GetWiki

{{short description|Top-level subdivisions of Canada}}{{Redirect|Canadian Province|the historic colony|Province of Canada|the biological term|Circumboreal Region}}{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}

factoids

|alt_name=350px|A map of Canada showing its 10 provinces and 3 territories)| category=Federated state10 provinces|3 territories}}| number_date=| population_range=| territory=| area_range=Constitutional monarchy > subdivision=}}Canada has ten provinces and three territories that are sub-national administrative divisions under the jurisdiction of the Canadian Constitution. In the 1867 Canadian Confederation, three provinces of British North America—New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the Province of Canada (which upon Confederation was divided into Ontario and Quebec)—united to form a federation, becoming a fully independent country over the next century. Over its history, Canada's international borders have changed several times as it has added territories and provinces, making it the world's second-largest country by area.The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces receive their power and authority from the Constitution Act, 1867 (formerlyName changed only in Canada by the Canada Act 1982 (UK), s. 1 called the British North America Act, 1867), whereas territories are federal territories whose governments are creatures of statute with powers delegated to them by the Parliament of Canada. The powers flowing from the Constitution Act are divided between the Government of Canada (the federal government) and the provincial governments to exercise exclusively. A change to the division of powers between the federal government and the provinces requires a constitutional amendment, whereas a similar change affecting the territories can be performed unilaterally by the Parliament of Canada or government.In modern Canadian constitutional theory, the provinces are considered to be co-sovereign within certain areas based on the divisions of responsibility between the provincial and federal government within the Constitution Act, 1867, and each province thus has its own representative of the Canadian Crown, the lieutenant governor. The territories are not sovereign, but instead their authorities and responsibilities are devolved directly from the federal level, and as a result, have a commissioner that represents the federal government.

Provinces

{{update section|date=May 2024|reason=Area columns use data from 2005 and may need to be updated}}{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="margin:auto; text-align: center;"Provinces of Canada}}! scope="col" colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Name and postal {{abbr|abbr.|abbreviation}}! scope="col" colspan="2" | Cities! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Entered ConfederationBOOK, Reader's Digest Association (Canada), Canadian Geographic Enterprises, The Canadian Atlas: Our Nation, Environment and People,weblink 2004, Douglas & McIntyre, 978-1-55365-082-9, 41, November 21, 2015,weblink May 3, 2016, live, ! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Officiallanguage(s)WEB, Official Language Policies of the Canadian Provinces, Fraser Institute, 2012, Olivier, Coche, François, Vaillancourt, Marc-Antoine, Cadieux, Jamie Lee, Ronson,weblink August 6, 2012, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20120428174237weblink">weblink April 28, 2012, ! scope="col" colspan="2" | Population! scope="col" class="unsortable" colspan="3" | Area (km2)WEB,weblink Land and freshwater area, by province and territory, Statistics Canada, 2005, August 4, 2013, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110524063547weblink">weblink May 24, 2011, ! scope="col" class="unsortable" colspan="2" | SeatsWEB,weblink Guide to the Canadian House of Commons, Parliament of Canada, 2012, August 6, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130627214354weblink">weblink June 27, 2013, live, ! scope="col" | Capital! scope="col" | LargestWEB,weblink Census Profile, Statistic Canada, 2013, August 6, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130208074653weblink">weblink February 8, 2013, live, ! scope="col" |2021 censusWEB,weblink Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, Statistics Canada, October 11, 2022, October 11, 2022, live, February 9, 2022,weblink ! scope="col" |Q4 2023estimatesWEB, September 27, 2023, Population estimates, quarterly,weblink live,weblink September 28, 2023, January 14, 2023, Statistics Canada, ! scope="col" | Land! scope="col" | Water! scope="col" | Total! scope="col" | Commons! scope="col" | Senate! scope="row" | Ontario| ON TorontoJuly 1, 1867}}English language>English{{efnDe facto; French has limited constitutional status.}}14,223,942}}15,801,768}}917,741}}158,654}}1,076,395}}| 121| 24! scope="row" | Quebec| QC| Quebec City| MontrealJuly 1, 1867}}French language>French{{efn|As established under the Charter of the French Language. English has limited constitutional status in Quebec.}}8,501,833}}8,948,540}}1,356,128}}185,928}}1,542,056}}| 78| 24! scope="row" | Nova Scotia| NS Halifax, Nova Scotia{{efn>Nova Scotia dissolved cities in 1996 in favour of regional municipalities; its largest regional municipality is therefore substituted.}}July 1, 1867}}name=english}}969,383}}1,066,416}}53,338}}1,946}}55,284}}| 11| 10! scope="row" | New Brunswick| NB| Fredericton| MonctonJuly 1, 1867}}As established under Section 16 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.}}775,610}}842,725}}71,450}}1,458}}72,908}}| 10| 10! scope="row" | Manitoba| MB WinnipegJuly 15, 1870}}name=english}}1,342,153}}1,465,440}}553,556}}94,241}}647,797}}| 14| 6! scope="row" | British Columbia| BCVictoria, British Columbia>Victoria| VancouverJuly 20, 1871}}name=english}}5,000,879}}5,581,127}}925,186}}19,549}}944,735}}| 42| 6! scope="row" | Prince Edward Island| PE CharlottetownJuly 1, 1873}}name=english}}154,331}}175,853}}5,660}}0}}5,660}}| 4| 4! scope="row" | Saskatchewan| SKRegina, Saskatchewan>Regina| SaskatoonSeptember 1, 1905}}name=abandsk}}1,132,505}}1,218,976}}591,670}}59,366}}651,036}}| 14| 6! scope="row" | Alberta| AB| Edmonton| CalgarySeptember 1, 1905}}name=abandsk|As established under Languages Acts passed by Alberta and Saskatchewan's respective legislatures in 1988. French has limited constitutional status.}}4,262,635}}4,756,408}}642,317}}19,531}}661,848}}| 34| 6! scope="row" | Newfoundland and Labrador| NL St. John'sMarch 31, 1949}}name=english}}510,550}}540,418}}373,872}}31,340}}405,212}}| 7| 6 class="sortbottom"! scope="row" colspan="6" | Total provinces! {{right|{{nts|36873821}}}}! {{right|{{nts|40397671}}}}! {{right|{{nts|5490918}}}}! {{right|{{nts|572013}}}}! {{right|{{nts|6062931}}}}! {{nts|335}}! {{nts|102}}

Territories

There are three territories in Canada. Unlike the provinces, the territories of Canada have no inherent sovereignty and have only those powers delegated to them by the federal government.WEB,weblink Northwest Territories Act, 1986, Department of Justice Canada, March 25, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130515072706weblink">weblink May 15, 2013, live, WEB,weblink Yukon Act, 2002, Department of Justice Canada, March 25, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130528193436weblink">weblink May 28, 2013, live, WEB,weblink Nunavut Act, 1993, Department of Justice Canada, January 27, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20110105214204weblink">weblink January 5, 2011, live, They include all of mainland Canada north of latitude 60° north and west of Hudson Bay and all islands north of the Canadian mainland (from those in James Bay to the Queen Elizabeth Islands). The following table lists the territories in order of precedence{{clarify|reason=The concept of precedence has not been introduced or explained in this article. It is not clear from context what this means.|date=April 2021}} (each province has precedence over all the territories, regardless of the date each territory was created).Another territory, the District of Keewatin, existed from October 7, 1876, until September 1, 1905, when it rejoined the Northwest Territories and became the Keewatin Region. It occupied the area that is now the Kenora District of Ontario, northern Manitoba, and mainland Nunavut. The government of Keewatin was based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The territory did not have any representation in federal parliament.{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="margin: auto; text-align: center;"Territories of Canada}}! scope="col" rowspan="2" colspan="2" | Name and postal {{Abbr|abbr.|abbreviation}}! scope="col" colspan="2" | Cities! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Entered Confederation! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Official languages! scope="col" colspan="2" | Population! scope="col" class="unsortable" colspan="3" | Area (km2)! scope="col" class="unsortable" colspan="2" | Seats! scope="col" | Capital! scope="col" | Largest! scope="col" |2021 census! scope="col" |Q4 2023estimates! scope="col" | Land! scope="col" | Water! scope="col" | Total! Commons! Senate {{nowrap|Northwest Territories}}| NT YellowknifeJuly 15, 1870}}Chipewyan language>Chipewyan, Cree language, English, French, Gwichʼin language>Gwichʼin, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Slavey language, Slavey language>South Slavey, Dogrib languageNorthwest Territories Official Languages Act, 1988 {{Webarchive>url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722182727weblink |date=July 22, 2014}} (as amended 1988, 1991–1992, 2003)41,070}}44,760}}1,183,085}}163,021}}1,346,106}}| 1| 1 Yukon| YT WhitehorseJune 13, 1898}}PUBLISHER=OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACCESS-DATE=AUGUST 6, 2013 ARCHIVE-DATE=JULY 25, 2013, live, 40,232}}45,148}}474,391}}8,052}}482,443}}| 1| 1 Nunavut| NU IqaluitApril 1, 1999}}PUBLISHER=LANGUAGE COMMISSIONER OF NUNAVUTACCESS-DATE=AUGUST 6, 2013ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20130814112846/HTTP://LANGCOM.NU.CA/NUNAVUTS-OFFICIAL-LANGUAGES, August 14, 2013, 36,858}}40,817}}1,936,113}}157,077}}2,093,190}}| 1| 1 class="sortbottom"! scope="row" colspan="6" | Total territories! {{right|{{nts|118160}}}}! {{right|{{nts|130725}}}}! {{right|{{nts|3593589}}}}! {{right|{{nts|328150}}}}! {{right|{{nts|3921739}}}}! 3! 3

Population

(File:2016 Canada Pop Pie.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|Breakdown of Canada's population from the 2016 census by province/territory)The vast majority of Canada's population is concentrated in areas close to the Canada–US border. Its four largest provinces by area (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta) are also (with Quebec and Ontario switched in order) its most populous; together they account for 86% of the country's population. The territories (the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon) account for over a third of Canada's area but are only home to 0.3% of its population, which skews the national population density value.Series A2-14. Population of Canada by province, census dates, 1851 to 1976Canada's population grew by 5.0% between the 2006 and 2011 censuses. Except for New Brunswick, all territories and provinces increased in population during this time. In terms of percent change, the fastest-growing province or territory was Nunavut with an increase of 12.7% between 2011 and 2016, followed by Alberta with 11.6% growth, while New Brunswick's population decreased by 0.5%.WEB,weblink 2016 Census profiles, 2016, Statistics Canada, Generally, Canadian provinces have steadily grown in population along with Canada. However, some provinces such as Saskatchewan, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador have experienced long periods of stagnation or population decline. Ontario and Quebec have always been the two biggest provinces in Canada, with together over 60% of the population at any given time. The population of the West relative to Canada as a whole has steadily grown over time, while that of Atlantic Canada has declined.

Territorial evolution

{{See also|Former colonies and territories in Canada}}(File:Canada provinces evolution 2.gif|thumb|upright=1.15|right|alt=When Canada was formed in 1867 its provinces were a relatively narrow strip in the southeast, with vast territories in the interior. It grew by adding British Columbia in 1871, P.E.I. in 1873, the British Arctic Islands in 1880, and Newfoundland in 1949; meanwhile, its provinces grew both in size and number at the expense of its territories.|Territorial evolution of the borders and the names of Canada's provinces and territories)File:Stained glass, Oh Canada Royal Military College of Canada Club Montreal 1965.jpg|upright=1.15|right|thumb|"O Canada we stand on guard for thee" Stained Glass, Yeo Hall, Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of CanadaOntario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia were the original provinces, formed when several British North American colonies federated on July 1, 1867, into the Dominion of Canada and by stages began accruing the indicia of sovereignty from the United Kingdom.BOOK, Janet, Ajzenstat, Canada's Founding Debates,weblink 2003, University of Toronto Press, 978-0-8020-8607-5, 3, November 22, 2015,weblink April 24, 2016, live, Prior to this, Ontario and Quebec were united as the Province of Canada. Over the following years, Manitoba (1870), British Columbia (1871), and Prince Edward Island (1873) were added as provinces.The British Crown had claimed two large areas north-west of the Canadian colony, known as Rupert's Land and the North-Western Territory, and assigned them to the Hudson's Bay Company. In 1870, the company relinquished its claims for £300,000 (CND$1.5 million), assigning the vast territory to the government of Canada.BOOK, James Stuart, Olson, Robert, Shadle, Historical Dictionary of the British Empire: A-J,weblink 1996, Greenwood Publishing Group, 978-0-313-29366-5, 538, November 22, 2015,weblink May 6, 2016, live, Subsequently, the area was re-organized into the province of Manitoba and the North-West Territories. The North-West Territories encompassed all of current northern and western Canada, except for the British holdings in the Arctic islands and the Colony of British Columbia. NWT included the northern two-thirds of Ontario and Quebec. After the province of Manitoba was established in 1870, in a small area in the south of today's province, almost all of present-day Manitoba was still contained in the NWT. (Manitoba expanded to its present size in 1912.)The British claims to the Arctic islands were transferred to Canada in 1880, adding to the size of the North-West Territories. In 1898 the Yukon Territory, later renamed "Yukon" in 2003, was carved from the area surrounding the Klondike gold fields. On September 1, 1905, a portion of the North-West Territories south of the 60th parallel north became the provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. In 1912, the boundaries of Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba were expanded northward: Manitoba's to the 60° parallel, Ontario's to Hudson Bay and Quebec's to encompass the District of Ungava.WEB,weblink Territorial evolution, Atlas of Canada, January 27, 2007, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070202135304weblink">weblink February 2, 2007, In 1869, the people of Newfoundland voted to remain a British colony over fears that taxes would increase with Confederation, and that the economic policy of the Canadian government would favour mainland industries.WEB,weblink Confederation Rejected: Newfoundland and the Canadian Confederation, 1864–1869: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage, 2000, July 29, 2013,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130922063836weblink">weblink September 22, 2013, live, In 1907, Newfoundland acquired dominion status.BOOK, Sandra, Clarke, Newfoundland and Labrador English,weblink 2010, Edinburgh University Press, 978-0-7486-2617-5, 7, November 22, 2015,weblink May 12, 2016, live, In the middle of the Great Depression in Canada, Newfoundland underwent a prolonged economic crisis, and the legislature turned over political control to the Newfoundland Commission of Government in 1933.BOOK, John W., Friesen, Trevor W., Harrison, Canadian Society in the Twenty-first Century: An Historical Sociological Approach,weblink 2010, Canadian Scholars' Press, 978-1-55130-371-0, 115, November 22, 2015,weblink April 29, 2016, live, Following Canada's participation in the Second World War, in a 1948 referendum, a narrow majority of Newfoundland citizens voted to join the Confederation, and on March 31, 1949, Newfoundland became Canada's tenth province.BOOK, Raymond Benjamin, Blake, Canadians at Last: Canada Integrates Newfoundland As a Province,weblink 1994, University of Toronto Press, 978-0-8020-6978-8, 4, November 22, 2015,weblink June 23, 2016, live, The province was officially renamed Newfoundland and Labrador in 2001.BOOK, Fred M., Shelley, Nation Shapes: The Story behind the World's Borders,weblink 2013, ABC-CLIO, 978-1-61069-106-2, 175, November 22, 2015,weblink April 28, 2016, live, Bermuda, the last British North American colony,MAGAZINE, Civil List of the Province of Lower-Canada 1828: Governor, The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828, Quebec, Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street, 1812, MAGAZINE, STAFF of the ARMY in the Provinces of Nova-Scotia, New-Brunswick, and their Dependencies, including the Island of Newfoundland, Cape Breton, Prince Edward and Bermuda, The Quebec Almanack and British American Royal Kalendar For The Year 1828, Quebec, Neilson and Cowan, No. 3 Mountain Street, 1812, BOOK, 1890, Meteorological Observations at the Foreign and Colonial Stations of the Royal Engineers and the Army Medical Department 1852—1886., London, Meteorological Council. HMSO, BOOK, Young, Douglas MacMurray, 1961, The Colonial Office in The Early Nineteenth Century, London, Published for the Royal Commonwealth Society by Longmans, 55, which had been somewhat subordinated to Nova Scotia, was one of two Imperial fortress colonies in British North America{{snd}} the other being Nova Scotia, and more particularly the city of Halifax.BOOK, Keith, Arthur Berriedale, 1909, Responsible Government in The Dominions, London, Stevens and Sons Ltd, 5, BOOK, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Edward Sinclair, May, 1903, Principles and Problems of Imperial Defence, London, Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 145, Halifax and Bermuda were the sites of the Royal Navy's North America Station (or, depending on the time period and the extent of the Western Hemisphere it included, the River St. Lawrence and Coast of America and North America and West Indies Station, the North America and Newfoundland Station, the North America and West Indies Station, and finally the America and West Indies Station) main bases, dockyards, and Admiralty Houses. The squadron of the station was based at Royal Naval Dockyard, Halifax, during the summers and Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, in the winters until the 1820s, when Bermuda (which was better located to control the Atlantic Seaboard of the United States, impossible to attack over land, and almost impregnable against attack over water) became the main base year round.BOOK, Stranack, Royal Navy, Lieutenant-Commander B. Ian D, 1977, The Andrew and The Onions: The Story of The Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975, Bermuda, Island Press Ltd, 9780921560036, WEB,weblink World Heritage List: Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications, Bermuda, UNESCO, July 28, 2021, BOOK, Ingham-Hind, Jennifer M., Defence, Not Defiance: A History Of The Bermuda Volunteer Rifle Corps, 1992, Bermuda, The Island Press, 0969651716, BOOK, Harris, Edward C., Edward C. Harris, Bermuda Forts 1612–1957, 1997, Bermuda, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, 9780921560111, A large British Army garrison in Bermuda, which fell under the commander-in-chief in Nova Scotia, existed to defend the colony as a naval base (and to prevent it becoming as useful a base to the navy of an adversary), as well as to support amphibious operations throughout the region (such as the Chesapeake campaign during the American War of 1812).NEWS, Harris, Edward Cecil, January 21, 2012, Bermuda's role in the Sack of Washington,weblink The Royal Gazette, City of Hamilton, Pembroke, Bermuda, August 8, 2021, MAGAZINE, Grove, Tim, January 22, 2021, Fighting The Power,weblink Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Annapolis, Chesapeake Bay Media, LLC, August 8, 2021, Bermuda was consequently the most important British naval and military base in the Americas.BOOK, Willock United States Marine Corps, USMC, Lieutenant-Colonel Roger, Bulwark Of Empire: Bermuda's Fortified Naval Base 1860–1920, 1988, Bermuda, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, 9780921560005, BOOK, Gordon, Donald Craigie, 1965, The Dominion Partnership in Imperial Defense, 1870-1914, Baltimore, Maryland, US, Johns Hopkins Press, 14, Canadian confederation resulted in the Canadian Militia becoming responsible for the defence of the Maritimes, the abolition of the British Army's commander-in-chief there, and the reduction of British military forces in the Maritimes to a small garrison for the protection of the Halifax dockyard, which would be withdrawn when that dockyard was handed over to the Dominion government in 1905 for use by the new Canadian naval service. Britain retained control of Bermuda as an imperial fortress, with the governor and commander-in-chief of Bermuda (a military officer previously ranking between lieutenant-colonel and major-general) becoming a lieutenant-general termed a general officer commanding and the Bermuda garrison becoming a command in its own right.BOOK, MacFarlane, Thomas, 1891, Within the Empire; An Essay on Imperial Federation, Ottawa, James Hope & Co., 29, MAGAZINE, Kennedy, R.N., Captain W. R., July 1, 1885, An Unknown Colony: Sport, Travel and Adventure in Newfoundland and the West Indies, Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, William Blackwood & Sons, 111, MAGAZINE, VERAX, (anonymous), May 1, 1889, The Defense of Canada. (From Colburn's United Service Magazine), The United Service: A Quarterly Review of Military and Naval Affairs, LR Hamersly & Co., 552, BOOK, Dawson, George M., Sutherland, Alexander, 1898, MacMillan's Geographical Series: Elementary Geography of the British Colonies, London, MacMillan and Co., 184, Bermuda was consequently left out of the confederation of Canada, though it retained naval links with Halifax and the state church (or established church), the Church of England, continued to place Bermuda under the bishop of Newfoundland until 1919 (Bermuda also remained linked to the Maritimes under the Methodist and Roman Catholic churches).WEB,weblink Our Churches: Pembroke Parish, Anglican Church of Bermuda, August 28, 2021, WEB,weblink Our History, Anglican East NL, Anglican Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, August 17, 2021, WEB,weblink The Church of England, Piper, Liza, 2000, Heritage Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage Web Site, August 17, 2021, WEB,weblink A History Of Our Church, Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda, The Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda, August 28, 2021, The Diocese of Hamilton in Bermuda was established in 12th June 1967. Bermuda was served by the Diocesan clergy of Halifax until 1953, after which pastoral responsibility transferred to the Congregation of the Resurrection., In 1903, resolution of the Alaska Panhandle Dispute fixed British Columbia's northwestern boundary.BOOK, James, Laxer, The Border: Canada, the US and Dispatches From the 49th Parallel,weblink 2010, Doubleday Canada, 978-0-385-67290-0, 215, November 22, 2015,weblink April 30, 2016, live, This was one of only two provinces in Canadian history to have its size reduced. The second reduction, in 1927, occurred when a boundary dispute between Canada and the Dominion of Newfoundland saw Labrador enlarged at Quebec's expense; this land returned to Canada, as part of the province of Newfoundland, in 1949.BOOK, A. Oye, Cukwurah, The Settlement of Boundary Disputes in International Law,weblink 1967, Manchester University Press, 186, GGKEY:EXSJZ7S92QE, November 22, 2015,weblink May 19, 2016, live, In 1999, Nunavut was created from the eastern portion of the Northwest Territories. Yukon lies in the western portion of Northern Canada, while Nunavut is in the east.BOOK, Mark, Nuttall, Encyclopedia of the Arctic,weblink 2012, Routledge, 978-1-57958-436-8, 301, November 22, 2015,weblink May 6, 2016, live, All three territories combined are the most sparsely populated region in Canada, covering {{convert|{{#expr:1346106+482443+2093190}}|km2|mi2|abbr=on}} in land area. They are often referred to as a single region, the North, for organizational and economic purposes.BOOK, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Oecd Territorial Reviews: Canada,weblink registration, 2002, OECD Publishing, 978-92-64-19832-6, 16, November 22, 2015, For much of the Northwest Territories' early history it was divided into several districts for ease of administration.BOOK, Carl, Waldman, Molly, Braun, Atlas of the North American Indian,weblink 2009, Infobase Publishing, 978-1-4381-2671-5, 234, November 22, 2015,weblink May 16, 2016, live, The District of Keewatin was created as a separate territory from 1876 to 1905, after which, as the Keewatin Region, it became an administrative district of the Northwest Territories.BOOK, McIlwraith, Thomas Forsyth, Edward K., Muller, North America: The Historical Geography of a Changing Continent,weblink 2001, Rowman & Littlefield, 978-0-7425-0019-8, 359, November 22, 2015,weblink May 6, 2016, live, In 1999, it was dissolved when it became part of Nunavut.

Government

{{See also|Monarchy in the Canadian provinces|Office-holders of Canada|Legislative assemblies of Canadian provinces and territories}}Theoretically, provinces have a great deal of power relative to the federal government, with jurisdiction over many public goods such as health care, education, welfare, and intra-provincial transportation.BOOK, Gregory S., Mahler, New Dimensions of Canadian Federalism: Canada in a Comparative Perspective,weblink registration, 1987, Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 978-0-8386-3289-5, 86, November 22, 2015, They receive "transfer payments" from the federal government to pay for these, as well as exacting their own taxes.BOOK, Ian, Peach, Constructing Tomorrows Federalism: New Perspectives on Canadian Governance,weblink 2007, Univ. of Manitoba Press, 978-0-88755-315-8, 52, November 22, 2015,weblink May 10, 2016, live, In practice, however, the federal government can use these transfer payments to influence these provincial areas. For instance, in order to receive healthcare funding under Medicare, provinces must agree to meet certain federal mandates, such as universal access to required medical treatment.Provincial and territorial legislatures have no second chamber like the Canadian Senate. Originally, most provinces had such bodies, known as legislative councils, with members titled councillors. These upper houses were abolished one by one, Quebec's being the last in 1968.BOOK, Jocelyn, Maclure, Quebec Identity: The Challenge of Pluralism,weblink 2003, McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP, 978-0-7735-7111-2, 162, November 22, 2015,weblink May 1, 2016, live, In most provinces, the single house of the legislature is known as the Legislative Assembly; the exceptions are Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, where the chamber is called the House of Assembly, and Quebec where it is called the National Assembly.BOOK, Nathan, Tidridge, Canada's Constitutional Monarchy: An Introduction to Our Form of Government,weblink 2011, Dundurn, 978-1-4597-0084-0, 281, November 22, 2015,weblink May 14, 2016, live, Ontario has a legislative assembly but its members are called members of the Provincial Parliament or MPPs.BOOK, Laura Elizabeth, Pinto, Curriculum Reform in Ontario: 'Common-Sense' Policy Processes and Democratic Possibilities,weblink 2012, University of Toronto Press, 978-1-4426-6158-5, 325, November 22, 2015,weblink May 29, 2016, live, The legislative assemblies use a procedure similar to that of the House of Commons of Canada. The head of government of each province, called the premier, is generally the head of the party with the most seats.BOOK, Gordon, Barnhart, Saskatchewan Premiers of the Twentieth Century,weblink 2004, University of Regina Press, 978-0-88977-164-2, 7, November 22, 2015,weblink May 27, 2016, live, This is also the case in Yukon, but the Northwest Territories and Nunavut have no political parties at the territorial level.BOOK, Barry Scott, Zellen, On Thin Ice: The Inuit, the State, and the Challenge of Arctic Sovereignty,weblink 2009, Lexington Books, 978-0-7391-3280-7, 54, November 22, 2015,weblink April 30, 2016, live, The King's representative in each province is the lieutenant governor.BOOK, Nathan, Tidridge, Canada's Constitutional Monarchy,weblink 2011, Dundurn, 978-1-55488-980-8, 94, November 22, 2015,weblink June 17, 2016, live, In each of the territories there is an analogous commissioner, but they represent the federal government rather than the monarch.BOOK, Corinna, Pike, Christopher, McCreery, Canadian Symbols of Authority: Maces, Chains, and Rods of Office,weblink 2011, Dundurn, 978-1-4597-0016-1, 183, November 22, 2015,weblink May 29, 2016, live, {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="margin:auto;"|+ Federal, provincial, and territorial terminology compared! Jurisdiction! Legislature! Lower house! Members of lower house! Superior court! Head of government! Viceroy! scope="row" | Canada| Parliament| House of Commons| Member of Parliament (MP)| Federal Court| Prime minister| Governor general! scope="row" | Ontario| Parliament| Legislative Assemblyname=OLA2| Members were previously titled "Member of the Legislative Assembly".}}| Superior Court of Justice Premier Lieutenant governor! scope="row" | Quebec{{efn|name=National Assembly| Quebec's lower house was previously called the "Legislative Assembly" with members titled "Member of the Legislative Assembly". The name was changed at the same time Quebec's upper house was abolished.}}| Legislature| National Assembly| Member of the National Assembly (MNA)| Superior Court! scope="row" | Nova Scotia General AssemblyHouse of AssemblyMember of the Legislative Assembly (MLA)Supreme Court! scope="row" | New Brunswick Legislature Legislative Assembly Court of King's Bench! scope="row" | Manitoba! scope="row" | British Columbia Parliament Supreme Court! scope="row" | Prince Edward Island{{efn|name=pei la| Prince Edward Island's lower house was previously called the "House of Assembly" and its members were titled "Assemblyman". After the abolition of its upper house, assemblymen and councillors both sat in the renamed "Legislative Assembly". Later, this practice was abolished so that all members would be titled "Member of the Legislative Assembly".}} General Assembly! scope="row" | Saskatchewan Legislature Court of King's Bench! scope="row" | Alberta! scope="row" | Newfoundland and Labrador General AssemblyHouse of Assembly| Member of the House of Assembly (MHA)Supreme Court! scope="row" | Northwest Territories| Assembly Legislative Assembly Member of the Legislative Assembly Supreme Court Premier{{efn In Northwest Territories and Yukon the head of government was previously titled "Government Leader".}}Commissioner! scope="row" | Yukon| Legislature! scope="row" | Nunavut| Assembly| Court of Justice

Provincial legislature buildings

File:2011 Alberta Legislature Building 03.jpg|Alberta Legislature BuildingFile:British Columbia Parliament Buildings - panoramio.jpg|British Columbia Parliament BuildingsFile:Parliamentwinnipeg manitoba.jpg|Manitoba Legislative BuildingFile:New Brunswick Legislature.png|New Brunswick Legislative BuildingFile:Confederation Building (front), St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.jpg|Newfoundland and Labrador Confederation BuildingFile:Province House (Nova Scotia).jpg|Nova Scotia Province HouseFile:Ontario Legislative Building, Toronto, South view 20170417 1.jpg|Ontario Legislative BuildingFile:282 - Birthplace of Canada Charlottetown PEI.JPG|Prince Edward Island Province HouseFile:Quebec City (14765614666).jpg|Quebec Parliament BuildingFile:Saskatchewan legislative building.jpg|Saskatchewan Legislative Building

Territorial legislature buildings

File:Northwest Territories Legislative Building.jpg|Northwest Territories Legislative BuildingFile:Leg Building Iqaluit 2000-08-27.jpg|Nunavut Legislative BuildingFile:Yukon Legislature main entrance.jpg|Yukon Legislative Building

Map

{{Canada image map}}

Provincial political parties

(File:GoverningPoliticalPartyByProvince.png|right|250px|thumb|The governing political party or parties in each Canadian province. Multicoloured provinces are governed by a coalition or minority government consisting of more than one party.)(File:Provincial Parties Oct 2023.jpg|thumb|252x252px|Map depicting the elected provincial political parties represented at the riding level. Updated after the 2023 Manitoba general election.)Most provinces have rough provincial counterparts to major federal parties. However, these provincial parties are not usually formally linked to the federal parties that share the same name.BOOK, William, Cross, Political Parties, 2011, UBC Press, 978-0-7748-4111-5, 17–20, For example, no provincial Conservative or Progressive Conservative Party shares an organizational link to the federal Conservative Party of Canada, and neither do provincial Green Parties to the Green Party of Canada.Provincial New Democratic Parties, on the other hand, are fully integrated with the federal New Democratic Party—meaning that provincial parties effectively operate as sections, with common membership, of the federal party.The Liberal Party of Canada shares such an organizational integration with Atlantic Canada provincial Liberals in New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Other provincial Liberal Parties are unaffiliated with their federal counterpart.Some provinces have provincial political parties with no clear federal equivalent, such as the Alberta Party and Saskatchewan Party.The provincial political climate of Quebec is different: the main split is between sovereignty, represented by the Parti Québécois and Québec solidaire, and federalism, represented primarily by the Quebec Liberal Party.BOOK, Alain-Gustave, Gagnon, The Canadian Social Union Without Quebec: 8 Critical Analyses,weblink 2000, IRPP, 978-0-88645-184-4, 209–210, November 22, 2015,weblink May 5, 2016, live, The , meanwhile, takes an abstentionist position on the question and does not support or oppose sovereignty.Currently, the one minority provincial/territorial government is held by the Liberals in Yukon. They are in government with a formal confidence and supply agreement from the Yukon New Democratic Party. {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"|+ Provincial/territorial governments! scope="col" | Province/territory! scope="col" | PremierWEB,weblink Premiers, Parliament of Canada, August 6, 2013, ! scope="col" colspan="2" | Party in government! scope="col" | Party main ideology! scope="col" | Party political position! scope="col" | Majority/minority! scope="col" | Lieutenant governor / commissionerWEB,weblink Lieutenant Governors and Territorial Commissioners, Parliament of Canada, August 6, 2013, ! scope="col" | Last election!Next election! scope="row" | Alberta| Danielle SmithABbackground}} |United Conservative Party>United ConservativeConservatism {{nowrap>(Canadian)}}Centre-right politics>Centre-right {{nowrapRight-wing politics>right-wing}}| Majority| Salma Lakhani20232027! scope="row" | British Columbia| David EbyBCbackground}} |British Columbia New Democratic Party>New Democratic| Social democracyCentre-left politics>Centre-left| Majority| Janet Austin20202024! scope="row" | Manitoba| Wab KinewMBbackground}} |New Democratic Party of Manitoba>New Democratic| Social democracyCentre-left politics>Centre-left| Majority| Anita Neville20232027! scope="row" | New BrunswickBlaine HiggsHTTPS://WWW.CBC.CA/NEWS/CANADA/NEW-BRUNSWICK/NEW-BRUNSWICK-CONFIDENCE-VOTE-LIBERALS-GALLANT-1.4888347LAST=POITRASDATE=NOVEMBER 2, 2018, CBC News, NBbackground}} |Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick>Progressive Conservative| Liberal conservatismCentre-right politics>Centre-right| Majority| Brenda Murphy20202024! scope="row" | Newfoundland and Labrador| Andrew FureyNLbackground}} |Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador>LiberalLiberalism {{nowrap>(Canadian)}}Centrism>Centre| Majority| Joan Marie Aylward20212025! scope="row" | Nova Scotia| Tim HoustonNSbackground}} |Progressive Conservative Association of Nova Scotia>Progressive Conservative| Red ToryismCentrism>Centre {{nowrapCentre-left politics>centre-left}} | Majority| Arthur Joseph LeBlanc20212025! scope="row" | Ontario| Doug FordONbackground}} |Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario>Progressive ConservativeConservatism {{nowrap>(Canadian)}}Centrism>Centre {{nowrapCentre-right politics>centre-right}}| Majority| Edith Dumont20222026! scope="row" | Prince Edward IslandDennis King (politician)>Dennis KingPEbackground}} |Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island>Progressive Conservative| Progressive conservatismCentre-right politics>Centre-right| MajorityAntoinette Perry (lieutenant governor)>Antoinette Perry20232027! scope="row" | Quebec| François LegaultQCbackground}} |Quebec nationalismCentre-right politics>Centre-right| Majority| Manon Jeannotte20222026! scope="row" | Saskatchewan| Scott MoeSKbackground}} || Saskatchewan PartyConservatism {{nowrap>(Canadian)}}Centre-right politics>Centre-right {{nowrapRight-wing politics>right-wing}}| Majority| Russell Mirasty20202024! scope="row" | Northwest Territories| R. J. SimpsonNTbackground}} |Nonpartisan consensus government}}| Margaret Thom20232027! scope="row" | Nunavut| P.J. AkeeagokNUbackground}} |Nonpartisan consensus government}}| Eva Aariak20212025! scope="row" | Yukon| Ranj PillaiYTbackground}} |Yukon Liberal Party>LiberalLiberalism {{nowrap>(Canadian)}}Centrism>Centre| Minority| Angélique Bernard20212025

Ceremonial territory

The Canadian National Vimy Memorial, near Vimy, Pas-de-Calais, and the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, near Beaumont-Hamel, both in France, are ceremonially considered Canadian territory.BOOK, John, Wilson, Failed Hope: The Story of the Lost Peace,weblink registration, 2012, Dundurn, 978-1-4597-0345-2, 38, November 22, 2015, In 1922, the French government donated the land used for the Vimy Memorial "freely, and for all time, to the Government of Canada the free use of the land exempt from all taxes".WEB, Design and Construction of the Vimy Ridge Memorial, Veteran Affairs Canada, August 8, 1998,weblink July 20, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090409062438weblink">weblink April 9, 2009, dead, The site of the Somme battlefield near Beaumont-Hamel site was purchased in 1921 by the people of the Dominion of Newfoundland. These sites do not, however, enjoy extraterritorial status and are thus subject to French law.

Proposed provinces and territories

Since Confederation in 1867, there have been several proposals for new Canadian provinces and territories. The Constitution of Canada requires an amendment for the creation of a new provinceAn amendment to the Constitution of Canada in relation to the following matters may be made only in accordance with subsection 38(1)...notwithstanding any other law or practice, the establishment of new provinces. but the creation of a new territory requires only an act of Parliament, a legislatively simpler process.BOOK, Norman L., Nicholson, The boundaries of the Canadian Confederation,weblink 1979, McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP, 978-0-7705-1742-7, 174–175, November 22, 2015,weblink June 24, 2016, live, In late 2004, Prime Minister Paul Martin surprised some observers by expressing his personal support for all three territories gaining provincial status "eventually". He cited their importance to the country as a whole and the ongoing need to assert sovereignty in the Arctic, particularly as global warming could make that region more open to exploitation leading to more complex international waters disputes.NEWS, November 23, 2004, Northern territories 'eventually' to be given provincial status, CBC News,weblink dead, January 27, 2007,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20070225050248weblink">weblink February 25, 2007,

See also

{{Canada provinces map|border=none|align=right|prefix =History of|the=the|map=Canada provinces evolution 2.gif|caption=History by province or territory}}

• List of Canadian provincial and territorial name etymologies
  • Canadian adjectival and demonymic forms of place names
• Language policies of Canada's provinces and territories
• List of areas disputed by Canada and the United States
• List of regions of Canada
• List of governments in Canada by annual expenditures
• Commonwealth Local Government Forum
• Provincial and territorial museums of Canada
• List of Canada-related topics by provinces and territories
  • List of Canadian provinces and territories by gross domestic product
  • List of Canadian provincial and territorial symbols
  • List of Canadian provinces by unemployment rate
  • List of Canadian provinces and territories by Human Development Index
  • Population of Canada by province and territory
  • List of Canadian flags

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

Further reading

• BOOK, Keith, Brownsey, Michael, Howlett, The Provincial State in Canada: Politics in the Provinces and Territories,weblink 2001, University of Toronto Press, 978-1-55111-368-5,
• BOOK, Christopher, Moore, Christopher Moore (Canadian historian), Bill, Slavin, Janet, Lunn, The Big Book of Canada: Exploring the Provinces and Territories,weblink 2002, Random House Digital, Inc, 978-0-88776-457-8,
• BOOK, A. Paul, Pross, Catherine A., Pross, Government Publishing in the Canadian Provinces: a Prescriptive Study, Toronto, Ont., University of Toronto Press, 1972, 0-8020-1827-0,weblink
• BOOK, Stephen, Tomblin, Ottawa and the Outer Provinces: The Challenge of Regional Integration in Canada,weblink 1995, James Lorimer & Company, 978-1-55028-476-8,

External links

{{sister project links|c=category:Provinces and territories of Canada|voy=Canada|n=Portal:Canada|s=Portal:Canada|d=Q2879|v=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|q=no|b=no}}

• weblink" title="archive.today/20130806101230weblink">Provincial and territorial government web sites – Service Canada (archived August 6, 2013)
• Provincial and territorial legislature web sites – Parliament of Canada
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20140227162009weblink">Difference between provinces and territories – Intergovernmental Affairs (archived February 27, 2014)
• Provincial and territorial statistics {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160425233852weblink |date=April 25, 2016 }} – Statistics Canada
• weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20171122105414weblink">Provincial and territorial immigration information – Citizenship and Immigration Canada (archived November 22, 2017)
• Canadian governments compared – University of Public Administration

{{Provinces and territories of Canada}}{{Politics of Canadian provinces}}{{Authority control}}