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The Canadian Government, formally Her Majesty's Government in Canada, is the federal government of Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The politics of Canada function within a framework of Constitutional monarchy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Throughout the Commonwealth realms The Crown is an abstract metonymic concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy of For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative Michaëlle Jean, CC CMM COM CD ʒɑ̃ (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (QPC (Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada (CPR sometimes called Her Majesty's Privy Council for Canada or the Privy Council The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus WikipediaManual of Style (biographies#Honorific prefixes --> Stephen Joseph Harper PC The Cabinet of Canada (Cabinet du Canada plays an important role in the Government of Canada, in accordance with the Westminster System. The Twenty-Eighth Canadian Ministry is the combined Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Secretaries of State that have governed The following list outlines the Structure of the Canadian federal government. In the Canadian cabinet the President of The Queen's Privy Council for Canada (President du Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada is nominally in charge of the Privy In Canada the Privy Council Office (Bureau du Conseil privé is the Secretariat of the federal cabinet and the department of the Prime Minister The Clerk of the Privy Council (Greffier du Conseil privé is the senior Civil servant in the government and the Secretary to the Canadian Cabinet. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. The 39th Canadian Parliament was in session from April 3 2006 until September 7 2008 The Senate of Canada (Le Sénat du Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the sovereign (represented by the governor general The Speaker of the Senate of Canada ( French: Président du Sénat du Canada) is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The Leader of the Government in the Senate (Leader du gouvernement au Sénat is a Canadian cabinet minister who leads the government side in the Canadian Senate In Canada, the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Senate ( French: Leader de l'opposition au Sénat) is the leader of the largest party in the Representation in the Canadian Senate is divided into seats on a provincial basis The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and In Canada the Speaker of the House of Commons ( French: Président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (Leader du gouvernement à la Chambre des communes more commonly known as the Government House Leader, is the In Canada Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition ( French: L'Opposition Loyale de Sa Majesté) commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually In Canada, each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a Front bench Member of Parliament (MP and an expert The Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet of the 39th Canadian parliament is listed below See also Canadian electoral system, Timeline of Canadian elections The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada has two chambers. The Canadian electoral system is based on a Parliamentary system of Government, modelled on that of the United Kingdom. The 2006 Canadian federal election (more formally the 39th General Election) was held on January 23 2006 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian The Supreme Court of Canada consists of the Chief Justice of Canada ( Juge en chef du Canada) and eight Puisne Justices all appointed by Beverley McLachlin PC (born September 7, 1943) is the Chief Justice of Canada, the first woman to hold that position List of final courts of appeal in Canada. For details on the court system see Canadian court system. The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's Constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions The British North America Acts 1867&ndash1975 are the original names of a series of Acts at the core of the Constitution of Canada. In many Commonwealth jurisdictions the phrase "peace order and good government" is an expression used in law to express the legitimate objects of Legislative The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (also known as The Charter of Rights and Freedoms or simply the Charter) is a Bill of rights entrenched in the The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. Canadian federalism is one of the three pillars of the constitutional order along with Responsible government and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Federal and provincial aspects Across the country the Canadian Crown is unitary the headship of state is not a part of either the federal or provincial jurisdictions In Canada, the Lieutenant-Governor (lɛfˈtɛnənt often without a Hyphen) ( French: lieutenant-gouverneur, or: lieutenant-gouverneure Executive Councils in the Provinces and territories of Canada are constitutional organs headed by the Lieutenant-Governor. National regions Provinces and territories are normally grouped into the following Regions (generally from west to east Northern Canada Canadian political culture is in some ways part of a greater North American and European political culture, which emphasizes Constitutional law The foreign relations of Canada are Canada 's relations with other governments and peoples This is a list of leaders and office-holders of Canada. See also Canadian incumbents by year. Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Powers and structure of the federal government are set out in the Constitution of Canada.
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Usage
In Canadian English, the word government is used to refer both to the whole set of institutions that govern the country (following American usage, but where Britons would use state), and to the current political leadership (following British usage, but where Americans would use administration). Canadian English ( CanE, en-CA) is the variety of English used in Canada. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. For example a Canadian could be a government employee but never a state employee, and they would support or oppose the policies of the Harper government but never the Harper administration. The Twenty-Eighth Canadian Ministry is the combined Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and Secretaries of State that have governed
Because Canada is a federation, the government may refer to the federal, provincial or municipal government. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" A township (or Municipality) is a settlement which has the status and powers of a unit of local government In this article, government refers to the structure of the Canadian federal state.
Executive power
Head of State
Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, is the sovereign and head of state of Canada, and gives repository of executive power, judicial and legislative power; as expressed in the constitution: "the Executive Government and Authority of and over Canada is hereby declared to continue and be vested in the Queen. For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin The Order of Military Merit is an Order issued by Canada to members of the Canadian Forces, both Regular and Reserves who have demonstrated dedication TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy of For the ship see RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Context States headed by Elizabeth II TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy of Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's Constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions " However, sovereignty in Canada has never rested solely with the monarch due to the English Bill of Rights of 1689, later inherited by Canada, which established the principle of Parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom. The Bill of Rights (or Declaration of Rights) is an act of the Parliament of England, with the Long title An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties Parliamentary sovereignty, Sovereignty of Parliament, parliamentary supremacy, or legislative supremacy is a concept in Constitutional law The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Nonetheless, the monarch is still the sovereign of Canada.
In Canada's federal system, the headship of state is not a part of either the federal or provincial jurisdictions; the Queen reigns impartially over the country as a whole; meaning the sovereignty of each jurisdiction is passed on not by the Governor General or the Canadian parliament, but through the Crown itself. Canadian federalism is one of the three pillars of the constitutional order along with Responsible government and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state Sovereignty is the exclusive Right to control a Government, a country, a people or oneself The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. Thus, the Crown is "divided" into eleven legal jurisdictions, eleven "crowns" – one federal and ten provincial. [1] The Fathers of Confederation viewed this system of constitutional monarchy as a bulwark against any potential fracturing of the Canadian federation. Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed beginning 1 July 1867 from the [2]
- Further information: Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
In practice, the sovereign rarely personally exercises her executive, judicial or legislative powers; since the monarch does not normally reside in Canada, she appoints a governor general to represent her and exercise most of her powers. Federal and provincial aspects Across the country the Canadian Crown is unitary the headship of state is not a part of either the federal or provincial jurisdictions The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative The person who fills this role is selected on the advice of the prime minister. "Advice" in this sense is a choice generally without options since it would be highly unconventional for the prime minister's advice to be overlooked; a convention that protects the monarchy. As long as the monarch is following the advice of her ministers, she is not held personally responsible for the decisions of the government. The governor general has no term limit, and is said to serve "at Her Majesty's pleasure"; however, the practice is for the governor general to be replaced after about five years in office. See also Rotation in office A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office At Her Majesty's pleasure ("His Majesty" when appropriate is a legal phrase that derives from the fact that the authority of the Law, including the courts
Just as the sovereign's choice of governor general is on the prime minister's advice, the vice-regal figure exercises the executive powers of state on the advice of the ministers of the Crown who make up the Cabinet. Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign The Cabinet of Canada (Cabinet du Canada plays an important role in the Government of Canada, in accordance with the Westminster System. The term "the Crown" is used to represent the power of the monarch. Throughout the Commonwealth realms The Crown is an abstract metonymic concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government
Though the sovereign or viceroy rarely intervene directly in political affairs, the real powers of the position of the monarch in the Canadian Constitution should not be downplayed. The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada; the country's Constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions The monarch does retain all power, but it must be used with discretion, lest its use cause a constitutional crisis. A constitutional crisis is a severe breakdown in the orderly operation of Government. Placement of power in the sovereign's hands provides a final check on executive power. If, for instance, she believed a proposed law threatened the freedom or security of her citizens, the Queen could decline Royal Assent. Canadian citizenship is typically obtained by birth in Canada or birth abroad when at least one parent is a Canadian citizen or by adoption abroad by at least one Canadian citizen The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of Lawmaking by formally assenting to an Furthermore, armed removal of her by parliament or government would be difficult, as the monarch remains Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces,[3] who swear an oath of allegiance to her. In Canada Commander-in-Chief can refer to both the position of supreme commander of the Canadian Forces, and to the title granted to the Viceroy. The Canadian Oath of Allegiance is a promise (or declaration of fealty to the Canadian monarch taken along with other specific oaths of office, by new occupants
Head of Government
The Prime Minister of Canada is the head of government. The Prime Minister of Canada ( French: Premier ministre du Canada) is the primary Minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State The prime minister is appointed by the governor general, but to ensure the continuity of a stable government, this person must have the confidence of the House of Commons to lead the government. The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and In practice, the position usually goes to the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the lower house. A lower house is one of two chambers of a Bicameral Legislature, the other chamber being the Upper house. On several occasions in Canadian history no party has had a majority in the House of Commons and thus one party, usually the largest, forms a minority government. A minority government or a minority cabinet is a Cabinet of a Parliamentary system formed when the governing Political party or As of 2008, Canada's government has a minority government.
The prime minister holds office until he resigns or is removed by the governor general; therefore, the party that was in government before the election may attempt to continue to govern if it so desires, even if it holds fewer seats than another party. Coalition governments are rare at the federal level: since Sir John A. Macdonald's Liberal-Conservative governments in the mid 1800s, Canada has had only one other coalition government, the Union Government of Sir Robert Borden during World War I. A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a Cabinet of a parliamentary Government in which several parties cooperate Sir John Alexander Macdonald GCB, KCMG, PC ( January 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first Prime Minister The Liberal-Conservative Party was the formal name of the Conservative Party of Canada until 1873, although some Conservative candidates continued to run under the Not to be confused with his cousin Frederick Borden, Canadian Minister of Militia and Defence from 1896 to 1911 World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All
Political parties are not mentioned in the constitution. A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral By the convention of responsible government, the prime minister and most of his cabinet are members of Parliament so they can answer to Parliament for their actions. Responsible government is a conception of a System of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability which is the foundation of the Westminster A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. But any Canadian adult is constitutionally eligible for the position, and prime ministers have held office after being elected leader but before taking a seat in the Commons (John Turner, for example), or after being defeated in their constituencies. John Napier Wyndham Turner PC CC QC (born June 7, 1929) is a retired Canadian Lawyer and Politician A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures goals or loyalty The Prime Minister selects the other ministers of the Crown to head the various government departments and form the Cabinet; these individuals are appointed by the governor general and remain in office at the pleasure of the viceroy. The Cabinet of Canada (Cabinet du Canada plays an important role in the Government of Canada, in accordance with the Westminster System.
If the Commons passes a motion of no confidence in the government, the prime minister and the rest of Cabinet are expected either to resign their offices or to ask for a dissolution of Parliament so that a general election can be held. A motion of no confidence (also vote of no confidence, censure motion, no-confidence motion, or confidence motion) is a Parliamentary motion In Parliamentary systems a dissolution of parliament is the dispersal of a Legislature at the call of an Election. A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election To avoid a no-confidence motion from passing, parties enforce strong party discipline, in which members of a party – especially from the ruling party – are strongly urged to vote the "party line" (see Chief Government Whip (Canada)) or face consequences. Party discipline is the ability of the Parliamentary group of a Political party to get its members to support the policies of the party leadership The ruling party in a Parliamentary system is the Political party or Coalition of the majority in Parliament. In Politics, the line or the party line is an Idiom for a Political party or Social movement 's canon Agenda In Canada the Chief Government Whip is the member of the Canadian House of Commons charged with ensuring party discipline among members of the Caucus While a member of a governing party is free to vote his conscience, he is constrained by the fact that voting against the party line (especially in confidence votes) might prevent advancement within the party or lead to expulsion from the party. Expulsion leads to loss of election funding and the former party backing an alternative candidate. While the government likes to keep control of the agenda, by convention a government can only fall if a money bill (financial or budget) is defeated. In the Westminster system (and colloquially in the United States) a money bill or supply bill is a bill that solely concerns Taxation However, if a government finds that it can not pass any legislation, it is common (but not required) for a vote of confidence to be held. In addition, the prime minister may declare a given bill to be a matter of confidence.
When there are enough seats for another party to form a government after the resignation of a prime minister, the governor general may ask the other party to try to form the government. This became clear after the King-Byng Affair in 1926. The King-Byng Affair was a Canadian Constitutional crisis that occurred in 1926 when the Governor General of Canada, Lord Byng of Vimy, refused In practice, it is unlikely that a new alliance could be formed that would have the confidence of Parliament.
Legislative power
Canada's Parliament consists of the Monarch and a bicameral legislature: an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. The Parliament of Canada (Parlement du Canada is Canada 's legislative branch, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The House of Commons (Chambre des communes is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and The Senate of Canada (Le Sénat du Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the sovereign (represented by the governor general In practice, legislative power rests with the party that has the majority of seats in the House of Commons, which is elected from 308 constituencies (also called ridings or electoral districts) for a period not to exceed five years. An electoral district (also known as a Constituency or a riding in the Canadian English political Jargon) is a geographically-based Canada's highly disciplined political parties and first-past-the-post electoral system have, since the 1970s, usually given one political party control of the Commons. The plurality voting system is a Single-winner voting system often used to elect executive officers or to elect members of a legislative assembly which is based on single-member The five-year period has only been extended once: in 1916. The prime minister may ask the governor general to dissolve Parliament and call new elections at virtually any time. That request was refused only once, during the minority government of 1926. By custom, prime ministers usually call new elections after four years in power.
The Senate is not without power. Because the governing party generally nominates its supporters as senators, the Senate's influence is usually the greatest when a new party comes to power after another party has been in power a long time. The Constitution contains a special provision that allows the prime minister to counteract that situation by recommending the appointment of an additional eight senators.
Judiciary
Criminal law, most of which is contained in the federal Criminal Code (R. The court system of Canada is made up of many Courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction The term criminal law, sometimes called penal law, refers to any of various bodies of rules in different Jurisdictions whose common characteristic is the potential The Criminal Code of Canada (long title An Act respecting the criminal law, R S. C. 1985, Chapter C-46), is uniform throughout the nation, and is under federal jurisdiction. The American legal system includes both State courts and federal courts. Civil law is based on the common law of England, except in Quebec, to which Britain granted the right in 1774 to retain the French civil code. Common law refers to law and the corresponding legal system developed through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk A civil code is a systematic compilation of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of Private law. While legislation regarding non-criminal matters is generally different from province to province, some non-criminal legislation, such as the federal Divorce Act (R. S. C. 1985, Chapter 3 (2nd Supp. )), is applicable throughout the nation. Justice is administered by federal, provincial, and municipal courts.
The Supreme Court of Canada is the court of last resort. The Supreme Court of Canada ( French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian A supreme court, also called a court of last resort or high court, is in some Jurisdictions the highest judicial body within that jurisdiction's The Supreme Court has nine justices, who are appointed by the governor generaland led by the Chief Justice of Canada. The Governor General of Canada ( French: Gouverneure générale du Canada, or: Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative The Supreme Court of Canada consists of the Chief Justice of Canada ( Juge en chef du Canada) and eight Puisne Justices all appointed by This court hears appeals from decisions rendered by the various appellate courts from the provinces and territories. Trial courts from common law provinces are required to follow previous decisions from both the Supreme Court of Canada and the appellate court of its respective province or territory. In contrast, a Quebec trial-level court may treat judgments from higher courts to be persuasive but not binding. See Courts of Canada. The court system of Canada is made up of many Courts differing in levels of legal superiority and separated by jurisdiction
Federalism
- Further information: Canadian federalism
Residual power — that is, all powers not specified in the Constitution — resides with the federal government. Canadian federalism is one of the three pillars of the constitutional order along with Responsible government and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The original intent of this provision was to avoid the sectionalism which had resulted in the American Civil War; however, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ruled in 1895 that the federal government could exercise its residual power only in wartime. Sectionalism is to develop a distinct identity based on ethnicity customs laws language economics or culture Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is one of the highest courts in the United Kingdom, established by the Judicial Committee Act 1833 As a result, responsibilities for new functions of government such as labour law or social welfare had to be accommodated under powers specified in the British North America Act. The British North America Acts 1867&ndash1975 are the original names of a series of Acts at the core of the Constitution of Canada. Many ended up being assigned to the provinces, so that today Canada is a highly decentralized federation. The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second largest country in total area. __FORCETOC__ Decentralization or Decentralisation (see Spelling differences) is the process of dispersing Decision-making governance closer to the people A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" Further decentralization of functions has been implemented to accommodate Quebec. Quebec (kwɨˈbɛk All provinces however have the right to assume the powers now exercised only by Quebec.
Each province has a lieutenant-governor to represent the Canadian sovereign, a premier and cabinet to advise the viceroy, and a (unicameral) legislature. In Canada, the Lieutenant-Governor (lɛfˈtɛnənt often without a Hyphen) ( French: lieutenant-gouverneur, or: lieutenant-gouverneure TalkCommonewalth realm.-->The monarchy of In Canada, a premier is the Head of government of a province or territory. A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of Government, typically representing the executive branch. A viceroy is a royal official who governs a country or province in the name of and as representative of the Monarch. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or Parliamentary chamber Provincial governments operate under a parliamentary system similar in nature to that of the federal government, with the premier chosen in the same manner as the prime minister. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Lieutenant governors are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister.
References
- ^ Jackson, Michael; Canadian Monarchist News: Golden Jubilee and Provincial Crown; Spring, 2003
- ^ Smith, David E. ; The Invisible Crown; University of Toronto Press; 1995; p. 26
- ^ Constitution Act, 1867
External links
- Official website of the Government of Canada
- Governor General of Canada
- Prime Minister of Canada
- Government Telephone Directory
- Information on the Government of Canada
- Federal government e-mail naming standards
- Government Forms
- Privy Council Office: Governing Responsibly: A Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State
- Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
- Government of Canada search engine
- Federal Identity Program - Titles of Federal Organizations
- Federal Identity Program from Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
- General Enquiries - Federal Government Organizations
- Provincial Government Telephone Directories
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