An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, superior to Legislative Councils and Legislative Assemblies. It functions as a quasi-Privy Council and therefore by extension is usually the equivalent of the Cabinet. The federal executive council is called the Queen's Privy Council for Canada in that country. It could mean the:

• Executive Council of Australia
• Queen's Privy Council for Canada
• Executive Council of the Irish Free State
• Executive Council of Hong Kong
• Executive Council of Macau
• Executive Council of New Zealand

A number of US states also have Executive Councils which advise and assist the governor.

• Executive Council of New Hampshire
• Maryland Governor's Executive Council

Provinces and territories of Canada

Consistent with wider Commonwealth practice, Canadian provinces have Executive Councils which are usually referred to informally as Cabinets and are headed by a provincial Premier. These are the:

• Executive Council of Ontario
• Executive Council of Quebec
• Executive Council of Alberta
• Executive Council of British Columbia
• Executive Council of Saskatchewan
• Executive Council of Manitoba
• Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Executive Council of New Brunswick
• Executive Council of Prince Edward Island
• Executive Council of Nova Scotia

Canadian territories also have councils. These are the:

• Executive Council of Yukon
• Executive Council of the Northwest Territories
• Executive Council of Nunavut

There is, however a Canadian Cabinet at the level of the federal government and not an executive council. Members of the federal Cabinet are also members of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada