Government
Quebec's National Assembly Building is in Quebec City, the capital from 1608 to 1841 and since 1867.The nominal head of the Quebec government is the lieutenant governor, who is appointed by the federal government to represent the Queen. The real executive authority is in the Conseil exécutif (Executive Council), or cabinet, which is headed by the premier. The cabinet is responsible to the provincial legislature, the Assemblée nationale (National Assembly), which is composed of 125 members, elected for a maximum term of five years. In the federal Parliament Quebec has 24 members in the Senate and 75 in the House of Commons.
For local government, the more densely settled one-third of the province is municipally organized; the remainder is administered by the provincial government. The area that is municipally organized is comprised of several urban communities (including Montreal, Quebec City, Longueuil, Laval, Gatineau, Sherbrooke, and Lévis), as well as hundreds of municipalities. Outside the larger urban areas, regional county municipalities provide a number of community services.
The Cour d'appel (Court of Appeal) is the highest court in the province. Other courts include a superior court, a provincial court, and various lesser courts. The judges of the higher courts are appointed by the federal government; of the lower courts, by the provincial government. Civil law in Quebec is based on old French law; criminal law is based on English law.
