How many provinces does Canada have?

Canada has ten provinces and three territories. Discover Canada refers to "each of the ten provinces" and "the three territories."

The ten provinces, in order of joining Confederation:

• 1867 — Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia (the original four)
• 1870 — Manitoba
• 1871 — British Columbia
• 1873 — Prince Edward Island
• 1905 — Saskatchewan, Alberta
• 1949 — Newfoundland and Labrador

The three territories are Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut.

The provincial-territorial distinction matters for governance. According to Discover Canada: in each of the ten provinces, the Premier has a leadership role similar to the Prime Minister at the federal level, and there is an elected Legislative Assembly. In each of the three territories, the Commissioner represents the federal government.

Provinces have constitutional powers of their own; territories operate under federal authority delegated to them. This is why Canada is technically a federation of ten provinces, with three territories under federal jurisdiction.