Technically, the Queen of England is our head of state. On paper, she has the final say on all government decisions in Canada. This is called a constitutional monarchy. In reality, the Queen has no power – she’s a figurehead.

Because the Queen does not live in Canada, her representative is called the Governor General. Currently, this is David Johnston. Again, he has no real power, but in theory has to approve all laws created by the government.

ExecutiveLegislativeJudicial The Canadian government can be divided into 3 “branches”, each with its own purpose and duties:

This branch consists of the G.G., the House of Commons (all elected MPs in Canada reagrdless of party) and the Senate. Collectively this is called Parliament. Parliament is where all new laws are read, debated and voted on. This first occurs in the House of Commons (the big room where all the politicians argue) and then goes to the Senate and finally to the G.G. for final approval. The only role of the Parliament is to create laws for the good of Canada.

>This part of the Legislative Branch is the one with the real power. It is in this room or “house” that all elected MPs meet to make laws. >It is supposed to be a mini- version of Canada in that it should represent Canada’s population proportions (ie. if BC has 12% of Canada’s pop, the house should have 12% representatives of BC) >the House meets at least once a year to go through the law making process.

>The Senate is chosen by the Prime Minister, usually as a reward for finicial support, and is supposed to be a final check on the work of the House of Commons. >After a bill has been passed in the House, it is passed on to the Senate for them to read, debate and vote on. >In reality, the Senate never vetos the bill. Its role is largely ceremonial. This has come under harsh criticism calling for Senate reform.

The last part of Parliament/Legislative Branch is the Governor General. Once the bill has passed through the House of Commons and the Senate,it must go to the G.G. for final approval, or Royal Assent. Technically, the G.G. can veto the bill but NEVER does.

The Executive Branch includes all of the “big dogs” of government. This group includes the Queen, the G.G., the Prime Minister and his/her Cabinet. The Cabinet is basically the elite group of MPs that make proposals for laws. The duties of the Executive Branch are to make sure that laws that are created are actually put into action. They also run the administration of the government

>The Cabinet is a chosen group of MPs (called Ministers) that is given a department (or Portfolio) of major concern to Canadians. For example, there is a Minister of Finance, a Minister of Transportation etc. Each Minister is also given a junior minister to help with management. >Cabinet members may have differing opinions in private, but in public have to present a united front, or “Cabinet Solidarity” To ensure this unity, a party whip is chosen to keep everyone together.

Judicial Branch The job of this branch is to “interpret and apply laws, protect society from criminals, resolve private disputes, and ensure that our constitutional rights are enforced” Clearly, the major work of this branch falls to the court systems.

Judicial Branch con’t Canada’s legal system is based on the rule of law, meaning that (in theory) all laws apply to all people, regardless of their position in society. There are two types of laws in Canada: civil law (issues between groups or individuals) or criminal law (deals with crimes that affect society as a whole)

Court Systems There are both provincial and federal court systems. >Federal Court: - Supreme Court of Canada – deals with constitutional issues >Provincial Courts: small claims, youth, family, crime, traffic. Supreme court Appeals court Santa’s Little Helpers: The Supreme Court