Canada’s system of government rests on three foundations: it is a federal state, it is a parliamentary democracy, and it is a constitutional monarchy. Knowing the chapter means knowing the levels of government and who does what, how Parliament turns a bill into law, and the roles of the Sovereign, the Governor General, the Prime Minister and their provincial counterparts.
FoundationsThree Key Facts
Everything in this chapter flows from three defining facts. Canada is a federal state: power is divided among levels of government; a parliamentary democracy, so the people elect representatives who make the laws; and a constitutional monarchy, so a hereditary Sovereign reigns under the rule of law.
Remember this
- Canada is a federal state
- Canada is a parliamentary democracy
- Canada is a constitutional monarchy
Federal stateThe Levels of Government
Canada has federal, provincial, territorial and municipal governments. The split of duties between Ottawa and the provinces was set out in 1867 by the British North America Act, today called the Constitution Act, 1867. The federal government looks after matters of national and international concern; the provinces look after matters closer to home; two fields are shared.
Who does what
- Federal: citizenship, criminal law, currency, defence, foreign policy, navigation, and trade and communications between provinces
- Provincial: education, health, highways, natural resources, municipal government, and property and civil rights
- Shared: agriculture and immigration
Federalism lets each province shape policies to its own population and experiment with new ideas. Every province elects its own Legislative Assembly, modelled on the House of Commons. The three northern territories have small populations and are not provinces, but their governments and assemblies do much of the same work.
Parliamentary democracyHow Parliament Works
Voters choose the members of the House of Commons in Ottawa, and of each provincial and territorial legislature. Those representatives pass laws, approve and monitor spending and hold the government accountable. Cabinet ministers answer to the elected members: they must keep the confidence of the House and must resign if they lose a non-confidence vote.
The three parts of Parliament
- The Sovereign (Queen or King)
- The Senate — the Governor General appoints senators on the Prime Minister’s advice; they serve until age 75
- The House of Commons — the representative chamber; voters elect its members of Parliament, traditionally every four years
A provincial legislature is made up of the Lieutenant Governor and the elected Assembly. Federally, the Prime Minister picks the Cabinet ministers and answers for how the government runs and what it does. A bill is a proposal for a new law; both chambers review bills, and none becomes law until both chambers have passed it and it has received royal assent from the Governor General on the Sovereign’s behalf.
Making lawsHow a Bill Becomes Law
A bill moves through a fixed sequence of stages in one chamber, then a comparable path in the other, before royal assent makes it law.
First Reading — the bill counts as read a first time and is printed
Second Reading — debate on the principle of the bill
Committee Stage — a committee goes through the bill clause by clause
Report Stage — members may make further amendments
Third Reading — final debate and vote
Senate — the bill goes through a comparable set of stages in the Senate
Royal Assent — once both Houses have passed the bill, it receives royal assent
Citizens in a democracy have both the right and the responsibility to take part in the decisions that affect them. Canadians aged 18 or more are encouraged to vote at every level: federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal.
Constitutional monarchyThe Sovereign
A hereditary Sovereign (Queen or King) is Canada’s Head of State, and reigns under the Constitution, which is to say under the rule of law. Within Parliament the Sovereign plays a non-partisan role as the focus of Canadians’ citizenship and allegiance, seen most clearly during royal visits. The Crown symbolizes Canadian sovereignty, guards constitutional freedoms and reflects our history; the Royal Family’s lifelong service is held up as an example to citizens.
The Sovereign, as Head of the Commonwealth, ties Canada to 53 other nations that cooperate on social, economic and cultural progress. Canada is far from the only constitutional monarchy: Japan, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Jordan and Morocco are others.
Head of state vs. head of government
- Head of state: the Sovereign
- Head of government: the Prime Minister — the one who actually runs the country
The Crown’s representativesGovernor General and Lieutenant Governors
The Sovereign is represented federally by the Governor General, appointed by the Sovereign on the Prime Minister’s advice, usually for five years. Each of the ten provinces has a Lieutenant Governor who represents the Sovereign, appointed by the Governor General on the Prime Minister’s advice, also normally for five years.
Parallel roles
- Premier in a province ↔ Prime Minister federally
- Lieutenant Governor in a province ↔ Governor General federally
- In the three territories, a Commissioner represents the federal government in a ceremonial role
Branches and legislaturesThree Branches, Many Titles
Government has three branches — Executive, Legislative and Judicial. They cooperate, but sometimes in creative tension, and that interplay helps secure the rights and freedoms of Canadians.
Each province and territory has an elected legislature that passes its own laws. Members are called MLAs (members of the Legislative Assembly), MNAs (members of the National Assembly), MPPs (members of the Provincial Parliament) or MHAs (members of the House of Assembly), depending on where they sit.
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