Government and Laws Foundations of our Government The Canadian parliament is modeled on the British parliamentary System The

he main features inherited by this system are: Representative democracy in Canada we elect representative to make decisions for us at the different The Canadian Constitution A legal document that outlines who should have the power to make various decisions. Its the supreme law of the land which outlines the structure of our government and defines and limited the governments power The division of federal and provincial powers in laid down by the Canadian constitution Canada has both a written and unwritten constitution The Written Constitution Most of the written part of Canadas constitution drafted in 1867 during Confederation, was originally called The BNA Act Though Canada could now govern itself. Canada could not change the BNA Act with permission from the British Government On April 17, 1982, Canada became more self-governing when the Constitution Act was signed. This changed in Canadas constitution known as the Constitution Act 4 Main Parts to Canada Written Constitution 1. A description of the powers of provincial legislatures and Parliament, as well as their main parts 2. An amending formula, any change in the Constitution would have to be agreed upon by 7 of the 10 provinces representing at least 50% of the population. 3. A Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a clear statement of the basic rights to which all Canadians were entitled 4. The premiers agreed to accept the Charter on the condition that there were an escape clause known as the notwithstanding clause The notwithstanding clause allows the federal parliament or provincial legislatures to pass a law even if that law violates a specific freedom or right guaranteed in the Charter The Federal System (aka federalism) An organization or regional governments (provinces), and municipal governments (eg. Cities and towns) each acting on behalf of its own residents, with a central government in Ottawa responsible for matters important to the nation as a whole A federal union means that provinces do not have to give up their autonomy to a central government Residual powers are held exclusively for the federal government

The Parliamentary System In Canada, the powers of government are divided into three branches: Legislative Executive Judicial The Parliamentary System: The Legislative Branch In Canada the powers of government are divided into three branches; legislative executive and judicial The function of the legislative branch is to debate make and amend laws At the federal level the legislative branch consists of the Governor General and two houses the House of Commons (where MPs meet) and the Senate (where senators meet) At the provincial level includes one The House of Commons The elected law-making body in parliament (the members of parliament or MPs) The governing party (which include the Prime Minister, the cabinet, and the backbenchers) The opposition parties The Speaker of the House Controls debates Enforces rules The Senate (Upper House) Made up of 105 appointed senators Main job is to provide a final check on legislation passed in the House Ultimately no bill can become law without the Senates approval Senate Controversy Patronage the act of rewarding a party member for loyalty or support Not democratic because senators are appointed Governor General The governor general is commons to both the legislative and executive brand of government David Johnston is the current Governor General of Canada In Canada the monarch is represented by the Governor General The Role of the Governor General To sign bills to make them law (formal assent) Performs ceremonial duties Reads the Speech from the Throne The Executive Branch Governor General The Prime Minister The Cabinet The public service

Prime Ministers Roles Head of Government National leader Party leader The Cabinet A group of 30 MPs chosen by Prime Minister from his party Responsible for initiating and guiding most legislation through the House They are given a particular department to administer (eg. Environment, finance, etc.) Deputy minister is chosen by a cabinet minister to help run their department Caucus private meetings attended by the same political party Cabinet Solidarity The custom that cabinet members must not show public disagreement with government policies In other words, they must display full support for their leader (Prime Minister) and the decisions of the government publicly The Public Service (aka the civil service or bureaucracy) Perform the ongoing business of government Have fact-to-face contract with government Provide vast range of services Bills Bills not presented by the cabinet are call private members bill Bills can be proposed by any member of parliament How a Bill Becomes a Law First Reading Second Reading Committee Stage Report Stage Third Reading Royal Assent Parallel roles in Federal and Provincial Government Federal Government Governor General Senate House of Commons Prime Minister Cabinet Members of Parliament (MPs)

Provincial Government Lieutenant Governor No provincial equivalent Legislative assembly Premier Cabinet Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) Aboriginal Self-Government The Musqueom Indian Band is a First Nations government in British Columbia , and is the only Aboriginal band whose reserve community lies within the boundaries of the city of Vancouver The band government themselves using a band council whose leader is a chief Quiz Multiple choice + fill in the blanks