- A Constitutional Monarchy
Canada is a constitutional monarchy. This means that the powers of the
monarchy in Canada are limited by the Constitution. The Constitution is a set of
basic principles, laws and rules that explain the powers and duties of the
government and the rights and freedoms of the citizens. Our formal head of state
is a monarch. Our monarch is now Elizabeth II, who is also the Queen of the
United Kingdom. As our Queen does not live in Canada, she appoints, under the
advice of our Prime Minister, a Governor General to represent her authority in
Canada. The Governor General is usually appointed for a five-year term.
At one time, the Governor General had a lot of power in our government, but
this is no longer the case. The office of Governor General is now largely
ceremonial. The Governor General meets foreign dignitaries, accords medals,
honours and decorations, signs bills passed in Parliament, and opens Parliament
with a formal address known as the Speech from the Throne.
It is indeed true that the Governor General has the authority to summon,
adjourn and dissolve Parliament, however he or she can only do so on the advice
of the Prime Minister. It is also true that the Governor General has the
responsibility of choosing the Prime Minister, but he or she is bound to choose
the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons.
- A Parliamentary Democracy
Canada is also a parliamentary democracy. In such a system, the citizens
elect the Members of Parliament to represent them in governing the country. The
main function of Parliament is to legislate, that is to make laws for the
country. In addition, Parliament controls the executive branch of the
government, i.e. the Prime Minister and Cabinet. This control of the executive
by the legislature is what we mean by responsible government. Our Parliament
consists of the Queen, represented by the Governor General, the House of Commons
or the Lower House, and the Senate or the Upper House.
- Prime Minister
The Prime Minister, as we saw above, is chosen by the Governor General, but
the choice of the Governor General is usually determined by the results of the
elections. After an election the leader of the political party which holds at
least a plurality and normally a majority of seats in the House of Commons must
be called upon to become the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister sits in the
House of Commons with the other elected Members of Parliament. He or she
represents the people from his or her constituency.
The Prime Minister is the head of government. The powers of the Prime
Minister are not clearly defined in the Constitution. Nevertheless, he or she
has broad powers at his or her disposal. He or she is the leader of the party
which, normally, has the majority of the seats in the House of Commons and
thereby which controls the House. The Prime Minister appoints his or her
ministers and their tenure as well as their portfolios depend almost solely on
him or her. The Prime Minister also makes a wide range of appointments - judges, ambassadors and many other senior bureaucrats. He or she
controls the organization of government. Moreover, by advising the Governor
General to dissolve Parliament, he or she decides when the elections are held.
Finally, the Prime Minister is responsible for representing Canada in
international affairs.
- Cabinet
The Cabinet is made up of approximately 30 ministers chosen by the Prime
Minister. By convention the provinces are fairly represented in the Cabinet.
Usually each Cabinet minister is in charge of a ministry or a department. As the
political head of the department the minister determines its orientation and
makes its important decisions and consequently is individually responsible for
it to the House of Commons.
The Prime Minister and Cabinet, referred as the government, are the corner
stone of our system of government. Indeed, the government brings forward
Parliament’s legislative program and controls public finances. However, the
government is responsible to the House of Commons. It must have the confidence
of the House of Commons and if it loses it, the government must resign.
The Prime minister is the dominant figure in Cabinet: his or her duties
include deciding on the agenda for Cabinet meetings, chairing the meetings and
being the government spokesperson in the House of Commons and in the country.
- House of Commons
The House of Commons is made up of all the elected Members of Parliament.
There are 301 seats in the House of Commons, which represent the 301
constituencies across Canada. The members are elected for a five year term,
unless an election is called before that time is up.
The main function of the Members of Parliament is to debate and pass or
defeat the bills brought forward by the government as part of its legislative
program. These bills are known as government bills. The passing or the rejection
of a government bill demonstrates whether the government possesses the support
or confidence of the House of Commons or not. Furthermore, Question Period
allows Members of the House, especially Opposition Members, to question
activities and policies of the government in place.
The Members of Parliament may also introduce their own bills, known as
private Members’ bills, provided that such bills do not involve the raising or
spending of money. These bills, however, have little chance of being voted upon,
let alone of being passed by Parliament. In addition, the Members present
petitions from their constituents and make statements on relevant issues.
- Senate
The Senate is made up of 105 people representing every province and
territory. Senators are appointed by the Governor General
on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, and may hold their
position until they are 75 years old.
The Senate shares the function of law making with the House of
Commons. Indeed, all bills have to pass in the Senate as well as the
Commons before they are sent to the Governor General for royal assent.
Although the Senate may reject any bill that is presented to it, it
seldom uses this right once a bill has been passed by the House of
Commons. The Senate also has the power to initiate bills except for
money bills, that is, those that entail public expenditures or the
raising of taxes.
The Senate has also conducted successful investigations into social
problems.
