'Province' and 'territory' refer to the major political units of Canada. From a statistical point of view, province and territory are basic areas for which data are tabulated. Canada is divided into 10 provinces and 3 territories. Statistics Canada uses standard codes and abbreviations to represent provinces and territories. The two-digit code that uniquely identifies each province/territory is based on the Standard Geographical Classification (SGC). The code is assigned from east to west. The first digit represents the geographical region of Canada in which the province/territory is located and the second digit denotes one of the 10 provinces and 3 territories.

Group of neighbouring municipalities joined together for the purposes of regional planning and managing common services (such as police or ambulance services). These groupings are established under laws in effect in certain provinces of Canada. Census division (CD) is the general term for provincially legislated areas (such as county, municipalité régionale de comté and regional district) or their equivalents. In other provinces and the territories where laws do not provide for such areas, Statistics Canada defines equivalent areas for statistical reporting purposes in cooperation with these provinces and territories. Census divisions are intermediate geographic areas between the province/territory level and the municipality (census subdivision). Census divisions (CD) have been established in provincial law to facilitate regional planning, as well as the provision of services that can be more effectively delivered on a scale larger than a municipality. In Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut, provincial or territorial law does not provide for these administrative geographic areas. Therefore, Statistics Canada, in cooperation with these provinces and territories, has created equivalent areas called CDs for the purpose of disseminating statistical data. In Yukon, the CD is equivalent to the entire territory. Next to provinces and territories, census divisions (CD) are the most stable administrative geographic areas, and are therefore often used in longitudinal analysis.

The digital Polling Division boundary files provided are made available from Elections Canada. The data contains the digital federal electoral districts under the Representation Order of 2013.

Canada is divided into 308 electoral districts. A representative or member of Parliament is elected for each electoral district. Following the release of population counts from each decennial census, the Chief Electoral Officer determines the number of seats in the House of Commons and publishes the information in the Canada Gazette. Electoral boundaries commissions then determine the adjustments to the constituency boundaries. The federal electoral boundaries commissions are independent bodies that make all decisions regarding the proposed and final federal electoral boundaries. Elections Canada provides support services to the boundaries commission in each province. Based on reports from these commissions, the Chief Electoral Officer prepares a representation order that describes the boundaries and specifies the name and the population of each FED. The representation order is in force on the first dissolution of Parliament that occurs at least one year after its proclamation. The 2003 Representation Order (proclaimed on August 25, 2003) was based on 2001 Census population counts, and increased the number of FEDs to 308, up from 301 from the previous 1996 Representation Order. Ontario received three additional seats, while Alberta and British Columbia each gained two seats. The names of FEDs may change at any time through an Act of Parliament.

Canada is divided into 338 electoral districts. A representative or member of Parliament is elected for each electoral district. Following the release of population counts from each decennial census, the Chief Electoral Officer determines the number of seats in the House of Commons and publishes the information in the Canada Gazette. Electoral boundaries commissions then determine the adjustments to the constituency boundaries. The federal electoral boundaries commissions are independent bodies that make all decisions regarding the proposed and final federal electoral boundaries. Elections Canada provides support services to the boundaries commission in each province. Based on reports from these commissions, the Chief Electoral Officer prepares a representation order that describes the boundaries and specifies the name and the population of each FED. The representation order is in force on the first dissolution of Parliament that occurs at least seven months after its proclamation. The 2013 Representation Order (proclaimed on October 5, 2013) was based on 2011 Census population counts, and increased the number of FEDs to 338, up from 308 from the previous 2003 Representation Order. Ontario received fifteen additional seats, Alberta and British Columbia each gained six seats while Quebec added three seats. On June 19, 2014, the Riding Name Change Act, 2014 (Bill C-37) received Royal Assent changing the names of 31 FEDs. The names of FEDs may change at any time through an Act of Parliament.

Here is a selection of web services displaying the geographic boundaries of the most common administrative and statistical areas published by Statistics Canada. Administrative areas are defined, with a few exceptions, by federal and provincial statutes and are adopted by Statistics Canada to support the collection and dissemination of data. Administrative areas supported by Statistics Canada include: Province and territory (PR) Federal electoral district (FED) Census division (CD) Census subdivision (CSD) Designated place (DPL) Statistical areas are defined by Statistics Canada to support the dissemination of data. They are created according to a set of rules based on geographic attributes and one or more characteristics of the resident population. Some statistical areas maintained by Statistics Canada include: Census agricultural region (CAR) Economic region (ER) Census consolidated subdivision (CSS) Census metropolitan area and census agglomeration (CMA/CA) Census tract (CT) Aggregate Dissemination Areas (ADA) Dissemination area (DA) Dissemination block (DB) To have a better understanding of the relationships between these areas, refer to the "Hierarchy of standard geographic areas for dissemination" diagram in the Data Resources below. NOTE: Services may not all be listed in the Related Products section below as they are added individually only once available for publication.

This collection contains two related records: - Environmental Studies Research Fund Prescribed Regions - Environmental Studies Research Fund levies no longer applied Context: The Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF) is a research program, which sponsors environmental and social studies. It is designed to assist in the decision-making process related to oil and gas exploration and development on Canada's frontier lands. The funding for the ESRF is provided through levies on frontier lands paid by interest holders such as the oil and gas companies. The ESRF is directed by a joint government/industry/public Management Board and is administered by a secretariat which resides in the Office of Energy Research and Development, Natural Resources Canada. The ESRF receives its legislative mandate through the Canada Petroleum Resources Act. The ESRF regions are described in the Environmental Studies Research Fund Regions Regulations. As well, the Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act and the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act provide legislative direction in the Southern Regions. Funding for ESRF is collected annually through levies paid by lease-holding oil and gas companies active in a specific ESRF region. In accordance with the legislation, levies are recommended by the Management Board to the Ministers of NRCan and CIRNA for approval. The levies are calculated by multiplying the levy rate of a region by the number of hectares of land under lease. The ESRF has sponsored studies on oil and gas exploration and development on frontier lands, including such topics as environmental effects on fish, bird and animal habits and habitats, iceberg detection and flow patterns, oil spill prevention and countermeasures, dispersant effectiveness in cold waters and ice, frontier social and economic issues, improving accuracy of ocean and weather forecasting, and verification of codes and standards.

Canadian Hydrographic Service (CHS) has made available all the publishable limits of modern day surveys whose data has been collected since 1989.

A federal electoral district is an area represented by a member of the House of Commons. The Federal Electoral Districts (FED) dataset is a digital representation of the 338 electoral districts proclaimed by the Representation Order of 2013. This dataset is an update of the 2013 Federal Electoral Districts (FED) 2013.

Water Stewardship Division, Water Management administrative areas. Water Precincts are a jurisdictional area within a Water District