How Canadians Govern Themselves
A federal state, a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
Three key facts
- Three descriptions apply at once: a federation, a parliamentary democracy, and a constitutional monarchy.
Federal state
- Responsibilities were defined in 1867 by the British North America Act, now the Constitution Act, 1867.
- Federal: defence, foreign policy, interprovincial trade and communications, currency, navigation, criminal law and citizenship.
- Provincial: municipal government, education, health, natural resources, property and civil rights, and highways.
- Shared: agriculture and immigration.
- The three northern territories do not have the status of provinces but carry out many of the same functions.
Parliamentary democracy
- Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign, the Senate and the House of Commons.
- A provincial legislature is the Lieutenant Governor together with the elected Assembly.
- The House of Commons is the representative chamber; MPs are elected by the people, traditionally every four years.
- The Governor General appoints senators on the Prime Minister’s recommendation; they sit until 75.
- No bill becomes law until passed by both chambers and given royal assent by the Governor General on behalf of the Sovereign.
- Cabinet ministers must retain the "confidence of the House" and resign if defeated in a non-confidence vote.
How a bill becomes law
- 1. First Reading — the bill is considered read and is printed.
- 2. Second Reading — members debate the bill’s principle.
- 3. Committee Stage — members study the bill clause by clause.
- 4. Report Stage — members can make other amendments.
- 5. Third Reading — members debate and vote on the bill.
- 6. Senate — the bill follows a similar process in the Senate.
- 7. Royal Assent — after passing both Houses.
Constitutional monarchy
- The Head of State is a hereditary Sovereign who reigns in accordance with the Constitution.
- There is a clear distinction between the head of state (the Sovereign) and the head of government (the Prime Minister), who actually directs the governing of the country.
- The Sovereign names the Governor General on the Prime Minister’s recommendation, normally for five years.
- Each of the ten provinces gets a Lieutenant Governor, named by the Governor General on the Prime Minister’s advice, usually for five years.
- Each territory has a Commissioner standing in for Ottawa in a ceremonial capacity.
- Other constitutional monarchies include Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, Japan, Jordan and Morocco.
The three branches
- Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
- Provincial and territorial members are called MLAs, MNAs (Quebec), MPPs (Ontario) or MHAs (Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia).
- In each province the Premier has a role similar to the Prime Minister; the Lieutenant Governor a role similar to the Governor General.