Government and power in Canada
Who leads Canada, how the World Bank's governance indicators score it, how many women sit in parliament and government, what the state spends and taxes, and the official bodies that hold power to account. System of government: Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.
Who leads Canada?
- Head of state: King Charles III (King)
- Representative of the head of state: Louise Arbour (Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada)
- Head of government: Mark Carney (Prime Minister of Canada)
- Foreign minister: Anita Anand (Minister for Foreign Affairs of Canada)
Source: Heads of State, Heads of Government, Ministers for Foreign Affairs: Public List (United Nations Protocol and Liaison Service), list dated 15 October 2026. All world leaders.
Governance scores
The World Bank's Worldwide Governance Indicators combine surveys of households and firms with assessments by public, private and non-governmental bodies. Each score runs from 0 to 100; higher means the sources rate governance better. They measure perceptions, and each has a margin of error.
- Voice and accountability
- Measures how far citizens can choose their government, and freedom of expression, association and the media.
- Political stability and absence of violence
- Measures the likelihood of political instability or politically motivated violence, including terrorism.
- Government effectiveness
- Measures the quality of public services and the civil service, and how independent they are from political pressure.
- Regulatory quality
- Measures the government's ability to make and carry out policies that let the private sector develop.
- Rule of law
- Measures confidence in and respect for the rules of society, including contract enforcement, property rights, the police and the courts.
- Control of corruption
- Measures how far public power is used for private gain, including petty and grand corruption and "capture" of the state by elites.
How does Canada score on voice and accountability?
Voice and accountability: 85.2 out of 100 in 2025, 11th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 85.7.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Canada score on political stability?
Political stability and absence of violence: 79.8 out of 100 in 2025, 48th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 86.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Canada score on government effectiveness?
Government effectiveness: 88.3 out of 100 in 2025, 10th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 90.5.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Canada score on regulatory quality?
Regulatory quality: 80.3 out of 100 in 2025, 14th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 83.9.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Canada score on the rule of law?
Rule of law: 83 out of 100 in 2025, 18th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 87.1.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow does Canada score on control of corruption?
Control of corruption: 80.2 out of 100 in 2025, 15th highest of 193 UN member states with a score. Ten years earlier, in 2015, it was 85.7.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many women are in Canada's parliament?
Women held 30.3% of seats in the national parliament (single or lower chamber) in 2025, 73rd highest of 184 countries with data. Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, via the World Bank.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many of Canada's ministers are women?
Women held 50.0% of ministerial posts in 2025, 7th highest of 190.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does the government of Canada spend?
Central government spending (expense) was 19.1% of GDP in 2023.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much tax does the government of Canada collect?
Central government tax revenue was 13.7% of GDP in 2024, 66th highest of 92.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow much does Canada spend on the military?
Military spending was 1.6% of GDP in 2025, 76th highest of 149 (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, via the World Bank).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow big are the armed forces of Canada?
Armed forces personnel numbered 72,000 in 2020.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow good are Canada's official statistics?
The World Bank's Statistical Performance Indicator, which scores how well a country's official statistics system works, was 92.4 out of 100 in 2024, 3rd highest of 187.
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many births are registered in Canada?
100.0% of births of children under 5 were registered with a civil authority (2022).
Source: World Bank · saved copyHow many people in Canada use the internet?
94.4% of people used the internet in 2024.
Source: World Bank · saved copyOfficial bodies that hold power in Canada
Government
- Prime Minister of CanadaStatements, news releases and mandate letters from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Parliament
- Parliament of CanadaInformation on both chambers, members, committees and the progress of bills through LEGISinfo.
- House of Commons of CanadaHansard debates, votes, committee evidence and information on Members of Parliament.
- Senate of CanadaSenate debates, committee reports and information on senators.
Elections
- Elections CanadaFederal election results, voter registration information, electoral district maps and political-financing returns.
Courts
- Supreme Court of CanadaJudgments, case information, hearing webcasts and the court's docket.
Public audit
- Office of the Auditor General of CanadaPerformance audits of federal departments and the audit of the Public Accounts of Canada, reported to Parliament.
Access to information
- Office of the Information Commissioner of CanadaInvestigation findings on access-to-information complaints, orders, annual reports and guidance on the Access to Information Act.
Lobbying register
- Registry of Lobbyists (Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying)Registrations of consultant and in-house lobbyists and monthly communication reports with designated public office holders.
Asset declarations
- Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics CommissionerA public registry of disclosure summaries, gifts and assets declared by ministers, public office holders and MPs.
Public contracts
- CanadaBuysFederal tender notices, contract award notices and contract history data.
Laws and the official gazette
- Justice Laws WebsiteConsolidated federal Acts and regulations, maintained by the Department of Justice.
- Canada GazetteThe official newspaper of the Government of Canada, publishing new statutes, regulations and official notices.
Government below the national level
- Provinces (10) and territories (3): Elected legislatures; the premier is the leader of the majority
- Regional or upper-tier municipalities (in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec): Mostly councillors sent from lower-tier councils; some heads elected directly
- Municipalities (about 3,905 in 2021): cities, towns, villages, rural municipalities, counties: Councillors elected by ward or at large, usually first past the post; mayors usually elected directly
- Special-purpose bodies (about 2,570): School boards are mostly directly elected; police, transit, library and health boards are appointed
How local power works in Canada
Places in Canada
Sources
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Voice and accountability (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 70f2804fd1e2…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Political stability and absence of violence (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1317de0c85e1…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Government effectiveness (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a775e808dc65…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Regulatory quality (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 83b57e36ff8c…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Rule of law (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0bccc3c054e8…)
- World Bank: Worldwide Governance Indicators: Control of corruption (governance score 0-100), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 3b15a5340cdd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Seats held by women in national parliament (SG.GEN.PARL.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 1ae1dc13981a…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Women in ministerial positions (SG.GEN.MNST.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a4e448a5b8bd…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Central government spending (GC.XPN.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 808094019f50…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Tax revenue (GC.TAX.TOTL.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08c94b750f31…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Military spending (MS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 a7f6913a783b…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Armed forces personnel (MS.MIL.TOTL.P1), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 fa4663c743ba…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Statistical Performance Indicator (overall score) (IQ.SPI.OVRL), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 08ac7cde9129…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: Births registered (SP.REG.BRTH.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 f8d443034ba7…)
- World Bank: World Development Indicators: People using the internet (IT.NET.USER.ZS), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 0d78dc658329…)
Each saved copy is the file exactly as downloaded, kept so the figures can be checked even if the source changes. Report an error.