Canada
 

 Introduction

Canada is the second largest country in the world in terms of land area, covering 9,984,670 sq km1. It has a population of 33,390,141 and is situated in North America.

Canada is a federal state with 10 provinces and three territories. Powers are distributed between the federal government and the governments of the provinces and the territories. The provincial legislatures have the power to set up local government in their area and grant them powers. The federal capital is Ottawa.

Local government contributed 4.3 per cent to the GDP.

Summary

The Canadian system of government is highly decentralised. The system of local government in Canada is complex and diverse as it is up to each province and territory to determine its own system through their legislative and administrative powers. Reform is ongoing, and local government continues to innovate to respond to changing needs.

There have been significant changes in local government legislation over the last decade to enable change in municipal government, including restructuring and giving councils greater autonomy to respond to changing circumstances. The trend in recent legislation has been to give local authorities powers of general competence for them to decide on what they provide within certain areas of responsibility rather than specify formal responsibilities for different services. All acts undergo some amendments in order to respond to current issues

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