Government

The work of the federal government is done through departments, ministries, and agencies. Examples of federal department areas of responsibility include Indigenous services or housing and infrastructure.


EXECUTIVE BRANCH

The executive branch consists of the prime minister and the cabinet.

Prime Minister

They are the head of the Canadian government and are in charge of running the country's day-to-day activities. They put laws into force.

You Can Only Become Prime Minister If You:

  1. Your party must elect you as its leader

  2. You must be elected as a Member of Parliament in the riding that you will represent

  3. Your party must win the most seats in the House of Commons

The Cabinet (Minister)

Cabinet ministers have two jobs: to represent the people who live in their riding as senators and to help the prime minister run the country.

Members Are Appointed By The Prime Minister From Members Of Their Party

  • Each cabinet minister is given a portfolio. This is a government department

LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Legislative Branch creates, changes, and repeals laws and regulations. Its members are the members of parliament (senators and MPs).

Who Are Members Of Parliament?

  • Mp’s belong to the House of Commons

  • Each MP represents the voters of one riding (voting district/constituency)

  • District sizes are determined by population

Canada is divided into 338 electoral districts or ridings. Voters in each riding elect one member of parliament to send to the House of Commons. This meeting room is located in the parliament building and is where they perform their business of discussing their laws, which is recorded and can be viewed whenever.

Members of Parliament influence legislation through debates in the House of Commons and during all-party committee meetings to examine legislation. They have the right to vote on bills in the House of Commons as well as introduce their own “private members bills”. A bill is an idea for a law; a proposed law.

Majority vs Minority Government

A majority government is when your party has a majority of seats in the House of Commons (more than 51%)

A minority government is when you have the most seats but not the overall majority. To pass bills, they need to make alliances with a minimum of one other party to ensure that the bill will have more than 51% of the votes for government proposals.

It can be really hard to pass laws and make decisions when there is a minority government as the party in power needs to listen more carefully to the opposition and compromise. Only then will the other party agree to vote the government’s bill through.

The Official Opposition: The Government’s Watchdog

The role of the opposition, which is the political party with the next greatest amount of seats, is to create debate on the bill. This means they will ask tough questions when the new laws are being proposed.

Who Are Senators

Canada’s 105 senators are men and women of accomplishment and experience. They are business people and scientists, judges / teachers, athletes, community leaders, and senior civil servants who use their lifetimes of expertise to ensure Parliament acts in the best interests of Canadians.

Senators come from diverse professional backgrounds; they use the wisdom from their personal experiences to give provinces and minority groups a strong voice in Parliament.

JUDICIAL BRANCH

The Judicial Branch is Canada’s court of law. All members must come from the legal profession meaning the Supreme Court has the final word on all legal questions in the country as it is the highest court in Canada. They are in charge of interpreting and applying all laws in Canada, including citizen rights.

  • This branch makes sure the rights of all Canadians are respected

  • Judges interpret laws and apply them to situations

  • They provide predictable patterns of behaviors and treatment of individuals