5.1.1 Three Key Facts About Canada's Government

Canada's system of government rests on three ideas at once. First, Canada is a federal state. Power is divided between one national government and the governments of the provinces and territories. Second, Canada is a parliamentary democracy. Voters choose people to represent them, and those representatives make the laws. Third, Canada is a constitutional monarchy. A king or queen is the head of state, but must act inside the rules of the Constitution. None of the three replaces the others. All three describe the same country at the same time.