Canadian
Government Structure:
Canada is
a constitutional monarchy. The people as citizens are represented
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as opposed to a head of
government, who represents the people as voters. In Canada,
the Queen is represented by the Governor General (in federal
matters) and the ten Lieutenant Governors (in provincial affairs).
These distinguished Canadians serve as spokespersons for the
Queen.
How
the Canadian federal government is formed:
The center
of the Canadian government is the Parliament. The Parliament
consists of a Governor General, an appointed Senate, and the
House of Commons. Members of the Senate are appointed by the
Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
The House of Commons is the national legislature elected by
Canadian citizens.
Usually,
the political party with the most elected members in the House
of Commons will take the leading role in forming the Canadian
government. If the party has a majority of seats (151), then
it automatically forms a majority government. If it has fewer
than 151 seats, the leading party will seek the cooperation
of other parties. The leader of the leading party becomes
the Prime Minister of Canada. The party with the second highest
number of seats usually becomes the Official Opposition.
The Prime
Minister of Canada chooses a Cabinet from members of the leading
party in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister and Cabinet
must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons, this
practice is known as "responsible government".
Each member
of the Cabinet is responsible for the management of a particular
federal govenment department - Finance, Foreign Affairs, Environment,
Health, to name a few - and is responsible to the House of
Commons for that department.
The Governor
General of Canada is appointed by the Queen on the advice
of the Canadian Prime Minister and exercises all powers on
the advice of the Cabinet.
How
and when Canadian elections are held:
By law,
federal and provincial elections must be held at least every
five years, although they can be called earlier. If a minority
government defeats a bill in the House of Commons, an election
must take place. In all cases, the decision to call an election
is taken by the Prime Minister.
All voting takes place by way of secret ballot.
Who
can vote in a Candian federal election?
In order
to vote in a Canadian federal election, you must be a Canadian
citizen and at least 18 years old.
Canadian
federal government responsibilities:
The Canadian
federal government is responsible for the following areas
of regulation:
- Canadian
Banking
- Canadian
Broadcasting
- Canadian
Telecommunications
- Canadian
Air navigation
- Canadian
Atomic energy
- Canadian
Shipping
- Canadian
Interprovincial and international railways
- Canadian
Pipelines
- Enterprises
owned by the Canadian federal government (Crown corporations)
- Canadian
Armed Forces and national defence
- Canadian
Criminal law
- Foreign
relations
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