POLI 1120 Chapter 5/Week 8

Executive

the branch of government responsible for the execution of policy

Responsible Government

the Canadian system of government - inherited from Great Britain - in which ministers are responsible to Parliament and the Crown

Head of State

official representative of the nation that is vested with all executive authority. The Queen is Canada's head of state

Crown

refers to the entirety of the Canadian state. For example, property owned by the Government of Canada is Crown property and government-owned businesses are called Crown corporations

sits at the apex of the political system

first principle of Canadian government

Governor General

The Queen's representative in Canada, and formally the head of the executive branch of government

Lieutenant Governors

the Queen's representatives in each province

Queen's Privy Council for Canada

A largely ceremonial body that advises the Queen on matters of state related to Canada

made up of current and former cabinet minister and other prominent Canadians

People are appointed to the council by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

it is a lifetime appointment, but only current members of the cabinet and entitled to advise the Crown directly

Governor General doesn't really consult them, rather, she is more often then not advised by a special part of the council - THE CABINET

Cabinet

central decision-making body in the Canadian political system. It is led by the prime minister and includes the other ministers of the government

Leader has to be invited to form government and the cabinet

Ministers are responsible for different departments (ex: public safety, defense, etc.)

PM and ministers make up the government of Canada, and are called a MINISTRY

Ministers are sworn into office by the governor general

Parliament open 6 - 8 weeks after an election, for all the swearing ins and logistical things happening behind the scenes (formation of a government)

Prime Minsiter

leader of the government in Parliament. By convention, the prime minister is an elected member of the House of Commons

Head of Government

official elected leader of the government. Canada's head of government is the prime minister

Ministers

MPs usually in the House of Commons, who have been appointed by the prime minister to sit with [them] in the cabinet

Ministers are responsible for the various departments and agencies of the government and collectively compose the Government of Canada

Ministry

Refers to the Government of Canada, which is composed of ministers

Political Executive

The prime minister and the cabinet ministers in Canada

Formal Executive

The Crown aka Head of State aka Governor General

Conventions

Unwritten rules of the Canadian political system. Many conventions were inherited from Great Britain's system of responsible government in 1867, while other conventions have emerged in Canada over time through political practice

Letters Patent

a specific set of instructions from the British Crown to the governor general

Used to be personalized until 1878, when they became a standing letter, and in 1947 the letters were revised and governor generals were told to "exercise most the Crown's powers on behalf of the sovereign"

Orders in Council

Decisions made by the cabinet that carry legal force

Governor in Council

formal decisions of the governor general taken on the advice of cabinet

Government

refers broadly to the entire system of public administration that governs a country or more specifically to the current governing party

Ministers of the State/Secretaries

MPs appointed by the prime minister to be a "junior minister" responsible for a particular department or agency under the auspices of a minister

Parliamentary Secretaries

MPs appointed by the PM to assist the ministers in their parliamentary duties, such as answering questions when the minister is away

NOT part of the ministry, but ARE a part of the Privy Council

By-Election

An election to fill a vacancy in the House of Commons held between general elections

Regional Ministers

Members of cabinet tasked by the PM to take the lead on issues related to a particular province or region. It is more a partisan role than government position

Are responsible for keeping cabinet informed of political developments in their regions and how the policies of the government might be receive in their respective regions

Briefing Notes

Short documents prepared by the civil service to inform the minister of key developments or to advice them on policy

Big Tent Parties

Diverse parties with multiple ideological factions

Civil Servants

Permanent HIRED employees of the government who assist the election government with policy development and implementation as well as the administration of the state

Deputy Minister

The top civil servant in a department . . . Is an employee of the government, rather than an elected MP/Minister

Memorandum to Cabinet

A formal document used by a minister to present his or her views to cabinet

Record of Decisions

A formal document recording the final and official decisions of cabinet

Privy Council Office

The apex of the civil service and office responsible for coordination the actions of government and supporting the prime minister

non-partisan technical advice . . . works for the taxpayers of Canada . . . impact of policy on Canada

Clerk of the Privy Council

The top civil servant in the country. The clerk is also the deputy minister to the prime minister and secretary of the cabinet

Chief of Staff

The head of the PMO and the principal advisor to the PM . . . provides partisan advice to the PM, unlike the Clerk of the Pricy Council, who provides non-partisan advice

Opposition Critics

The lead critic for each cabinet minister from each opposition party in Parliament, they are selected by the leader of the opposition party

Shadow Cabinet

Includes the leader of the Official Opposition party and all its opposition critics

Checks and Balances Executive

The executive and legislators are both responsive to the electorate (‘the people’)

Executive and legislative branches are separated

Responsible Government Executive

The executive (the government administration) is responsible to the legislative (Parliament), which is responsive to the electorate

Executive and legislative branches of government are fused

Public Policy

The way governments manage issues and solve problems in a society

What the executive does with the resources they have (more than just laws)

Most important of public policy is legislation

Lots of actors in policy making, but political parties are critical

Purpose of Public Policy

solve societal problems, create public goods, serve the public interest

but does it really serve the public interest? (yes and no)

Functions of Executive Branch

leadership, diplomacy, and military oversight

Executive Branch (types of power)

Have greater informational, organizational, distributional power BUT it is not unlimited in a democracy

Citizens keep executive responsible through elections (NOT IN CANADA, but with the presidential system)

Indirect accountability - exec responsible to MPs

Representative democracy = only really works during elections tho

Informational Power

exec consults with experts, and PM decides who gets to know what (intelligence services)

Organizational Power

exec can direct the permanent bureaucracy

Distributional Power

exec can distribute and redistribute resources

3 essential features of parliamentary systems

dual executive, fusion, and responsible government

dual executives

PM and cabinet are in charge of government who come and go, but the monarch is the head of state, represents the permanent state of Canada, is responsible for the stability of Canadian democracy, preserving it, sent as symbol to foreign events

reserve powers

powers of the governor general, but do not use often

can often be controversial when they are used

are used to protect responsible government

fusion

PM and cabinet are part of the legislature AND executive, vote on bills and execute the law (double responsibility)

permanent executive

civil service and military services

cabinet responsibilities

Collective responsibility for all government decisions, laws, and public policy

Individual responsibility for their portfolio/ministry

PM responsibilities

Can take a portfolio themselves, but often just overview all the portfolios

Advise governor general on reserve powers

Leads cabinet (can remove and add new ministers as they see fit)

Leads party and the caucus (all of the party's MPs)

Appoints senators

Appoints justices to Supreme Court

Very vague responsibilities

appointing senators

Trudeau created the Independent advisory board to select senators, PM still does the official appointing (not required for next PM/party, he did it, not a law)

In 2016, he declared all Liberal senators as independents and they no longer had to vote along party lines, as they were removed from the Liberal Caucus (not for the conservatives tho)

Historically conservatives appoint loyal conservatives, liberals appoint loyal liberals to the senate

civil servants

Hired on skills and experience

Responsible to the State of Canada

Officially non-partisan, people of Canada

260,000 civil service employees

civil service pyramid

Passport peoples work for the Ministry of Immigration, refugees, and citizenship, they are hired civil servants (lowest)

Highest civil servant = deputy minister (not elected, expert in policy making, possible background in immigration, refugees, and citizenship) (middle of the ministry, connect ministry and minister)

Minister = elected politician (top of the ministry, connects ministry to cabinet)

military services

68,000 active and 27,000 reserves

Defend Canada and it's allies

Minister of defence is the top person in this sector

branches of gov't

Legislative = makes laws for the country

Executive = enforces/executes those laws

Judicial = interprets those laws

governor general responsibilities

Appoints the PM

open and close each session of Parliament

dissolve Parliament for elections (usually always agree, unless soon after an election or another problem, like a critical time for Canada)


Acts on the advice of the Privy Council = PM and cabinet

Signs all legislation passed in the legislature and Senate (NO DSCRETIOANRY POWER (cannot refuse to sign)

ceremonial responsibilities of governor general

Celebrate our accomplishments! (literary and bravery awards, Order of Canada, military awards as the "ceremonial commander-in-chief of the Canadian Armed Forces")

Meets with foreign dignitaries on behalf of Canada/PM

Attends state funerals for foreign officials on behalf of Canada

***PM gets more time to work as the head of government, and the Governor General handles the ceremonial duties

Rideau Hall

governor general's official residence and workplace

governor general chosen?

Until 1952, they were a British citizen by the Queen

• Done on the advice of the British prime minister, but eventually Canadian PM took the lead role for choosing the governor general

SINCE 1952, governor general is a Canadian, appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Canadian prime minister

• Is more Canadian over time - Anglophones and Francophones, and now it is known that the governor general should be bilingual AND they should "reflect the diversity of the country"

rules of cabinet formation

Francophones and Anglophones (at least 25% of portfolios + even divide of top portfolios)

Every province should be represented (typically according to their population)

Non-territorial representation = gender, visible minorities, Indigenous Peoples

Party harmony = both sides of the party, especially true for Conservatives (Reform and Progressive Conservatives), and the Liberals (have a red (left) and blue (right) side)

Merit = people who will do a good job

cabinet ministers' responsibilities

responsible for running the various departments" (finance, heath, transportation, defence, environment, foreign affairs, labour, justice, human resources, public safety, etc.)

primus inter pares

the first among equals, but that's super accurate today because of the power dynamic with media (PM = face of Canada)

Prime Minister's Office (PMO)

partisan political advice (concerned about keeping the governing party in power)

why is court government happening

pmo and pco do decision making now, not CABINET

sovereignty in Quebec - PM doesn't want Canada to break up while they are the PM, so they monitor the political situation in Quebec

Media in Canada - everyone wants to hear from the PM about every issue, even though there is another minister responsible for the issue

Globalization - PM is part of many international groups, and has more info about everything going on in the world than anyone else in Cabinet

limits on PM

Constitution and other laws limit the power of the PM

Cabinet, PCO, and Governor General "advise" the PM

Not enough time to do everything

BUT basically impossible to kick out a sitting PM, unless they choose to step down

pm power dynamic in cabinet

Technically not special according to constitution, BUT there is a power dynamic at play here

• Can pick and choose his cabinet (power)

• Face of government in Canada, and worldwide

• Other ministers know what's going on in their departments, but not in other departments

• PM knows what's going on EVERYWHERE (knowledge is power)