Parliament of Canada

Parliament of Canada - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Parliament_of_Canada
Coordinates: 45.42521°N 75.70011°W
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement
Parliament of Canada
du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada,
Parlement du Canada (French)
seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is
composed of three parts: the Monarch, the Senate, 43rd Parliament
and the House of Commons.[1] By constitutional
convention, the House of Commons is dominant,
with the Senate rarely opposing its will. The Senate
reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint
and may initiate certain bills. The monarch or her
representative, normally the governor general,
provides royal assent to make bills into law.
The governor general, on behalf of the monarch,

summons and appoints the 105 senators on the
advice of the prime minister, while the 338
members of the House of Commons—called
members of Parliament (MPs)—each represent an Type
electoral district, commonly referred to as a riding,
Type Bicameral
and are elected by Canadian voters residing in the
riding. In his or her own right, the governor general Houses Senate
also summons and calls together the House of House of Commons
Commons, on behalf of the monarch, while either History
the monarch or governor general, the latter as ex
officio viceroy, can prorogue or dissolve Parliament, Founded 1 July 1867
in order to either end a parliamentary session or Preceded by Initially assumed some jurisdiction
call a general election. Either will deliver and read from:
the Throne Speech. The most recent Parliament,
summoned by Governor General Julie Payette in Parliament of the Province of
September 2019, is the 43rd Parliament since Canada
Confederation. General Assembly of Nova Scotia
New Brunswick Legislature
Contents Later added some jurisdiction

from:
Composition
Monarch Hudson's Bay Company
Senate
Legislature of the United Colony
House of Commons
of British Columbia
Jurisdiction
General Assembly of Prince
Officers Edward Island
Term General Assembly of
Procedure Newfoundland (then suspended)
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Parliament of Canada - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Canada
Legislative functions Parliament of the United Kingdom
Relationship with the executive Leadership

Privileges Monarch Elizabeth II
History since 6 February 1952
See also Governor Richard Wagner

General as Administrator of Canada
Notes since 21 January 2021
References Speaker of George Furey, Non-Affiliated
Citations the Senate since 3 December 2015
Sources
Speaker of Anthony Rota, (Liberal)
External links the House since 5 December 2019
of
Commons
Composition Prime Justin Trudeau, (Liberal)
Minister since 4 November 2015
The body consists of the Canadian monarch,
Structure
represented by a viceroy, the governor general; an
upper house, the Senate; and a lower house, the Seats 443
House of Commons. Each element has its own 338 Members of Parliament
officers and organization. Each has a distinct role, 105 senators
but work in conjunction within the legislative
process. This format was inherited from the United
Kingdom and is a near-identical copy of the
Parliament at Westminster, the greatest differences
stemming from situations unique to Canada, such Senate Independent Senators Group (41)
as the impermanent nature of the monarch's political Conservative (20)
residency in the country and the lack of a peerage to groups
Canadian Senators Group (12)
form the upper chamber.
Progressive Senate Group (12)
Only those who sit in the House of Commons are Non-affiliated (5)
usually called members of Parliament (MPs); the Vacant (15)
term is not usually applied to senators (except in
legislation, such as the Parliament of Canada Act),
even though the Senate is a part of Parliament.
Though legislatively less powerful, senators take
higher positions in the national order of
precedence. No individual may serve in more than House of Liberal (155)
Commons
one chamber at the same time. Conservative (119)
political
Bloc Québécois (32)
groups
New Democratic (24)
Monarch Green (2)
Independent (5)
The sovereign's place in the legislature, formally
Vacant (1)
known as the Queen-in-Parliament,[2] is defined by
the Constitution Act, 1867, and various Elections
conventions.[1] Neither she nor her viceroy, Senate Appointment by the governor general
however, participates in the legislative process save voting on advice of the prime minister
for signifying the Queen's approval to a bill passed system
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by both houses of House of First-past-the-post

Parliament, known as Commons
the granting of Royal voting
Assent, which is system
necessary for a bill to House of 21 October 2019
be enacted as law. All Commons
federal bills thus begin last election
with the phrase "Now, House of On or before 16 October 2023
therefore, Her Commons
Majesty, by and with next
the advice and consent election
The Queen of the Senate and Meeting place
House of Commons of
Canada, enacts as
[3]
follows ..." and, as such, the Crown is immune
from acts of Parliament unless expressed otherwise
in the act itself.[4] The governor general will
normally perform the task of granting Royal Assent,
though the monarch may also do so, at the request
of either the Cabinet or the viceroy, who may defer House of Commons of Canada - West Block -
assent to the sovereign as per the constitution.[5] Parliament Hill
Ottawa, Ontario
As both the monarch and his or her representatives
Canada
are traditionally barred from the House of
and
Commons, any parliamentary ceremonies in which
Senate of Canada - Senate of Canada Building
they are involved take place in the Senate chamber.
The upper and lower houses do, however, each 2 Rideau Street
contain a mace, which indicates the authority of the Ottawa, Ontario
Queen-in-Parliament and the privilege granted to Canada
that body by her,[6][7] both bearing a crown at their Website
apex. The original mace for the Senate was that
www.parl.ca (https://www.parl.ca)
used in the Legislative Council of the Province of
Canada after 1849, while that of the House of
Commons was inherited from the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada, first used in 1845.
Following the burning of the Centre Block on 3 February 1916, the City of London, England, donated a
replacement, which is still used today. The temporary mace, made of wood, and used until the new
one arrived from the United Kingdom in 1917, is still carried into the Senate each 3 February.[8] The
Senate's 1.6-metre-long mace comprises brass and gold. The Senate may not sit if its mace is not in
the chamber; it typically sits on the table with the crown facing the throne,[9]:55 though it may, during
certain ceremonies, be held by the mace bearer, standing adjacent to the governor general or monarch
in the Senate.[9]:51
Members of the two houses of Parliament must also express their loyalty to the sovereign and defer to
her authority, as the Oath of Allegiance must be sworn by all new parliamentarians before they may
take their seats. Further, the official opposition is formally called Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition, to
signify that, though they may be opposed to the incumbent Cabinet's policies, they remain dedicated
to the apolitical Crown.[10][11]
Senate
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The upper house of the Parliament of Canada, the Senate

(French: Sénat), is a group of 105 individuals appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister;[12] all those
appointed must, per the constitution, be a minimum of 30 years
old, be a subject of the monarch, and own property with a net
worth of at least $4,000, in addition to owning land worth no less
than $4,000 within the province he or she is to represent.[13]
Senators served for life until 1965, when a constitutional
The Senate amendment imposed a mandatory retirement age of 75. Senators
may, however, resign their seats prior to that mark, and can lose
their position should they fail to attend two consecutive sessions
of Parliament.
The principle underlying the Senate's composition is equality amongst Canada's geographic regions
(called Divisions in the Constitution): 24 for Ontario, 24 for Quebec, 24 for the Maritimes (10 for
Nova Scotia, 10 for New Brunswick, and four for Prince Edward Island), and 24 for the Western
provinces (six each for Manitoba, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Alberta).[14] Additionally,
senators are appointed from two geographic areas not part of any senatorial division. Newfoundland
and Labrador (since 1949 the "newest" province, although "oldest" English settlement), is represented
by six senators. Since 1975 each of Canada's territories is represented by 1 senator—the Northwest
Territories, Yukon, and (since its formation in 1999) Nunavut. An additional 4 or 8 senators may be
appointed by the governor general, provided the approval of the Queen is secured and the four
divisions are equally represented. This power has been employed once since 1867: to ensure the
passage of the bill establishing the Goods and Services Tax, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney advised
Queen Elizabeth II to appoint extra senators in 1990. This results in a temporary maximum number
of senators of 113, which must through attrition return to its normal number of 105.
House of Commons
The elected component of the Canadian Parliament is the House

of Commons (French: Chambre des communes), with each
member chosen by a plurality of voters in each of the country's
federal electoral districts, or ridings. To run for one of the 338
seats in the lower house, an individual must be at least 18 years
old. Each member holds office until Parliament is dissolved, after
which they may seek re-election. The ridings are regularly
reorganized according to the results of each decennial national
The House of Commons
census;[15] however, the "senatorial clause" of the Constitution
Act, 1867 guarantees each province at least as many MPs as it has
senators,[16] and the "grandfather clause" permits each province
as many MPs as it had in either 1976 or 1985.[15] The existence of this legislation has pushed the size
of the House of Commons above the required minimum of 282 seats.
Charles Robert is the clerk.
Jurisdiction
The powers of the Parliament of Canada are limited by the constitution, which divides legislative
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abilities between the federal and provincial legislatures; in general, provincial legislatures may only
pass laws relating to topics explicitly reserved for them by the constitution (such as education,
provincial officers, municipal government, charitable institutions, and "matters of a merely local or
private nature")[17] while any matter not under the exclusive authority of the provincial legislatures is
within the scope of the federal Parliament's power. Thus, Parliament alone can pass laws relating to,
among other things, the postal service, census, military, navigation and shipping, fishing, currency,
banking, weights and measures, bankruptcy, copyrights, patents, First Nations, and naturalization.[18]
In some cases, however, the jurisdictions of the federal and provincial parliaments may be more
vague. For instance, the federal parliament regulates marriage and divorce in general, but the
solemnization of marriage is regulated only by the provincial legislatures. Other examples include the
powers of both the federal and provincial parliaments to impose taxes, borrow money, punish crimes,
and regulate agriculture.
The powers of Parliament are also limited by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, though
most of its provisions can be overridden by use of the notwithstanding clause.[19] Such clause,
however, has never been used by the federal parliament, though it has been employed by some
provincial legislatures. Laws violating any part of the constitution are invalid and may be ruled
unconstitutional by the courts.
Officers
Each of Parliament's two chambers is presided over by a speaker; that for the Senate is a member
appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister, while the equivalent for the
House of Commons is a member of Parliament, who is elected by the other members of that body. In
general, the powers of the latter are greater than those of the former. Following the British model, the
upper chamber is essentially self-regulating, but the lower chamber is controlled by the chair, in a
majoritarian model that gives great power and authority to the chair. In 1991, however, the powers of
the speaker of the Senate were expanded, which reorganized the balance of power to be closer to the
framework of the Commons.
The usher of the black rod of the Senate of Canada is the most
senior protocol position in Parliament, being the personal
messenger to the legislature of the sovereign and governor
general. He or she is also a floor officer of the Senate responsible
for security in that chamber, as well as for protocol,
administrative, and logistical details of important events taking
place on Parliament Hill,[20] such as the Speech from the Throne,
Royal Assent ceremonies, state funerals, or the investiture of a
new governor general.[21]
Former usher of the black rod, Kevin
Other officers of Parliament include the auditor general, chief S. MacLeod, before the thrones in
electoral officer, official languages commissioner, privacy the Senate chamber, 2009
commissioner, information commissioner, conflict of interest and
ethics commissioner, public sector integrity commissioner, and
commissioner of lobbying. These individuals are appointed by either one or both houses, to which
they report through the speaker of that house. They are sometimes referred to as Agents of
Parliament.[22] Another key official is the parliamentary librarian, a position established in 1871
under the Library of Parliament Act, charged with directing the Library of Parliament.
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Term
The Constitution Act, 1867, outlines that the governor general alone is responsible for summoning
Parliament, though it remains the monarch's prerogative to prorogue and dissolve the legislature,
after which the writs for a general federal election are usually dropped by the governor general at
Rideau Hall. Upon completion of the election, the governor general, on the advice of the prime
minister, then issues a royal proclamation summoning Parliament to assemble. On the date given,
new MPs are sworn in and then are, along with returning MPs, called to the Senate, where they are
instructed to elect their speaker and return to the House of Commons to do so before adjourning.[9]:42
The new parliamentary session is marked by the opening of Parliament,

a ceremony where a range of topics can be addressed in a Speech From
the Throne given by the monarch, the governor general, or a royal
delegate.[note 1] The usher of the black rod invites MPs to these
events,[23] knocking on the doors of the lower house that have been
slammed shut[24]—a symbolic arrangement designed to illustrate the
Commons' right to deny entry to anyone, including even the monarch
(but with an exception for royal messengers).[25] Once the MPs are
gathered behind the Bar of the Senate—save for the prime minister, the
only MP permitted into the Senate proper to sit near the throne dais—
the House of Commons speaker presents to the monarch or governor
general, and formally claims the rights and privileges of the House of
Queen Elizabeth II and Commons; and then the speaker of the Senate, on behalf of the Crown,
Prince Philip at the opening replies in acknowledgement after the sovereign or viceroy takes their
of Parliament, 14 October seat on the throne.[9]:42 The speech is then read aloud. It can outline the
1957
program of the Cabinet for the upcoming legislative session, as well as
other matters chosen by the speaker.
A parliamentary session lasts until a prorogation, after which, without ceremony, both chambers of
the legislature cease all legislative business until the governor general issues another proclamation
calling for a new session to begin; except for the election of a speaker for the House of Commons and
his or her claiming of that house's privileges, the same procedures for the opening of Parliament are
again followed. After a number of such sessions—having ranged from one to seven[9]:45—a Parliament
comes to an end via dissolution, and a general election typically follows. Subject to the governor
general's discretion, general elections are held four years after the previous on the third Monday in
October or, on the recommendation of the chief electoral officer, the following Tuesday or Monday.
The governor general may dissolve Parliament and call a general election outside of these fixed dates,
conventionally on the advice of the prime minister, which may be preceded by a successful motion of
no confidence. The timing of such dissolutions may be politically motivated.[26][27][28]
Procedure
Both houses determine motions by voice vote; the presiding officer puts the question and, after
listening to shouts of "yea" and "nay" from the members, announces which side is victorious. This
decision by the Speaker is final, unless a recorded vote is demanded by members—requiring at least
two in the Senate and five in the House of Commons. Members of both houses vote by rising in their
places to be counted; the speaker of the Senate is permitted to vote on a motion or bill—though does
so irregularly, in the interest of impartiality—and, if there is no majority, the motion is defeated. In
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the Commons, however, the speaker cannot vote, unless to break a tie, at which time he or she will
customarily vote in favour of the status quo. The constitution establishes the quorums to be 15
senators in the upper house and 20 members in the lower house, the speaker of each body being
counted within the tally.
Voting can thus take three possible forms: whenever possible, leaving the matter open for future
consideration and allowing for further discussion by the house; when no further discussion is
possible, taking into account that the matter could somehow be brought back in future and be decided
by a majority in the house; or, leaving a bill in its existing form rather than having it amended. For
example, during the vote on the 2005 budget, which was considered a vote of confidence, the speaker
of the House of Commons cast the tie-breaking vote during the second reading, moving in favour of
the budget and allowing its passage. If the vote on the third reading had again been tied, the speaker
would have been expected to vote against the bill, bringing down the government.
Simultaneous interpretation for both official languages, English and French, is provided at all times
during sessions of both houses.
Legislative functions
Laws, known in their draft form as bills, may be introduced by any member of either house. However,
most bills originate in the House of Commons, of which most are put forward by ministers of the
Crown, making them government bills, as opposed to private members' bills or private senators' bills,
which are launched by MPs and senators, respectively, who are not in cabinet. Draft legislation may
also be categorized as public bills, if they apply to the general public, or private bills, if they concern a
particular person or limited group of people. Each bill then goes through a series of stages in each
chamber, beginning with the first reading. It is not, however, until the bill's second reading that the
general principles of the proposed law are debated; though rejection is a possibility, such is not
common for government bills.
Next, the bill is sent by the house where it is being debated to one of several committees. The Standing
Orders outline the general mandate for all committees, allowing them to review: bills as they pertain
to relevant departments; the program and policy plans, as well as the projected expenditures, and the
effectiveness of the implementation thereof, for the same departments; and the analysis of the
performance of those departments.[29] Most often, bills end up before a standing committee, which is
a body of members or senators who specialize in a particular subject (such as foreign affairs), and who
may hear testimony from ministers and experts, debate the bill, and recommend amendments. The
bill may also be committed to the Committee of the Whole, a body consisting of, as the name suggests,
all the members of the chamber in question. Finally, the bill could be referred to an ad hoc committee
established solely to review the piece of legislation in question. Each chamber has their own
procedure for dealing with this, with the Senate establishing special committees that function like
most other committees, and the House of Commons establishing legislative committees, the chair of
the latter being appointed by the speaker of the House of Commons, and is normally one of his
deputies. Whichever committee is used, any amendments proposed by the committee are considered
by the whole house in the report stage. Furthermore, additional amendments not proposed by the
committee may also be made.
After the report stage (or, if the committee made no amendments to the bill, immediately after the
committee stage), the final phase of the bill—the third reading—occurs, at which time further
amendments are not permitted in the House of Commons, but are allowed in the Senate. If it passes
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the third reading, the bill is sent to the other house of Parliament, where it passes through the same
stages;[note 2] amendments made by the second chamber require the assent of the original house in
order to stand part of the final bill. If one house passes amendments that the other will not agree to,
and the two houses cannot resolve their disagreements, the bill fails.
Once the bill is passed in identical form by both houses, it is presented

for Royal Assent; in theory, the governor general has three options: he or
she may grant Royal Assent, thereby making the bill into law; withhold
Royal Assent, thereby vetoing the bill; or reserve the bill for the
signification of the Queen's pleasure, which allows the sovereign to
personally grant or withhold assent. If the governor general does grant
Royal Assent, the monarch may, within two years, disallow the bill, thus
annulling the law in question. In the federal sphere, no bill has ever been
denied royal approval.
In conformity with the British model, only the House of Commons may
originate bills for the imposition of taxes or for the appropriation of
Crown funds. The constitutional amendment procedure does make King George VI, with
provision for the Commons overcoming an otherwise-required Senate Queen Elizabeth, grants
resolution in most cases. Otherwise, the theoretical power of both houses Royal Assent to bills in the
over bills is equal, with the assent of each being required for passage. In Senate chamber, 1939
practice, however, the House of Commons is dominant, with the Senate
rarely exercising its powers in a way that opposes the will of the
democratically elected house.
Relationship with the executive

The federal government consists of the monarch (represented by the governor general)-in-council,
which is a collection of ministers of the Crown appointed by the governor general to direct the use of
executive powers. Per the tenets of responsible government, these individuals are almost always
drawn from Parliament, and are predominantly from the House of Commons, the only body to which
ministers are held accountable, typically during Question Period, wherein ministers are obliged to
answer questions posed by members of the opposition. Hence, the person who can command the
confidence of the lower chamber—usually the leader of the party with the most seats therein—is
typically appointed as prime minister. Should that person not hold a seat in the House of Commons,
he or she will, by convention, seek election to one at the earliest possible opportunity; frequently, in
such situations, a junior member of Parliament who holds a safe seat will resign to allow the prime
minister to run for that riding in a by-election. If no party holds a majority, it is customary for the
governor general to summon a minority government or coalition government, depending on which
the commons will support.
The lower house may attempt to bring down the government by either rejecting a motion of
confidence—generally initiated by a minister to reinforce the Cabinet's support in the commons—or
by passing a motion of no confidence—introduced by the opposition to display its distrust of the
Cabinet. Important bills that form part of the government's agenda will usually be considered matters
of confidence; the budget is always a matter of confidence. Where a government has lost the
confidence of the House of Commons, the prime minister is obliged to either resign (allowing the
governor general to appoint the leader of the Opposition to the office) or seek the dissolution of
Parliament and the call of a general election. A precedent, however, was set in 1968, when the
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government of Lester B. Pearson unexpectedly lost a confidence vote but was allowed to remain in
power with the mutual consent of the leaders of the other parties.
In practice, the House of Commons' scrutiny of the government is quite weak in comparison to the
equivalent chamber in other countries using the Westminster system. With the plurality voting
system used in parliamentary elections tending to provide the governing party with a large majority,
and a party system that gives leaders strict control over their caucus (to the point that MPs may be
expelled from their parties for voting against the instructions of party leaders), there is often limited
need to compromise with other parties. Additionally, Canada has fewer MPs, a higher turnover rate of
MPs after each election, and an Americanized system for selecting political party leaders, leaving
them accountable to the party membership rather than caucus, as is the case in the United
Kingdom;[30] John Robson of the National Post opined that Canada's parliament had become a body
akin to the American Electoral College, "its sole and ceremonial role to confirm the executive in
power."[31] At the end of the 20th century and into the 21st, analysts—such as Jeffrey Simpson,
Donald Savoie, and John Gomery—argued that both Parliament and the Cabinet had become eclipsed
by prime ministerial power.[32] Thus, defeats of majority governments on issues of confidence are
very rare. In contrast, a minority government is more volatile, and is more likely to fall due to loss of
confidence. The last prime ministers to lose confidence votes were Stephen Harper in 2011, Paul
Martin in 2005 and Joe Clark in 1979, all involving minority governments.
Privileges
Parliament possesses a number of privileges, collectively and accordingly known as parliamentary
privilege, each house being the guardian and administrator of its own set of rights. Parliament itself
determines the extent of parliamentary privilege, each house overseeing its own affairs, but the
constitution bars it from conferring any "exceeding those at the passing of such an Act held, enjoyed,
and exercised by the [British House of] Commons... and by the Members thereof."[33]
The foremost dispensation held by both houses of Parliament is that of freedom of speech in debate;
nothing said within the chambers may be questioned by any court or other institution outside of
Parliament. In particular, a member of either house cannot be sued for slander based on words
uttered in the course of parliamentary proceedings, the only restraint on debate being set by the
standing orders of each house. Further, MPs and senators are immune to arrest in civil (but not
criminal) cases, from jury service and attendance in courts as witnesses. They may, however, be
disciplined by their colleagues for breach of the rules, including contempt of Parliament
—disobedience of its authority; for example, giving false testimony before a parliamentary
committee—and breaches of its own privileges.
The Canadian Heraldic Authority, on 15 April 2008, granted the Parliament of Canada, as an
institution, a heraldic achievement composed of symbols of the three elements of Parliament: the
escutcheon of the Royal Arms of Canada (representing the Queen) with the maces of the House of
Commons and Senate crossed behind.[34]
The budget for the Parliament of Canada for the 2010 fiscal year was $583,567,000.[35]
History
Following the cession of New France to the United Kingdom in the 1763 Treaty of Paris, Canada was
governed according to the Royal Proclamation issued by King George III in that same year. To this
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was added the Quebec Act, by which the power to make ordinances was granted to a governor-in-
council, both the governor and council being appointed by the British monarch in Westminster, on
the advice of his or her ministers there. In 1791, the Province of Quebec was divided into Upper and
Lower Canada, each with an elected legislative assembly, an appointed legislative council, and a
governor, mirroring the parliamentary structure in Britain.
During the War of 1812, American troops set fire to the buildings of the Legislative Assembly of Upper
Canada in York (now Toronto). In 1841, the British government united the two Canadas into the
Province of Canada, with a single legislature composed of, again, an assembly, council, and governor
general; the 84 members of the lower chamber were equally divided among the two former provinces,
though Lower Canada had a higher population. The governor still held significant personal influence
over Canadian affairs until 1848, when responsible government was implemented in Canada.
The actual site of Parliament shifted on a regular basis: From

1841 to 1844, it sat in Kingston, where the present Kingston
General Hospital now stands; from 1844 until the 1849 fire that
destroyed the building, the legislature was in Montreal; and, after
a few years of alternating between Toronto and Quebec City, the
legislature was finally moved to Ottawa in 1856, Queen Victoria
having chosen that city as Canada's capital in 1857.
The modern-day Parliament of Canada came into existence in

The burning of the Parliament in
1867, in which year the Parliament of the United Kingdom of
Montreal, 1849
Great Britain and Ireland passed the British North America Act,
1867, uniting the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and
Canada—with the Province of Canada split into Quebec and
Ontario—into a single federation called the Dominion of Canada. Though the form of the new federal
legislature was again nearly identical to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the decision to retain
this model was made with heavy influence from the just-concluded American Civil War, which
indicated to many Canadians the faults of the American federal system, with its relatively powerful
states and a less powerful federal government. The British North America Act limited the powers of
the provinces, providing that all subjects not explicitly delegated to them by that document remain
within the authority of the Canadian Parliament, while simultaneously giving the provinces unique
powers in certain agreed-upon areas of jurisdiction.
Full legislative autonomy was granted by the Statute of

Westminster, 1931, passed by the Parliament of the United
Kingdom. Though the statute allowed the Parliament of Canada
to repeal or amend previously British laws as they applied to
Canada, it did not permit amendment to Canada's constitution,
including the British North America Acts. Hence, whenever a
constitutional amendment was sought by the Canadian
Parliament, the enactment of a British law was necessary, though
Canada's consent was required. The Parliament of Canada was
The first session of the House of granted limited power to amend the constitution by a British Act
Commons in its temporary location of Parliament in 1949, but it was not permitted to affect the
at the Victoria Memorial Museum, powers of provincial governments, the official positions of the
18 March 1918 English and French languages, rights of any class of persons with
respect to schools, or the maximum five-year term of the
legislature.
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The Canadian House of Commons and Senate last requested the Parliament of the United Kingdom to
enact a constitutional amendment in 1982, in the form of the Canada Act 1982 which included the
Constitution Act, 1982.[36] This legislation terminated the power of the British Parliament's ability to
legislate for Canada and the authority to amend the constitution was transferred to the Canadian
House of Commons, the Senate, and the provincial legislative assemblies, acting jointly. Most
amendments require the consent of the Senate, the House of Commons, and the legislative assemblies
of two-thirds of the provinces representing a majority of the population; the unanimous consent of
provincial legislative assemblies is required for certain amendments, including those affecting the
sovereign, the governor general, the provincial lieutenant governors, the official status of the English
and French languages, the Supreme Court of Canada, and the amending formulas themselves.
See also
Hansard Canada portal
Joint address Politics portal
List of Canadian federal parliaments
Procedural officers and senior officials of the Parliament of Canada
Records of members of Parliament of Canada
House of Commons of Canada
Senate of Canada
Politics of Canada
List of legislatures by country
Parliament Hill
Notes
1. On 1 September 1919, Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) read the Speech From
the Throne at the opening of the third session of the 13th Canadian Parliament.
2. Although rare, at times the incorrect version of a bill is transmitted between houses (i.e. not what
passed third reading)—causing procedural problems, especially if not caught quickly, allowing the
other house to advance the incorrect bill through multiple stages. For the last two occurrences
(2014 and 2001), see Jordan Press (28 August 2014). "House of Commons to Correct Errors in
Crime Bill it Sent to Senate" (https://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/house-of-commons-to-correc
t-errors-in-crime-bill-it-sent-to-senate). Ottawa Citizen. National News. Retrieved 7 June 2019..
References
Citations
1. Queen Victoria (1867), Constitution Act, 1867 (http://www.solon.org/Constitutions/Canada/English
/ca_1867.html), Westminster: Queen's Printer (published 29 March 1867), IV.17, retrieved
15 January 2009
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Parliament of Canada - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.

Coordinates: 45.42521°N 75.70011°W

The governor general, on behalf of the monarch,

Contents Later added some jurisdiction

Legislative functions Parliament of the United Kingdom

Relationship with the executive Leadership

See also Governor Richard Wagner

by both houses of House of First-past-the-post

The upper house of the Parliament of Canada, the Senate

The elected component of the Canadian Parliament is the House

Charles Robert is the clerk.

The new parliamentary session is marked by the opening of Parliament,

Once the bill is passed in identical form by both houses, it is presented

Relationship with the executive

The actual site of Parliament shifted on a regular basis: From

The modern-day Parliament of Canada came into existence in

Full legislative autonomy was granted by the Statute of

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