Parliamentary Government

Parliament is made up of the Queen, the Senate and the House of Commons.

Each Member of the House of Commons represents one of Canada’s 301 constituencies, or ridings. The party that wins the greatest number of ridings or seats in the House of Commons in a federal election usually forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The party with the second largest number of ridings forms the Official Opposition and its leader is recognized as the Leader of the Official Opposition.

The Members of the House of Commons elect a Speaker who is responsible for making sure proceedings in the House follow the procedures and traditions of Parliament.

In Canada, the executive sits in the legislature. The Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet, whose members, if not already sitting in Parliament, must be prepared to win a seat in a reasonable time. Almost all members of the Cabinet, or Ministers, are responsible for a specific portfolio related to an area of public concern, for example, health, finance, industry, the environment, or immigration.

Most federal laws, including all bills that involve raising revenue or spending money, are introduced in the House of Commons, although some bills originate in the Senate.

Any Member of Parliament or Senator can introduce a bill. Most bills are introduced by members of the Cabinet, or Ministers. Only Cabinet Ministers can introduce money bills, and can only introduce them in the House of Commons.

Bills are subject to three "readings". Depending on the order in which they are introduced, they are given a number for example, C-2 or C-3 for bills introduced in the House of Commons, or S-2 for a bill introduced in the Senate. C-1, a Bill Respecting the Administration of Oaths, is always introduced by the Prime Minister at the first session of Parliament.

At the first reading, a bill is introduced and read a first time in either the House of Commons or the Senate and then printed.

At the second reading, members debate and vote on the principle of the bill. The House may decide to refer the bill to a legislative, standing or a special committee, or to the Committee of the Whole.

The bill undergoes clause-by-clause study by the appropriate parliamentary committee. A committee can summon witnesses and experts to provide information on the bill. Amendments to the clauses may be made at this stage provided they are consistent with the principles of the bill.

Committees are made up of between seven and 15 Members of the House. They represent their parties in a proportion that reflects the party’s standing in the House. For example, the party in government will have the most members on a committee and members of the Official Opposition will have the second largest representation.

Once all clauses have been dealt with, the committee reports the bill to the House clearly indicating any amendments proposed. Additional amendments may be proposed at this stage. The House considers the amendments and votes for or against them.

The bill is debated and voted on in its final form. Once a bill has had three readings in the House of Commons, it is then sent to the Senate to be read, debated, and possibly amended, in a process similar to that which occurred in the House. If the Senate amends the bill, it must be returned to the House for debate and vote.

Bills which are introduced first in the Senate go through a similar process first in the Senate, then in the House of Commons.

When a bill has been passed in the same version by both the House and the Senate, it is ready for Royal Assent. Royal Assent is normally given by the Governor General, by a Deputy of the Governor General, or one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Canada. When a bill is given Royal Assent it becomes an Act of Parliament and has the force of law unless it contains a provision that it, or some of its provisions, should come into force on a specific day or on a day to be fixed by order of the Governor in Council.

Question period

The liveliest part of the day in the House of Commons is the 45 minutes called Question Period when Members (mostly of opposition parties) question the Prime Minister and Ministers on government actions and policies. It is one very dynamic example of how government is held accountable for its policies and actions.