1. Provincial
&
Territorial
Government

2. 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

3. Ridings
Each province/territory is divided into an area of about 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)

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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?

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