Understanding the Branches and Responsibilities of the Provincial Government

• Like the Federal government, the Provincial government has three branches:
• Legislative
• Judicial
• Executive

Legislative 

• Made of the Legislative Assembly (in Ontario)
  
• LA functions are to consider through debate new laws and changes to existing ones
• LA is made up of MPPs (Members of Provincial Parliament) that are voted in by the public
• Each MPP represents a riding (voting area) and is a member of a political party
• What are the “Big 3” political parties in Ontario?
• Liberal
• Conservative
• NDP

Judicial 

• The court system, particularly the Superior Court (in Ontario)
  
• The Court has jurisdiction over criminal, civil, and family cases
• The Ontario Superior Court is the largest superior trial court in Canada.
• As a whole, the provincial superior courts are composed of over 300 federally appointed judges and serves millions of people throughout the provinces, each with a region (jurisdiction) overseen by one of eight Regional Senior Judges
• The Criminal division of the Superior Court generally only tries the most serious criminal offences. 
• These include murder, manslaughter, and drug trafficking
  

Executive 

• Composed of the Lieutenant Governor, Premier, Cabinet, Monarch (Head of State)
  
• The Premier and ministers who exercise power to administrate the laws, setting out their regulations and how they should be enforced by the judicial branch
• The Lieutenant Governor, as representative of the monarch, acts as head of state (like the Governor General in federal government)
• Members of the council are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, on the advice of the Premier
• Usually members are also ministers of various items the provincial government is responsible for.
• i.e. education, agriculture, energy, environment, health, housing, labour