Unit 4: The house of Commons

Question 1

What is The House of Commons and Rep by Pop?

Answer 1

Canada’s House of Commons is organized into 338 constituencies, or ridings, represented by one Member of Parliament or MP.

The Canada Elections Act outlines the number of ridings in the House of Commons for each Province and each Territory.

In addition, there are several constitutional rules that determine the number of MPs for each province in the House of Commons

Question 2

What is Constituencies/Ridings

Answer 2

Each riding is a territorially defined seat in the House of Commons.

The shape of each riding in Canada is determined by an Electoral Boundaries Commission that is struck after each 10-year census.

A separate EBC is established for each province and territory to advise on the number of seats in the House of Commons, and the boundaries of each constituency.

Question 3

What is Gerrymandering

Answer 3

manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to favor one party or class.

Question 4

What is Representation by Population in Canada

Answer 4

A predominant characteristic of ridings in Canada is the great variation in size province to province.

Canada does not adhere to a national average in terms of electors per riding.

Prince Edward Island

Charlottetown: 	36 615 		
Cardigan:        		36 095	

Ontario

Toronto-Centre:    	103 875	
Toronto-Danforth: 	106 875

Question 5

What are Factors to Explain Variation in Riding Size

Answer 5

Three factors explain the stark differences in numbers of electors per constituency or riding in Canada:

The unit of measurement for deciding ridings and their size.

Constitutional rules – section 51a of the Constitution Act, 1867.

Statutory rules – Canada Elections Act.

Question 6

What are the Unit of Measurement

Answer 6

The constituencies in the House of Commons are determined by an electoral boundary commission for each province.

The unit of measurement is provincial and seats in each province attempt to conform to an average number of electors at the provincial level.

Question 7

What are Constitutional Rules

Answer 7

A set of constitutional rules in relation to the Senate determine the minimum number of seats in the House of Commons that a province is entitled to.

Question 8

What are Statutory Rules

Answer 8

Beginning in 1974, the Canada Elections Act (CEA) guarantees that no province will have fewer seats in the House of Commons that it had in 1974.

In addition, the Canada Elections Act guarantees Quebec 25 per cent of the seats in the House of Commons.

Quebec is 22.5% of the Canadian population in 2019

Question 9

What are Effect on Representation by Population

Answer 9

The combination of these 3 factors ensures wide provincial variation in the number of electors in each of the House of Commons’ 338 constituencies.

It also results in an over-representation of certain provinces and under-representation of others in the House of Commons as provinces with declining populations protected against seat losses each 10-year review by Electoral Boundary Commissions.

Question 10

What are the Representation by Population and the Charter

Answer 10

There is a potential conflict between variation in the size of the constituencies in the House of Commons and the democratic rights guarantees of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Question 11

What is SMP or ‘First Past the Post’

Answer 11

Canada’s electoral system that is an example of our system having a ‘constitution similar in principle to that of the United Kingdom

Single Member Plurality

Single Member = one Member of Parliament per constituency.

Plurality = only the most votes, or a plurality of the ballots cast, is necessary to win election to the House of Commons as a Member of Parliament representing a riding.

Question 12

What is The Commons and its Organization

Answer 12

Parliamentary democracy in the Westminster tradition is based on the concept of adversarial politics – the House is divided on two sides, government versus opposition, and the role of the opposition is to hold the government to account for its policy decisions, and general conduct.

Nunavut and the Northwest Territories are a departure from adversarialism as their assemblies are based on non-party, consensual decision making.

Question 13

What is the The Speaker of the House of Commons

Answer 13

One of the few constitutional actors in our system of parliamentary democracy that is part of the written constitution;

Sections 44 to 49 of the Constitution Act 1867 discusses the position of Speaker.

The Speaker is responsible for the management of the House of Commons and presides over the daily question period that occurs when the House of Commons is in session.

Question 14

What is The McGrath Report

Answer 14

The McGrath Report in 1985 recommended that the Speaker of the House of Commons should be elected by its members.

Accepted in 1986 and results in section 44 of the Constitution Act, 1867.

Until the McGrath Report, the Speaker had been selected by the incoming Prime Minister, questioning the neutrality of the office.

Question 15

What is The Speaker and Members of Parliament?

Answer 15

There are two types of Members of Parliament (MPs) in our system, and it is the responsibility of the Speaker to recognize the types of MPs in the House of Commons;
MPs that are members of parliamentary parties;

MPs that are independent members of the House of Commons.

Canada elects few independent members of the House of Commons, and most parties in the House of Commons are recognized as parliamentary parties – only the Green Party of Canada is not recognized by the Speaker as a parliamentary party.

In the 2019 election, there were 4 MPs recognized by the Speaker as independent MPs:

Jody Wilson-Raybould + 3 independent MPs elected for the Green Party of Canada

Question 16

What is the Floor Crossing and the Speaker of the House

Answer 16

Members of Parliament can change party identification and ‘cross the floor’ and join a different parliamentary caucus.

‘Floor-crossers’ must write to the Speaker of the House of Commons and ask to be recognized as a member of the parliamentary caucus they choose to join.

Examples include David Emerson (2006) and Leona Alleslev (2018)

Question 17

Who is The Prime Minister?

Answer 17

Regarded as the central actor in the House of Commons and our parliamentary democracy.

We will consider the role of the Prime Minister as a separate unit in this course.

Acts as a chief constitutional adviser to the Governor General, and the ‘First Minister’ of the ministry that commands the confidence of the House of Commons.

Question 18

What is the The Leader of the Official Opposition?

Answer 18

In the Westminster parliamentary system, the official opposition is viewed as a ‘government-in-waiting’ that can replace a ministry that loses the confidence of the House of Commons.

The Leader of the Official Opposition is the leader of the largest opposition party in the House of Commons and is the prime minister-in-waiting, if the current incumbent loses the confidence of the House of Commons and is invited by the Governor General to form a ministry.

Question 19

What is The Chief Whip?

Answer 19

A notable feature of Westminster parliamentary democracy is that of party discipline – members of a parliamentary caucus must vote the ‘party line’ and few votes are free votes.

The parliamentarian in each party that enforces party discipline is the Chief Whip.

The Whip is responsible for ensuring that MPs are present in the House of Commons and informed how to vote on a particular issue – they are issued voting instructions referred to a “lined whip”.

Question 20

What is the Whipped Votes?

Answer 20

3-line whip – MP must attend the House and vote based on the instruction of the party leadership.
2-line whip – An instruction to attend and vote in a particular way, but without sanction; partially binding for voting, attendance required unless prior permission given by the Whip,
1-line whip - A guide to what the party’s policy would indicate, and notification of when the vote is expected to take place; this is non-binding for attendance or voting.

Question 21

Defying the Whip

Answer 21

MPs that fail to vote based on the instructions provided by the Whip face penalties imposed by the Whip’s Office – from expulsion from the parliamentary caucus (removing the Whip), removal from parliamentary committees, removal of shadow cabinet positions, etc.

Question 22

What us Free Votes?

Answer 22

True free votes occasionally take place in the House of Commons, usually on questions of morality and conscience, where divisions tend to cross party lines. To date, there have been few such votes: the flag debate of the 1960s; five votes on capital punishment in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s; votes on the abortion issue; and the vote on same-sex marriage in June 2005 (Bill C-38 – it is to be noted that the New Democratic Party did not allow a free vote for its members on that issue). In several of these, Cabinet ministers were expected to support the measure as it had been introduced by the government, but other Members on the government side were free to vote as they wished. This was the case with the vote on same-sex marriage: Liberal ministers were required to vote in support, but other Liberal MPs were allowed to vote in accordance with their own beliefs.