B. People and Environments: The Role of Government and Responsible Citizenship · Government and Citizenship

Working Together: Sharing Responsibilities

B3.4 B3.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain why levels of government share responsibility for some services and issues.
I can describe how different levels share health care, the environment, transportation and emergencies.
I can trace how several governments help bring a service to my home.
I can explain why governments must work together on Indigenous land claims and services.

Words to know

shared responsibility
When two or more governments each do part of the work on the same service or issue.

service
Something a government provides for people, like water, schools or hospitals.

tax
Money people and businesses pay to governments to pay for services.

funding
Money given to pay for something.

land claim
A request by an Indigenous nation to have its rights to land recognized, often settled through an agreement with governments.

One glass of water, three governments

Pour a glass of water from your tap. Which government made that happen?

Trick question: more than one! Your municipality cleans the water and pipes it to your home. The province sets rules for how clean it must be and checks the tests. The federal government writes national guidelines for safe drinking water.

Some services and problems are too big, or too connected, for one government. So governments share responsibility.

A glass being filled with clean water from a kitchen tap. — Safe tap water takes teamwork: the municipality cleans and pipes the water, the province sets and checks the rules, and the federal government writes national guidelines. AI-generated image

Each level has its own jurisdiction, but some areas overlap. In the middle are shared areas, like the environment, emergencies and transportation.

Why do governments share?

Problems cross borders. Air pollution and rivers don't stop at a city or provincial line.
Money. Some services cost a lot, so one level gives funding and another level runs the service.
The Constitution says so. A few areas, such as agriculture and immigration, are given to both the federal and provincial governments.
Different strengths. Local governments know local needs. Bigger governments can set rules for everyone and help pay.

All of this is paid for mostly with taxes: money that people and businesses pay to each level of government.

Service or issue	Federal	Provincial (Ontario)	Municipal
Health care	Gives money to provinces and sets national rules (the Canada Health Act); helps pay for some health services for First Nations and Inuit	Runs hospitals and pays doctors through OHIP	Local public health units run things like vaccine clinics and restaurant inspections
Environment	Laws about oceans, fish, migrating birds and harmful chemicals; national parks	Rules for forests, mines and factory pollution; provincial parks	Drinking water, sewage, garbage, recycling, green bins, planting trees
Transportation	Airports, railways and shipping rules	Highways, driver's licences	Local roads, sidewalks, buses and transit
Emergencies (floods, fires, storms)	Can send the Canadian Armed Forces when a province asks; helps pay to rebuild	Emergency planning; can declare an emergency and send help	First to respond: firefighters, police, paramedics, emergency shelters
Immigration	Decides who can immigrate to Canada	Has its own program to nominate some newcomers whose skills it needs	Libraries, community centres and local agencies help newcomers settle

Examples of shared responsibility in Ontario (simplified).

Sharing with First Nations, Métis and Inuit

The federal government has special responsibilities to First Nations and Inuit, set out in the Constitution and in treaties. But provinces control most Crown land (public land) and run services like hospitals.

When a First Nation makes a land claim, the federal and provincial governments usually both need to be part of the agreement, because the land may be provincial Crown land.
Services for First Nations communities, like schools, health care and water, are often funded federally and run by the First Nation, while some services, like many hospitals, are provincial.
Sometimes it is not clear which government should pay, and people wait. To stop children waiting, Canada adopted a rule called Jordan's Principle: a First Nations child gets the service they need first, and governments sort out who pays afterward. It is named for Jordan River Anderson, a boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba.

Watch for the word and

When you read about a government project, look for phrases like "funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario". Signs at construction sites often show the logos of two or three governments. That's shared responsibility you can see!

Worked example

Let's trace a shared service

How do the three levels share in getting a child a vaccine at a school clinic?

Federal: gives money to the provinces for health care and approves which vaccines are safe to use in Canada.
Provincial: decides which vaccines are in Ontario's schedule for kids and helps pay for them.
Municipal / local public health unit: runs the school clinic and keeps records.

All three levels play a part: the federal government approves and helps fund, the province sets the plan, and the local public health unit gives the vaccine.

Worked example

Let's follow a flood

A river floods a town in spring after a big snowmelt. Who does what?

First, the municipality: firefighters and police help people leave, and the town opens a shelter at the arena.
If it is too big for the town: the province sends extra help, like sandbags, staff and money.
If it is too big for the province: the province can ask the federal government to send the Canadian Armed Forces to help, and federal money can help rebuild.
If a First Nation is affected, its chief and council lead the local response and work with the other governments.

Help comes from the closest level first, and bigger levels join in when the emergency is too big. That is shared responsibility.

In an emergency, help comes from the closest level first. Bigger levels join in when the emergency is too big for the level below.

Just for fun

What did the glass of tap water say?

"It took three governments to get me here, so please drink up!"

Hands-on activity

Follow your water

You need: paper, pencil, and a grown-up.

Turn on your kitchen tap. Ask: where did this water come from? (A lake, a river or a well? Check your municipality's website.)
Draw a flow chart with arrows: source → treatment plant → pipes → my tap → drain → sewer → wastewater plant → back to the lake or river.
Beside each step, write which government helps: municipal (treatment plant, pipes, sewers), provincial (rules and checking test results), federal (national drinking water guidelines).
If your home uses a well, write that your family is responsible for testing it, and that Ontario public health units offer free well-water testing.

What to look for: at least two levels of government appear on the chart.

Your turn

What is a shared responsibility?

Give two reasons governments share responsibilities.

Which level runs Ontario's hospitals?

Which level is usually first to respond to a fire or flood?

Name one thing each level does for the environment.

What is Jordan's Principle?

More practice: warm-up

Which level is in charge of airports?

Which level issues driver's licences?

Which level runs your local bus?

Where does most government money come from?

Which level decides who can immigrate to Canada?

More practice: on your own

Why is air pollution a good example of something governments must share?

Explain how health care is shared between the federal and provincial governments.

Why must both the federal and Ontario governments usually be part of settling a land claim in Ontario?

A sign at a new bridge says it was built with money from Canada, Ontario and the town. What does that tell you?

Why was Jordan's Principle created?

Challenge

Choose one service. Describe a problem that could happen if the levels of government did NOT work together on it.

A town wants a new transit line but it is too expensive. Suggest how the three levels could share the work.

Is sharing responsibility always easy? Give one challenge and one way to solve it.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Who runs a school vaccine clinic in Ontario?

When a flood is too big for a province, what can the province do?

Which is an example of shared responsibility?

Which level gives provinces money for health care and sets national rules?

What does Jordan's Principle do?

Why do governments share responsibility for the environment?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Many services and issues (health, environment, transportation, emergencies, immigration, Indigenous land claims and services) are shared among levels of government, usually because problems cross borders, costs are high, or the Constitution gives the area to more than one level.

How to help at home:

Point out construction signs listing several governments' funding.
Do the water activity together; your municipality's website usually explains where your water comes from.
During news about floods or wildfires, notice which levels of government are helping.

Common difficulties:

Wanting one simple answer to "who does it?" For shared services, the answer is often "several levels, each doing a part".
Mixing up funding and running. One level often pays while another runs the service.