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Election Information These pages are designed to highlight issues affecting the business community in Greater Victoria. The parties and candidates have been provided the opportunity to answer the questions and provide a profile. The candidate responses are not edited by chamber staff. |
About This Site
The Chamber first started this site in advance of the municipal elections in the fall of 2008. Now we continue bringing information on questions important to our community for the provincial election. Below is a brief description of the areas of responsibilty of each of our three levels of government.
Federal Government is seated in Ottawa and is headed by the Governor General of Canada on the advice of the Prime Minister. Its responsibilities include:
- National defence,
- criminal law,
- employment insurance,
- postal service,
- census,
- copyrights,
- trade regulation,
- external relations,
- money and banking,
- transportation,
- citizenship, and
- Aboriginal affairs.
The Consitution also specified that every issue not mentioned as belonging to the provincial or territorial governments comes under the power of the Federal Government.
Provincial and Territorial Governments currently number ten and three, respectively. A province exists in its own right, a creation of the Constitution Acts, 1867 - 1982. A territory, however, is created through federal law. As a result, Crown lands in the territories are retained by the federal government in the Crown in right of Canada. This differs from the provinces, which own provincial lands in the Crown in right of the province. Secondly, in a territory, federal Parliament may enter into provincial-type affairs, such as school curriculum. Thirdly, territorial governments are not included in the Constitutional amending formula — the way we decide if we want to change something in the Canadian Constitution. Provinces get a vote when a change is proposed — territories do not. In general, provincial and territorial responsibilities include:
- property and civil rights,
- administration of justice,
- natural resources and the environment,
- education,
- health, and
- welfare.
Municipal Governments are essential "creatures" of the provincial or territorial governments. The latter can create, modify, or eliminate a municipal government at will and controls exactly which powers a municipal government is entitledTheir responsibilities vary from location to location but generally include:
- water
- sewage,
- waste collection,
- public transit,
- land use planning,
- libraries,
- emergency services,
- policing,
- parks and recreation,
- animal control, and
- economic development.
Municipalities are funded almost wholly by property taxes and the role municipalities’ play in supporting economic development is critical. The municipality sets the tone for investment attraction and the environment in which businesses operate.