So just what does the federal government look after anyway?

A brief description of the responsibilities and powers of Canada’s federal government

Yorkregion.com
July 3, 2019

Canadians head to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2019 federal election Oct. 21.

In advance of the vote, here’s a primer on the different levels of government and for what they are responsible.

• There are three levels of government in Canada: municipal, provincial and federal.

• Based in Ottawa, the federal government plays a huge role in Canadians’ lives -- from the collection of taxes to the delivery of social services, and from the supervision of international trade to the safeguarding of national security.

• The federal level of government deals with areas of law listed in the Constitution Act, 1867 and that generally affect the whole country.

• Everything that isn’t specifically named as the purview of the lower tier government is the responsibility of the federal government.

• Education funding, health care services and some environmental regulations are dealt with at the provincial level.

• Municipalities are responsible for roads, garbage pickup, building codes and libraries, among other services.

• The federal government manages a number of national portfolios -- responsibilities include mail, taxation, railways, pipelines, the census, criminal law, national defence, Aboriginal rights and foreign affairs.

• A couple of big federal issues are climate change and the expansion of the Trans Mountain pipeline.