The Canadian Government Grade 8 Social Studies

The Canadian Government  Canada has a constitutional monarchy, which means that their head of state is a monarch (king or queen), but that monarch has to follow a constitution.  There are three parts to the Canadian government  The Sovereign (The King or Queen)  The Parliament (divided into the House of Commons and the Senate)  The Judiciary Branch (divided into the Supreme Court, the Federal Court, and the Tax Court)

The Parts of the Government

The Head of the Government  The head of the Canadian government is the King or Queen of Canada.  They are also the King or Queen of Britain  Currently it is Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II

The Governor General  The Governor General is the monarch’s representative  Must sign all bills before they become law.  This person is appointed by the monarch  Receives the title “The Right Honourable”  Currently, the Governor General is The Right Honourable David Johnston

The Prime Minister  Is elected to be the leader of one of the parties of Canada by the members of the party  Whichever party wins the most ridings in a federal election is the official government of Canada, and that party’s leader becomes the Prime Minister  Currently, it is Stephen Harper

The Prime Minister’s Office  Find suitable candidates for the Prime Minister to put forward as possible:  Governor Generals  Lieutenant Governors  Senators  Supreme Court Justices  Chairpersons of ministerial boards  Heads of Crown corporations  Also includes speech writers, strategists, and communications staffers  Write speeches for the Prime Minister, keep the Prime Minister informed of government news, and act as a link between the political party organization and the government.

The Cabinet  The Prime Minister chooses Members of Parliament from his/her party to become part of the cabinet  These people are then appointed by the Governor General  They are essentially advisors to the Prime Minister, and are put in charge of different National programs and services  They are called “Ministers” of their program or service

MinistryIncumbent Prime Minister of CanadaStephen Harper President of the Treasury BoardTony Clement President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs (and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec Denis Lebel Minister of Veterans AffairsJulian Fantino Minister of TransportLisa Raitt Minister of the Environment Minister of the Environment (and Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and the Arctic Council)Canadian Northern Economic Development AgencyArctic Council Leona Aglukkaq Minister of StateMinister of State and Chief Government WhipChief Government Whip John Duncan Minister of StateMinister of State (Western Economic Diversification)Western Economic Diversification Michelle Rempel Minister of StateMinister of State (Sport)Bal Gosal Minister of StateMinister of State (Social Development)Candice Bergen Minister of StateMinister of State (Small Business and Tourism, and Agriculture) Maxime Bernier Minister of StateMinister of State (Seniors)Alice Wong Minister of StateMinister of State (Science and Technology) Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario) Minister of StateFederal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario Greg Rickford Minister of StateMinister of State (Multiculturalism)Tim Uppal Minister of StateMinister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular Services) Lynne Yelich Minister of StateMinister of State (Finance)Kevin Sorenson Minister of StateMinister of State (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Gary Goodyear Minister of StateMinister of State (Democratic Reform)Democratic ReformPierre Poilievre Minister of StateMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Rob Moore Minister of Public Works and Government Services Diane Finley Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Steven Blaney Minister of Natural ResourcesJoe Oliver Minister of National RevenueKerry-Lynne Findlay Minister of National DefenceRob Nicholson Minister of Labour Minister of Labour (and Minister for the Status of Women)Minister for the Status of Women Kellie Leitch Minister of Justice Attorney General for Canada Peter MacKay Minister of International TradeEd Fast Minister of International Development Minister of International Development (and Minister for La Francophonie)Minister for La Francophonie Christian Paradis Minister of IndustryJames Moore Minister of HealthRona Ambrose Minister of Foreign AffairsJohn Baird Minister of Fisheries and OceansGail Shea Minister of FinanceJim Flaherty Minister of Employment and Social Development Jason Kenney Minister of Citizenship and ImmigrationChris Alexander Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages Shelly Glover Minister of Agriculture and Agri-FoodGerry Ritz Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Bernard Valcourt Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Peter Van Loan

Privy Council Office  Coordinates the day-to-day running of the government  Provides non-partisan advice to the Prime Minister  Works with many of the Ministries on their publicity and public image

The Parliament  The is made up of two branches  The House of Commons  The Senate  They handle the actual government business and the running of the country

The House of Commons  Referred to as the Lower House  Is elected by the people of the country in a federal election  Each province is divided into constituencies or ridings, and each riding has a seat in the House of Commons  Has 308 seats – this will change to 338 in the next election  The leader of the House of Commons is the Prime Minister  The party with the most seats is the official government of Canada (currently this is the Conservative Party)  The party with the second most seats is the official opposition (currently this is the New Democratic Party)

The Senate  Referred to as the Upper House  Appointed by the Governor General upon the advice of the Prime Minister  There are 105 senators  There is no set term, instead, they serve on the Senate until they are 75  They approve the bills that are passed by the House of Commons

The Supreme Court  The highest court in Canada  Has 9 judges  They hear cases from the lower judicial courts  Are the final court of appeals for the Canadian justice system  Their decisions are final

The Federal Court  Was split into two courts in 2003 – The Federal Court – Trial Division, and the Federal Court of Appeal  The Federal Court hears mostly cases dealing with immigration or plagiarism/piracy, and cases involving the federal government  The Court of Appeal hears cases appealed from provincial courts before they are taken to the Supreme Court  Cases from the Trial Division MAY be heard in the Appeal Court, but only in special circumstances

The Tax Court  Deals only with tax issues  Deals with companies and individuals