1. CHV2O Civics

2. Government in Canada

3. Governing Canada
The British North America Act (or BNA Act) of 1867 did not just establish the right of four colonies — New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and the Canadas — to unite and determine their own laws for their citizens inside their territory
The BNA Act also set out exactly how our government would be formed
In 1982, the Constitution Act by the government of Pierre Elliot Trudeau changed its supreme law to be the constitution, which all laws have to comply with
Only one province did not sign that act: Quebec

4. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of our constitution

5. Canadian Rights & Freedoms
Democratic rights: the right to vote for each citizen within a regular time period unless in times of war, invasion or insurrection, when a two-thirds majority in the Commons can suspend the voting rights of Canadian citizens until the crisis is over
Fundamental freedoms: the right to act your conscience, follow your own religious practice, express yourself in public, meet those you want and work together as a group — as long as these actions do not impinge on the freedoms of others

6. Canadian Rights & Freedoms
Mobility rights: the right to move freely in Canada, in and out of Canada, and earn a living (subject to certain limitations)
Legal rights: the rights to be treated fairly by the law, including trials in a reasonable time by an impartial jury
Equality rights: the right not to be discriminated upon because of your gender, race, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, mental or physical disability, or sexual preference (subject to certain limitations)

7. Canadian Rights & Freedoms
Official language rights: which enshrine in the Constitution that Canadians have the right to be served in their choice of official languages (French and English) by the Government of Canada and any officially bilingual entity
Minority language education rights

8. Notwithstanding
Also included in the Constitution is the notwithstanding clause
Any province can use the notwithstanding clause to pass a law that overrides the Constitution — except in cases where it affects gender
Laws passed with notwithstanding clauses can only last five years but are renewable before then
Discuss: Which provinces do you know have used the notwithstanding clause?

9. Changing the Charter
The Charter can only be changed if seven provinces agree to its change AND more than half of the population agrees as well!
Challenges to the charter can be made at the Supreme Court of Canada, which is the only body in Canada that can decide what is a “reasonable limit” than be justified in a “free and democratic society”
Not everyone agrees with the court on every decision
Discuss: Do you believe the Supreme Court of Canada was justified in placing a limit on how long a case may be prepared before it is either tried or thrown out, no matter the crime?

10. Accountability
One very important right that all Canadians have is the right for information from the government so that they can be informed about what their government is doing on their behalf
It is called the Freedom of Information Act
All citizens need access to the hansard, or written record of what is said (or minutes for municipal meetings)
The government — including its agencies of the police, RCMP and CSIS — is also limited to how much information it can collect on its citizens
To ensure the government is following the rules of what it can collect, there is a Privacy Commissioner

11. Accountability
To ensure your taxes are being spent responsibly, there is also an Auditor General who’s job is to go through the budget, line by line, and see where all your money is being spent — noting where it is being mis-spent and offering recommendations as to how the government can save money
Finally, Canadians can appeal to the Ombudsman to intervene on their behalf and make sure the government is treating them with the respect they deserve

12. Another key part of accountability is Question Period, when the government must respond to questions posed by the opposition

13. It the job of the Speaker of the House to make sure that MPs act civil to each other while sitting in the House or Legislature

14. Canadian Monarchy
Because we are a constitutional monarchy, the most powerful person in the government is the monarch
As a colony of Britain, our monarch is that of Great Britain
At present, the monarch is HRM Queen Elizabeth II
It is for this reason she is on our money and postage stamps
The Queen may refuse (or veto) any legislation passed by the Canadian government if she feels the law runs against the core principles of the country

15. Canadian Monarchy
The Queen also has final decision as to who is the government
In British history, there is an instance of a government being unable to pass legislation and the King choosing to switch the sides (that is, make the government the opposition and the opposition in the government) rather than call an election
However, because the Queen is busy in England, her power over the government and to act as Canada’s head of state is shared with the Governor General
The Governor General accepts all ambassadors to Canada — not the Prime Minister

16. Three Branches
When it comes to the government itself, power is divided into three: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary
The legislature makes the laws
It consists of the House of Commons and the Senate
The executive manages the government’s business and plans for the future of the country
It consists of the Prime Minister and their cabinet
The judiciary interprets the laws
It consists of the Supreme Court Of Canada

17. Political Parties
When people run for office, they usually do so as members of established political parties
Political parties are groups that share the same values and work together to achieve things they believe in
The stated values and ideas are called the party platform
The party has a member called the whip who’s job is to make sure all members of the party adhere to the party’s policies
The main goal of the party is to have enough seats to form the government and direct policy
Most Canadians are not members of a political party

18. The Legislature
Members of Parliament (or MPs) sit in the House of Commons
Each is elected to represent specific geographic areas — also called ridings or constituencies
The party with the most seats after the election forms the government with the permission of the Governor General
The leader of the governing party is the Prime Minister
To help the Prime Minister make decisions, he selects the Cabinet (usually made of MPs) to direct key parts of the government for him
The party with the next number of seats is the Official Opposition

19. The Cabinet Some key Cabinet positions are:
Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Agriculture & Agri-Food
Indigenous & Northern Affairs
President of the Treasury Board
Fisheries, Ocean & Coast Guard
Finance
Justice (Attorney General)
Foreign Affairs
Health
Families, Children and Social Development
Transport
La Francophonie
Natural Resources
Canadian Heritage
National Revenue
Veteran Affairs
Environment & Climate Change
National Defense
Infrastructure and Communities
Status Of Women
Employment, Workforce Development
International Trade
Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship

20. Canada Today Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Opposition leader Andrew Scheer
NDP leader Thomas Mulclair
Bloc leader Martine Ouellet

21. The Legislature
Senators means more than players in the NHL: it also refers to people sitting in the Senate
Senators are not elected
Senators hold their seats until the age of 75 or until they choose to resign from their seat

22. The Federal System
When it comes to the government itself, Canada practices what is called the federal system
This means that the power to govern is divided between a body that oversees the country as a whole (our “federal” government in Ottawa) and bodies that look after regions of the country (also called “provincial government”)
Lieutenant Governors act as the Governor General for everything except ambassadors (that is federal)
There is no provincial Senate — just the Legislature
Premiers are the leaders of provincial governments

23. Ontario Today Premier Kathleen Wynne
Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell
Opposition leader Patrick Brown
NDP leader Andrea Horwath

24. The Federal System
The BNA Act of 1867 separates the powers of province and federal government
The federal government is responsible for: peace, order & good government, plus public debt, currency, banking, postal service, employment insurance, defence & criminal law
The provincial government is responsible for: direct taxation (such as license fees), prisons, health care, municipal government, education, and anything that is province-related

25. The Federal System
However, there are times when the Prime Minister and his Cabinet must meet and work with the Premiers and their Cabinets
This usually occurs when issues of safety, health, taxes, trade and transportation arise because it affects both levels of government
For example: Justin Trudeau’s government wants to legalize marijuana but the sale of controlled substances like alcohol and tobacco – as well as the taxes on those substances – is the jurisdiction of the provinces, not Ottawa