Which of these is a federal responsibility?

Each level of government has its own elected officials and its own list of duties. Federally, the elected representatives are the members of Parliament. Ottawa is responsible for national defence, foreign policy and citizenship, and for policing and criminal justice. International trade and Aboriginal affairs also sit at this level. Three fields are not federal alone: immigration, agriculture and the environment are shared with the provinces and territories.

The title of a provincial or territorial representative depends on where you live. In some places the letters are MLA, for a member of the Legislative Assembly; elsewhere MNA, for the National Assembly; MPP, for the Provincial Parliament; or MHA, for the House of Assembly. These governments look after health care, education, highways and natural resources. Property and civil rights sit with them too. Policing is a provincial job in Ontario and in Quebec.

Locally, the elected officials are the mayor or reeve together with the councillors or aldermen. Their duties cover snow removal, recycling programmes, transportation and utilities, and social and community health. Policing, firefighting and emergency services belong at this level too. Notice that policing appears on more than one list: it is federal, provincial in Ontario and Quebec, and municipal as well. That overlap is worth remembering.