1. Government Presentation Social Studies 11

2. 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

3. Federal Government Parliament Buildings in Ottawa

4. Federal Government Executive Branch
Governor General
Prime Minister
Cabinet
Civil Service

5. Governor General Michaelle Jean

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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!

11. 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

12. Federal Government Legislative Branch
Governor General
House of Commons
Senate

13. House of Commons

14. 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

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

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

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

24. Senate

25. 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

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

27. 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

28. 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)

29. 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

30. BC Legislative Assembly Provincial Government

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

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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)

35. 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, New Democratic Party (NDP), 1 Independent
MLAs can hold their seat for 5 years

36. Speaker of the House

37. 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

38. 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

39. 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

40. 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

41. 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

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

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