Canadian Parliamentary Government Flashcards
Briefly describe the legislative branch of Canadian government.
In Canada, the provincial legislatures are unicameral, while the federal legislature is bicameral, consisting of the (lower) House of commons, and the (higher) Senate.
How is the House of Commons organized?
The House of Commons is an elected assembly, consisting of 308 seats. General must be held every 5 years, but they are most often held every 3-4 years. Seats in the House of Commons are allocated according the principle of representation by population.
How is the Senate organized?
Members of the Senate are not elected, rather they are appointed by they Prime Minister of they day, and are not required to retire until the age of 75. The Senate has 105 seats which are distributed according to the principle of regional representation.
What is meant by representation by population?
In the House of Commons, seats are allocated roughly by the percentage of the population in each province. The most populous provinces will hold the most seats, while the least populous provinces will hold the least seats.
What is meant by regional representation?
Regional representation is meant to give large geographic regions of the country have a voice in Parliament that can to some extent offset the power held in the House of Commons by the most populous provinces. The Senate is organized into four large regions, Ontario, Quebec, the West and Atlantic Canada, each of which hold 24 Senate seats. In addition, 6 seats are allocated to Newfoundland and one a piece to the three territories.
Describe the bureaucracy of the Canadian state.
The bureaucracy is a permanent fixture of the Canadian state, meaning an election may not produce a change in personnel such as with the political executive (government).
Describe the fusion of powers in the Canadian Government.
The Prime Minister and his Cabinet to all intents and purposes control the legislative branch, as well as directing the operations of the executive. As a consequence of this “fusion”, there is an immense concentration of power in the political executive.
How does the Prime Minister (PM) obtain his position, and how is the Cabinet formed?
The PM obtains his position by leading his party to victory in a general election. This generally means his party won more seats than any other single party. He is then sworn in as PM by the Governor General. The PM forms his Cabinet from leading members of his party who also won seats in the election.
What is a constitutional monarchy?
Canada is referred to as a constitutional monarchy due to the nature of its formal executive. Canada’s legal powers are formally exercised in the name of Canada’s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. However the powers of the crown today are exercised in accordance with the constitution.
Who represents the crown in Canada?
Canada is represented at the Federal level by the Governor General, and in each of the provinces by a Lieutenant Governor.
