How many provinces and territories does Canada have?

Canada has 10 provinces and 3 territories. The 10 provinces are (from west to east): British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador. The 3 territories are Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. Together they form the federal-provincial-territorial structure of the Canadian state under the Constitution Act, 1867 and subsequent statutes.

Provinces and territories differ in their constitutional status. Provinces exist by virtue of section 92 of the Constitution Act, 1867 (and parallel provisions for later-joining provinces) and have constitutionally protected powers that the federal government cannot unilaterally amend. Territories were created by federal statutes (the Yukon Act, the Northwest Territories Act, and the Nunavut Act) and exercise powers delegated by the federal Parliament, though modern territorial powers are nearly equivalent to provincial powers in practice through devolution agreements.

The provinces joined Confederation in stages. The original four provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) federated on July 1, 1867. Manitoba joined on July 15, 1870, British Columbia on July 20, 1871, Prince Edward Island on July 1, 1873, Alberta and Saskatchewan on September 1, 1905 (both carved from the Northwest Territories), and Newfoundland and Labrador on March 31, 1949 (the most recent province). The territories evolved separately: the Northwest Territories date from 1870, Yukon was carved out in 1898, and Nunavut was created from the eastern Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999.

Each province and territory has its own elected legislature, premier, lieutenant-governor (in provinces) or commissioner (in territories), capital city, court system, civil service, and provincial or territorial flag. Lieutenant-governors are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the federal prime minister and represent the King within the province. Provincial premiers and territorial premiers meet annually as the Council of the Federation, established in 2003. The Senate of Canada is structured around regional representation, with 24 senators each from Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, and the Western provinces, plus 6 from Newfoundland and Labrador and 1 each from the three territories.