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Crown corporations of Canada

Crown corporations in Canada (French: Société de la Couronne)[1] are government organizations with a mixture of commercial and public-policy objectives.[2][3] They are directly and wholly owned by the Crown (i.e. the government of Canada or a province).[2]

Crown corporations represent a specific form of state-owned enterprise.[4][5][6] Each corporation is ultimately accountable to (federal or provincial) Parliament through a relevant minister for the conduct of its affairs.[7] They are established by an Act of Parliament and report to that body via the relevant minister in Cabinet, though they are "shielded from constant government intervention and legislative oversight" and thus "generally enjoy greater freedom from direct political control than government departments."[3]


Crown corporations are distinct from "departmental corporations" such as the Canada Revenue Agency.[2][6]


Crown corporations have a long-standing presence in the country and have been instrumental in its formation. They can provide services required by the public that otherwise would not be economically viable as a private enterprise or that do not fit exactly within the scope of any ministry.[6] They are involved in everything from the distribution, use, and price of certain goods and services to energy development, resource extraction, public transportation, cultural promotion, and property management.


As of 2022, there were 47 federal Crown corporations in Canada.[8] Provinces and territories operate their own Crown corporations independently of the federal government.

Agriculture Financial Services Corporation

(ACFA)

Alberta Capital Finance Authority

Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission

Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation

(AIMCo)

Alberta Investment Management Corporation

Alberta Pensions Services Corporation

(APMC)

Alberta Petroleum Marketing Commission

(AI)

Alberta Innovates

(ATB Financial)

Alberta Treasury Branches

Canadian Energy Centre

(CUDGC)

Credit Union Deposit Guarantee Corporation (Alberta)

Travel Alberta

Canada Development Corporation

Structure of the Canadian federal government

Nationalization

Executive Agency

a term used in many Commonwealth countries

Statutory corporation

State monopoly capitalism

State-owned enterprise

State-owned enterprises of the United States

equivalent bodies in New Zealand

Crown entity

(archived 11 March 2007)

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: 2001 Annual Report To Parliament – Crown Corporations and Other Corporate Interests of Canada

(archived 27 February 2008)

Canadian Heritage Performance Report; March 31, 1998

(archived 11 June 2011)

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat: 2007 Annual Report to Parliament – Crown Corporations and other Corporate Interests of Canada

List of Departments and Agencies of the Government of Canada