Until the advent of responsible government, ExecutiveCouncils existed primarily to advise the governor of the colony, dominion or realm.
These Councils have almost the same functions as the Privy Council in the United Kingdom, and accordingly, decisions of the Cabinet gain legal effect by being formally adopted by the ExecutiveCouncil.
At the federal level, Canada does not have an ExecutiveCouncil but the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, modelled on the Privy Council of the United Kingdom with the Canadian Cabinet technically being a committee of the Privy Council.