Government Presentation Social Studies 11

Three Branches of Government Executive Branch: has the power to make decisions; create bills and bring them to Parliament to be passed into law Legislative Branch: makes, changes (amends), and repeals laws; pass bills into laws Judiciary Branch: interpret and uphold laws; includes all levels of the court system

Federal Government Parliament Buildings in Ottawa

Federal Government Executive Branch Governor General Prime Minister Cabinet Civil Service

Governor General Michaelle Jean

Governor General The Queen’s representative in Canada (5 yrs) Is appointed by the Queen on advice of the PM Gives formal (royal) assent to bills before they become law Delivers Speech from the Throne to open Parliament Dissolves Parliament before an election Asks leader of the party with the most votes to form government and become Prime Minister Performs ceremonial duties

Prime Minister Stephen Harper Leader of the party with the most votes becomes Prime Minister The Prime Minister is the head of the government, national leader, and party leader Stephen Harper is the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party

Roles of Prime Minister Head of Government: recommends new judges and senators to the GG, decides when to call an election, chooses and changes Cabinet members, has the final say in creating government policy National Leader: addresses issues that concern all Canadians, represents Canada around the world, works with Premiers to coordinate and share responsibilities Party Leader: spokesperson for party, gives patronage appointments, leads party in Parliament

Cabinet Elected party members are chosen by the PM Each Cabinet minister is responsible for a government department (Finance, Defence); this is called a portfolio Each Cabinet member is responsible for the efficient & effective operation of the department The PM selects a cabinet that equally represents men/women, regions of Canada, and ethnic/cultural groups Currently 37 cabinet members 11 are women

Cabinet Main job is to draft legislation and bills that will be presented in the House of Commons Cabinet meetings are private and held behind closed doors: at the meeting, cabinet can argue and question the PM and party policies/platform In public, the cabinet must show party solidarity: they have to present a united front that they all agree with their leader and decisions of government, whether this is true or not!

Civil Service A group of permanent employees who perform the daily business of government They are the ones who have the most contact with the public = “face” of government Senior civil servants advise ministers and help draft new laws, thus they influence public policy Jobs include: statistics, write laws, collect taxes, inspect food/goods, process passports, deliver mail, process EI claims

Federal Government Legislative Branch Governor General House of Commons Senate

House of Commons

House of Commons Politicians who hold a seat in the House of Commons are called Members of Parliament (MP) MPs not in Cabinet are called backbenchers Each MP represents the population in their electoral riding/district/constituency Seats are assigned according to representation by population (approx. 1 per 100,000) MPs can hold a seat for a maximum of 5 years, however elections are usually called 3-4 years into the term of office

House of Commons There are currently 308 seats in the House Conservatives hold 145 seats Liberals hold 77 seats Bloc Quebecois hold 48 seats NDP hold 37 seats 1 Independent If any seat is vacated between elections a by-election is held in that riding to fill the seat

House of Commons A majority government is formed when one political party wins over 50% of the seats (=155 or more seats) A minority government is formed when no one party wins more than 50% of the seats; parties must form alliances to gain majority and form government The current government in Ottawa is a minority government

House of Commons The government can hold office as long as they have the support of the majority = responsible government Each party holds caucus meetings = private meetings to discuss party policy; MPs can express opinions freely When it is time to vote in the House, all MPs must follow the party line Party Whip: ensures all party members are in the house when it is time to vote Sometimes MPs can vote according to what they believe: this is called a free vote

House of Commons If government does not have support in the House, they can be forced out of office – this is called a vote of non confidence A vote of non confidence occurs when a bill is defeated in the House This occurs more often when it is a minority government If this happens, the GG must dissolve Parliament and call an election

James Moore Member of Parliament Conservative MP for Port Moody – Westwood – Port Coquitlam Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

The Opposition The Opposition examines and criticizes government policy Ensures the government is responsible Voice their opinion during Question Period (45 minutes) Filibuster = debate overnight to show dislike for a bill

Michael Ignatieff Official Leader of the Opposition Political party with the 2nd largest number of votes forms the Official Opposition The leader of this party is the Official Leader of the Opposition Shadow Cabinet follows each Cabinet Minister Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the Liberal Party

Giles Duceppe Leader of Bloc Quebecois His party is part of the Opposition

Jack Layton Leader of the NDP His party is part of the Opposition

Senate

Senate Is the “Red Room” or “Upper House of Parliament” The goal of the Senate is to protect and represent regional and minority rights Senators are appointed by the GG based on recommendations from the PM Senators can remain in office until the age of 75

Senate There are currently 105 seats in the Senate Conservatives hold 53 seats Liberals hold 49 seats 3 people are sitting as Independent

Distribution of Seats in the Senate BC 6 Nova Scotia 10 Alberta 6 New Brunswick 10 Saskatchewan 6 PEI 4 Manitoba 6 Newfoundland 6 Ontario 24 Yukon 1 Quebec 24 NWT 1 Nunavut 1

Senate The Senate provides a “sober second thought” to bill legislation from the House The Senate reviews, amends, delays, defeats bills from the House of Commons The Senate can also create bills (i.e. restarting the nuclear reactor in Ontario) The Senate conducts committee work to examine bills and important issues (i.e. euthanasia, poverty, science research)

Senate Canadians feel the Senate is ineffective because the seats are filled by patronage (reward) appointments from each party A proposal for reform, called the Triple E Senate, would create an equal, elected, and effective governing body Equal representation Elected Senators Effectively defeat bills from the House

BC Legislative Assembly Provincial Government

BC Legislative Assembly Executive Branch Lieutenant Governor Premier Cabinet Civil Service Legislative Branch Lieutenant Governor Legislative Assembly

Lieutenant Governor Steven Point The Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen in BC The LG has a similar role to the federal GG: gives formal assent to bills and performs ceremonial duties Mr. Point is BC’s first Aboriginal LG

Gordon Campbell Premier Leader of the party with the most votes becomes Premier The Premier has a similar role to the PM: head of government, leader of BC, leader of the BC Liberal party Mr. Campbell is in his third term as Premier

Cabinet The Cabinet in the BC Legislative Assembly has a similar role to the federal Cabinet: they create and draft legislation This legislation is brought forward as a bill in the Legislative Assembly in hopes of being passed into law Mr. Campbell has selected 25 MLAs for his cabinet (18 men, 7 women)

Legislative Assembly Politicians elected to Victoria are called Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) There are currently 85 seats in the Legislative Assembly: 49 Liberal, 35 New Democratic Party (NDP), 1 Independent MLAs can hold their seat for 5 years

Speaker of the House

Speaker of the House Bill Barisoff Is elected by fellow MLAs Oversees proceedings in the House, including the introduction of bills and Question Period All comments and questions are directed through him using the phrase “Mr. Speaker…” He is a Liberal MLA

Sergeant At Arms Military officer who provides security in the Legislative Assembly Ensures the safety of MLAs, the public, the buildings Can be asked to remove a MLA who isn’t following the rules of the House

Legislative Assembly Similar to the House of Commons, a Mace must be present in the Legislative Assembly in order for the House to sit The Sergeant At Arms is the only person who touches and carries the Mace

Carole James Leader of the Opposition Party Examines and criticizes the Premier and decisions of the government Appoints a shadow cabinet to monitor the actions of Cabinet She is a NDP MLA

Mike Farnworth Member of the Legislative Assembly Elected MP for the Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain riding He is Opposition House Leader and serves as Opposition Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General. He is a NDP MLA

Greg Moore Mayor of Port Coquitlam Leader of the Municipal Government Elected member of Town Council Accountable to local citizens

Government Presentation for Social Studies 11 Created by Miss Ross and Miss Miller Updated January 2010