Skip to Content
Canadian Voter 101Three levels, three ballots

Three levels, three ballots

Canadians vote in three separate kinds of elections: federal, provincial or territorial, and local. Each one picks a different government with different responsibilities. This lesson uses British Columbia as the example. If you live somewhere else, the structure is the same and the “Elsewhere” notes point you to your province’s equivalent.

BC votes twice this fall. General local elections are on October 17, 2026.1 A provincial general election was called on September 22, with advance voting October 16–21 and final voting day on October 24, 2026.2 These are separate elections with separate voter lists.

Who does what

The Constitution Act, 1867 divides law-making powers between Parliament in Ottawa and the provincial legislatures, including BC’s in Victoria.3 BC’s municipalities have no powers of their own under the Constitution. They get them from provincial law: the Community Charter and the Local Government Act, or the Vancouver Charter for the City of Vancouver.4

Power from: Constitution Act, 1867, s. 91

Federal

All of Canada, BC included

You elect
Member of Parliament (MP)
They sit in
House of Commons, Ottawa
Led by
Prime minister
Election run by
Elections Canada
  • Defence
  • Foreign affairs
  • Citizenship and passports
  • Criminal law
  • Currency and banking
  • Canada Post
  • Employment Insurance
  • Relations with Indigenous peoples

Elsewhere: Same in every province and territory.

Power from: Constitution Act, 1867, s. 92

Provincial: British Columbia

The Province of BC

You elect
Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), one of 93
They sit in
Legislative Assembly, Victoria
Led by
Premier
Election run by
Elections BC
  • Health care (MSP, health authorities)
  • K–12 schools and post-secondary
  • Forests, mining and natural resources
  • Highways and BC Ferries
  • Driver's licences and ICBC
  • Minimum wage and labour law
  • Rules for municipalities

Elsewhere: Ontario elects MPPs (Elections Ontario), Quebec elects MNAs (Élections Québec). The territories get their powers from federal law instead.

Power from: BC's Community Charter and Local Government Act (Vancouver: Vancouver Charter)

Local: BC municipalities

Cities, towns, districts and regional districts

You elect
Mayor, councillors, school trustees, and regional district directors in rural areas
They sit in
Council or regional district board
Led by
Mayor
Election run by
Each local government's chief election officer
  • Water and sewage
  • Garbage and recycling
  • Local roads and snow
  • Zoning, rezoning and permits
  • Parks and libraries
  • Police and fire (own force or RCMP contract)

Elsewhere: Every province writes its own municipal law, such as Ontario's Municipal Act, 2001.

Ottawa and Victoria are equals, each with its own powers under the Constitution. BC municipalities get their powers from the province.

A few areas are shared between Ottawa and the provinces, with rules for whose law wins in a conflict.5 Health care is run by BC through MSP and the regional health authorities, but partly paid for with federal transfers. Transit is split too: TransLink in Metro Vancouver and BC Transit in the rest of the province.

Areas outside any city or town belong to a regional district. If you live in one, you elect a regional district director instead of a mayor and council.6

Who you elect in BC

  • Federally: one MP for your riding. BC has 43 of the 343 federal ridings.7
  • Provincially: one of 93 MLAs.2 To vote this October you must be a Canadian citizen, 18 or older on October 24, 2026, and a BC resident since April 23, 2026.
  • Locally: a mayor and councillors (or a regional district director), plus school board trustees, all on the same local ballot.1

Each election has its own voter list, its own voting dates and its own ID rules. Being registered with Elections Canada doesn’t register you with Elections BC, and local voter lists are separate again.

Which ballot fixes my problem?

If you care about…In BC, look to
Potholes, garbage pickup, property tax, rezoning on your streetYour council or regional district
Hospital wait times, MSP, school curriculum, ICBC rates, minimum wageThe provincial government and your MLA
Immigration levels, EI, passports, the Criminal CodeThe federal government and your MP

Not sure? Your city’s website usually lists what council handles, and your MLA’s or MP’s office will tell you if a question belongs to another level.

Official sources

Footnotes

  1. Elections BC and the BC government: general local elections are held every four years on the third Saturday in October, next on October 17, 2026. ↩ ↩2

  2. Elections BC, 2026 Provincial Election key dates. ↩ ↩2

  3. Constitution Act, 1867, s. 91 (Parliament) and s. 92 (provinces). Education is covered separately in s. 93. ↩

  4. Constitution Act, 1867, s. 92(8) gives provinces authority over “municipal institutions.” Each province writes its own municipal law, so a city’s powers in Ontario or Alberta differ from BC’s. ↩

  5. Constitution Act, 1867, s. 95 (immigration and agriculture: federal law prevails) and s. 94A (pensions: provincial law prevails). ↩

  6. Elections BC lists regional district directors among the offices elected in general local elections. ↩

  7. Elections Canada, seat allocation by province . ↩

Last updated on
Can I vote?From ballot to seat