Provincial & Territorial Government

Provincial/Territorial Government Create and apply laws for a particular province or territory Provide government services for a particular province or territory All laws and government operations are run from the Legislature Ontario’s legislature is known as Queen’s Park

Ridings Each province/territory is divided into an area of about 100 000 people, called a riding. Originally, ridings were the size of 1 day’s ride on horseback, but now it’s based on population Each riding is represented by a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), or in Ontario, a Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP)

Political Parties All 10 Provinces, and the Yukon Territory, have a party system of government A political party is a group of people that have the same ideas about how government should be run The way the party thinks that government should be run, is called its platform At election time, political parties run candidates in as many ridings as they can, trying to win the most seats

The Government and the Opposition No government in a free and open democratic system has EVER won all seats in an election That means there are different opinions represented in the Legislature The majority opinion is called “The Government”. The minority opinion(s) is called “The Opposition” The job of the Opposition is to ask questions about what the Government is doing/planning to do This “Question Period” is an opportunity for the Opposition to ensure the Government is being honest and reliable to the voters and citizens

The Cabinet: Who’s on Charge? The government has different departments to look after different areas of public service Each Dept. is led by an elected Cabinet Minister Cabinet Ministers are appointed by the Premier, usually from the senior, most experienced MPPs on the Government side of the Legislature The opposition parties will have a “shadow cabinet” of MPPs appointed to focus on a particular dept. and ask questions of the particular minister Since there are different opinions about how things should be done, arguments are a possibility There are rules of behaviour, enforced by the Speaker-of-the-House, and the Sergeant-at-Arms

Consensus Government The Northwest Territories (NWT) and Nunavut don’t have a cabinet-style party government, they have a “Consensus Government” A consensus government considers every opinion on a subject, and tries to reach decisions that everyone involved can agree with Candidates don’t belong to parties, they are independent The elected members choose the Premier, cabinet ministers and Speaker-of-the-House

Creating Laws Most proposed laws (called “bills”) are introduced by Cabinet Ministers Sometimes though, a private member’s bill can be introduced by any MPP with a good idea (they rarely pass a vote, though) Lt. Governor is appointed to be Queen Elizabeth II’s representative at the provincial level 1st Reading: The bill is introduced to the House by the Minister concerned with that area 2nd Reading: The bill is read again at a later time to the House, & members ask questions and debate the bill Review by Committee The bill is studied by a special committee, suggestions are made for improving it Report to the House The report from the committee, and its suggestions, are read to the House 3rd Reading: The bill, with any new changes, is read to the House and voted on by the members Royal Assent If the bill passes the vote at 3rd reading, The Lt. Governor signs the bill and it is now a law.

Applying Laws: The Court System Enforcing the laws is the job of agencies like police, building inspectors, parking enforcement officers, etc. Once someone is charged with breaking a law, the court system gets involved to apply the law Court of Justice: Less serious crimes/offences like youth crimes, family affairs, and minor driving offences Superior Court of Justice: more serious crimes or serious family affairs like divorce and child protection Court of Appeal: hears appeals of decisions made by lower courts to ensure the correct decision was made Nunavut has a single court that hears all cases there

Provincial/Territorial Services Each province/territory is responsible for providing: Healthcare: paying for medical care; building, running, and staffing hospitals; and buying medical equipment Education: Determining the curriculum to be taught, setting standards and quality, building and maintaining of schools Managing Natural Resources: Control how natural resources (water, vegetation, animals and minerals) are developed, monitor farms and food production, control pollution, encourage sustainable energy sources

Who’s Paying For All This? Provincial/territorial governments get the money to pay for services from money transferred from the Federal Government, and from provincial/territorial taxes Provincial/territorial governments can’t just spend all their money on whatever, they have to make a budget and plan ahead, just like your parents have to budget

Provincial Issues Provincial / territorial governments have to balance the overall needs of the province / territory with local needs The Ontario Far North Act (2010) is a law that limits the development in the far north of the province, to protect the environment 1st Nations bands in the area are upset because they say the Act limits their opportunities to develop resources on their land Other groups are in favour of the Act because it protects the boreal forests from overdevelopment, and forests help fight climate change So, who’s right, and who’s wrong?

Provincial Issues Many of the provincial / territorial government areas of responsibilities are things that people CARE A LOT about