The federal government is run by the Prime Minister and several MP's or Members of Parliament of whom each have their own office in the House of Parliament in Ottawa. The House of Parliament is also known as the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the elected official head of all government cabinets and the MP's are the elected representatives who represent the different districts within the provinces of our country. An example of a federal responsibility would be the services provided by Canada Post.

Each level of government must restrict its laws to the areas of authority given to them by the Constitution. For example, it would not be lawful for a province to pass a new criminal law or set its grounds for divorce, as these laws are federal matters. Likewise the federal government could not pass a law stating that all children up to age 18 must attend school, because education is an area of provincial authority.

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What is a government?

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2. What are the three levels of government?

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