Head of State vs Head of Government & Parliamentary Democracy in Action

Ethel Blondin-Andrew

First Indigenous woman elected to the House of Commons

Head of State

The highest-ranking official in a country

Head of Government

The chief executive who holds the actual power in a country

Parliamentary Democracy

A system of government where the executive branch is accountable to the legislature

House of Commons

The lower house of the Canadian Parliament

Riding

A geographical area represented by a Member of Parliament

Secretary of State for Training and Youth

A cabinet position responsible for training and youth affairs

Governor General

The representative of the British monarch in Canada

Lieutenant Governor

The representative of the British monarch in a Canadian province

British-style parliamentary system

A system of government based on the British model

Republic of Ireland

A country that broke away from Britain and became a parliamentary republic

President of Ireland

The head of state in Ireland, elected by the Irish people

House of Representatives

The lower house of the Irish Parliament

Senate

The upper house of the Irish Parliament

Trinidad and Tobago

A country that became a republic but still follows the British-style parliamentary model

President of Trinidad and Tobago

The head of state in Trinidad and Tobago, elected by the members of the Parliament

Barbados

A country that replaced the British monarch with an elected President as the head of state

President of Barbados

The head of state in Barbados, elected by the members of the Parliament

Constitution Amendment Bill

A bill that amends the constitution to provide for an elected President in Barbados

Confidence Vote

A vote in the Parliament to determine if the government has the support of the majority

Majority Government

A government formed by a party that holds more than 50% of the seats in the Parliament

Minority Government

A government formed by a party that holds less than 50% of the seats in the Parliament

Coalition Government

A government formed by multiple parties that share power

Party Discipline

The expectation that members of a political party will vote in line with the party's position

Seat

A constituency represented by a Member of Parliament

Mackenzie King

The leader of the Liberal Party who formed a minority government in 1921

Progressive Party

An opposition party that supported the minority Liberal government in 1921

Jagmeet Singh

The leader of the NDP who supports the minority Liberal government since 2019

Throne Speech

A speech delivered by the government to outline its legislative agenda

Unitary State

A state where power is concentrated in the central government

Constitution Amendment

An amendment to the constitution of a country

Sandra Mason

The first President of Barbados, elected by the Parliament

Confederation

The process of uniting separate colonies into a single country

Justin Trudeau

The leader of the Liberal Party who became the Prime Minister of Canada in 2015

House of Assembly

The elected lower house of the Barbadian Parliament

Senate

The appointed upper house of the Barbadian Parliament

Mia Mottley

The Prime Minister of Barbados who led the country's transition to a republic

Confederation

The process of uniting separate colonies into a single country

Throne Speech

A speech delivered by the government to outline its legislative agenda

Confidence Vote

A vote in the Parliament to determine if the government has the support of the majority

Party Discipline

The expectation that members of a political party will vote in line with the party's position

Seat

A constituency represented by a Member of Parliament

Mackenzie King

The leader of the Liberal Party who formed a minority government in 1921

Progressive Party

An opposition party that supported the minority Liberal government in 1921

Jagmeet Singh

The leader of the NDP who supports the minority Liberal government since 2019

Throne Speech

A speech delivered by the government to outline its legislative agenda

Unitary State

A state where power is concentrated in the central government

Constitution Amendment

An amendment to the constitution of a country

Sandra Mason

The first President of Barbados, elected by the Parliament

Confederation

The process of uniting separate colonies into a single country

Justin Trudeau

The leader of the Liberal Party who became the Prime Minister of Canada in 2015

House of Assembly

The elected lower house of the Barbadian Parliament

Senate

The appointed upper house of the Barbadian Parliament

Mia Mottley

The Prime Minister of Barbados who led the country's transition to a republic