The politics of Canada functions within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy where the monarch is head of state. In practice, executive authority is entrusted to the Cabinet, a committee of ministers of the Crown chaired by the Prime Minister of Canada that act as the executive committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada and are responsible to the democratically elected House of Commons.
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. Chaired by the prime minister, the Cabinet is a committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada and the senior echelon of the Ministry, the membership of the Cabinet and Ministry often being co-terminal; as of November 2015 there were no members of the latter who were not also members of the former.
The minister of Science is a vacant office that was in the Cabinet of Canada and existed under various forms from 1971 to 2019, when the portfolio's responsibilities were absorbed into the innovation, science and industry portfolio.
The premier of Ontario is the head of government of Ontario. Under the Westminster system, the premier governs with the confidence of a majority the elected Legislative Assembly; as such, the premier typically sits as a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) and leads the largest party or a coalition of parties. As first minister, the premier selects ministers to form the Executive Council, and serves as its chair. Constitutionally, the Crown exercises executive power on the advice of the Executive Council, which is collectively responsible to the legislature.
The minister of health is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing health-focused government agencies including Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as enforcing the Canada Health Act, the law governing Canada's universal health care system.
The Government of Canada is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term Government of Canada refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown and the federal civil service ; it is alternatively known as His Majesty's Government and is corporately branded as the Government of Canada. There are over 100 departments and agencies, as well as over 300,000 persons employed in the Government of Canada. These institutions carry out the programs and enforce the laws established by the Parliament of Canada.
The minister of innovation, science, and industry is the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet who is responsible for overseeing the economic development and corporate affairs department of the government of Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
The minister of northern affairs is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The position has been held by Dan Vandal since 20 November 2019.
Dominic A. LeBlanc is a Canadian lawyer and politician who has served as the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs since 2023. A member of the Liberal Party, LeBlanc sits as the member of Parliament (MP) for Beauséjour, representing the New Brunswick riding in the House of Commons since 2000. He has held a number of Cabinet portfolios throughout his tenure in government.
The Minister for International Trade is the formal title provided by legislation for the minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet responsible for the federal government's international trade portfolio. From February 2006 to July 2017, the minister was styled as "Minister of International Trade", and from July 2017, the title for business use change numerous time. The minister, Mary Ng, has been styled Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development since July 26, 2023
In the Canadian cabinet, the president of the King's Privy Council for Canada is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. The president of the Privy Council also has the largely ceremonial duty of presiding over meetings of the Privy Council, a body which only convenes in full for affairs of state such as the accession of a new Sovereign or the marriage of the Prince of Wales or heir presumptive to the Throne. Accordingly, the last time the president of the Privy Council had to preside over a meeting of the Privy Council was in 2022 for the proclamation of the accession of King Charles III. It is the equivalent of the office of lord president of the council in the United Kingdom.
The Privy Council Office is the central agency of the Government of Canada which acts as the secretariat to the Cabinet of Canada – a committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada – and provides non-partisan advice and support to the Canadian ministry, as well as leadership, coordination, and support to the departments and agencies of government.
The President of the Treasury Board is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet. The president is the chair of the Treasury Board of Canada and is the minister responsible for the Treasury Board Secretariat, the central agency which is responsible for accounting for the Government of Canada's fiscal operations.
The following list outlines the structure of the federal government of Canada, the collective set of federal institutions which can be grouped into the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In turn, these are further divided into departments, agencies, and other organizations which support the day-to-day function of the Canadian state.
The Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat is a government agency of Canada that is part of the Privy Council Office. Directed by a deputy minister, it supports the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and, through the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet, the Prime Minister of Canada and Cabinet, with respect to policy and communications in such areas as federal-provincial-territorial relations, Aboriginal affairs, the evolution of the federation and Canadian unity.
The minister of official languages is a minister of the Crown in the Canadian Cabinet.
The provincial secretary was a senior position in the executive councils of British North America's colonial governments, and was retained by the Canadian provincial governments for at least a century after Canadian Confederation was proclaimed in 1867. The position has been abolished in almost all provinces in recent decades ; the exceptions are Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia, where it still exists but is no longer a standalone senior portfolio.
The monarchy of Canada forms the core of each Canadian provincial jurisdiction's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, being the foundation of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government in each province. The monarchy has been headed since September 8, 2022 by King Charles III who as sovereign is shared equally with both the Commonwealth realms and the Canadian federal entity. He, his consort, and other members of the Canadian royal family undertake various public and private functions across the country. He is the only member of the royal family with any constitutional role.
The Canadian Intergovernmental Conference Secretariat is an independent Canadian government agency enacted on November 29, 1973 by an Order in Council from the first ministers created for the purpose of facilitating intergovernmental meetings in Canada. It offers planning and administrative services for meetings between first ministers, ministers and deputy ministers of provincial and territorial governments, and multilateral meetings between ministers of the provinces, territories, and the federal government. The agency reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Each of the provinces and territories of Canada has their own similar agency.
Executive federalism is "the processes of intergovernmental negotiation that are dominated by the executives of the different governments within the federal system." Alternatively, Donald Smiley defined executive federalism as “the relation between elected and appointed officials of the two orders of government.”
