA0005517
[14] http://www.citymayors.com/canada/canada_locgov.html
[15] http://www.munisource.org/
[16] http://www.icmd-cidm.ca/