Canada is a confederation [E1][F1][I1][S1][S2] of ten provinces and three territories.

Canada has a parliamentary democracy  [S1] at both the federal (national) level and provincial/territorial level.

The central, or federal, government [E1][F1] decides matters of national interest, such as defence, foreign affairs and criminal law; the provincial governments are responsible for specific areas like education, health and local services. This system of dual authority is considered the most effective way of accommodating the diversity of languages, races and religions of the country and of obstacles of geography and distance.

The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada (and of the United Kingdom) and she is represented by a Governor General (appointed for a five year term, currently Michaëlle Jean). As a constitutional monarch, the Queen is not political and has no direct governing role; she reigns but does not rule.

The head of government is the Prime Minister (PM) - Stephen Harper [E1][F1][I1][S1]

The parliament of Canada [E1][F1][I1], the seat of legislative power, consists of the House of Commons, elected by universal suffrage, and the Senate. Canadian senators, are not elected, but are chosen by the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The House of Commons and the Senate have similar powers, except that financial bills must originate in the Commons.

In 2006, the major federal political parties were:

Conservative Party ("Tories")[E1][F1]: center right; 125 seats in the House of Commons, 23 senators; governing with a minority government. Strongly associated with the color blue.

Liberal Party ("Grits") [E1][F1]: center; 102 seats in the House of Commons, 65 senators; red

Bloc Quebecois: Quebec nationalist, 51 seats in the House of Commons; light blue

New Democratic Party (NDP): center left, 29 seats in the House of Commons; orange

The third branch of power in Canada is the judiciary [E1][F1], and the highest court in the country is the Supreme Court. The most critical decisions it has to take are those involving the powers of the federal and provincial governments.