The Canadian GovernmentGrade 8 Social Studies
The Canadian Government Canada has a constitutional monarchy, which
means that their head of state is a monarch (king or queen), but that monarch has to follow a constitution.
There are three parts to the Canadian government The Sovereign (The King or Queen) The Parliament (divided into the House of
Commons and the Senate) The Judiciary Branch (divided into the Supreme
Court, the Federal Court, and the Tax Court)
The Parts of the Government
The Head of the Government The head of the
Canadian government is the King or Queen of Canada.
They are also the King or Queen of Britain
Currently it is Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II
The Governor General The Governor General is
the monarch’s representative
Must sign all bills before they become law.
This person is appointed by the monarch
Receives the title “The Right Honourable”
Currently, the Governor General is The Right Honourable David Johnston
The Prime Minister Is elected to be the
leader of one of the parties of Canada by the members of the party
Whichever party wins the most ridings in a federal election is the official government of Canada, and that party’s leader becomes the Prime Minister
Currently, it is Stephen Harper
The Prime Minister’s Office Find suitable candidates for the Prime Minister to
put forward as possible: Governor Generals Lieutenant Governors Senators Supreme Court Justices Chairpersons of ministerial boards Heads of Crown corporations
Also includes speech writers, strategists, and communications staffers
Write speeches for the Prime Minister, keep the Prime Minister informed of government news, and act as a link between the political party organization and the government.
The Cabinet The Prime Minister chooses Members of
Parliament from his/her party to become part of the cabinet
These people are then appointed by the Governor General
They are essentially advisors to the Prime Minister, and are put in charge of different National programs and services
They are called “Ministers” of their program or service
Ministry IncumbentPrime Minister of Canada Stephen HarperPresident of the Treasury Board Tony ClementPresident of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs(and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec)
Denis Lebel
Minister of Veterans Affairs Julian FantinoMinister of Transport Lisa RaittMinister of the Environment(and Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency and the Arctic Council)
Leona Aglukkaq
Minister of State and Chief Government Whip
John Duncan
Minister of State (Western Economic Diversification)
Michelle Rempel
Minister of State (Sport) Bal GosalMinister of State (Social Development)
Candice Bergen
Minister of State (Small Business and Tourism, and Agriculture)
Maxime Bernier
Minister of State (Seniors) Alice WongMinister of State (Science and Technology)Minister of State (Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario)
Greg Rickford
Minister of State (Multiculturalism) Tim UppalMinister of State (Foreign Affairs and Consular Services)
Lynne Yelich
Minister of State (Finance) Kevin SorensonMinister of State (Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario)
Gary Goodyear
Minister of State (Democratic Reform) Pierre PoilievreMinister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
Rob Moore
Minister of Public Works and Government Services
Diane FinleyMinister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Steven BlaneyMinister of Natural Resources Joe OliverMinister of National Revenue Kerry-Lynne FindlayMinister of National Defence Rob NicholsonMinister of Labour(and Minister for the Status of Women)
Kellie Leitch
Minister of JusticeAttorney General for Canada
Peter MacKay
Minister of International Trade Ed FastMinister of International Development(and Minister for La Francophonie)
Christian Paradis
Minister of Industry James MooreMinister of Health Rona AmbroseMinister of Foreign Affairs John BairdMinister of Fisheries and Oceans Gail SheaMinister of Finance Jim FlahertyMinister of Employment and Social Development
Jason KenneyMinister of Citizenship and Immigration
Chris AlexanderMinister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Shelly GloverMinister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Gerry RitzMinister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Bernard ValcourtLeader of the Government in the House of Commons
Peter Van Loan
Privy Council Office Coordinates the day-to-day running of
the government Provides non-partisan advice to the
Prime Minister Works with many of the Ministries on
their publicity and public image
The Parliament The is made up of two branches
The House of Commons The Senate
They handle the actual government business and the running of the country
The House of Commons Referred to as the Lower House Is elected by the people of the country in a federal
election Each province is divided into constituencies or ridings,
and each riding has a seat in the House of Commons Has 308 seats – this will change to 338 in the next
election The leader of the House of Commons is the Prime
Minister The party with the most seats is the official
government of Canada (currently this is the Conservative Party)
The party with the second most seats is the official opposition (currently this is the New Democratic Party)
The Senate Referred to as the Upper House Appointed by the Governor General
upon the advice of the Prime Minister There are 105 senators There is no set term, instead, they serve
on the Senate until they are 75 They approve the bills that are passed
by the House of Commons
The Supreme Court The highest court in Canada Has 9 judges They hear cases from the lower judicial courts Are the final court of appeals for the Canadian
justice system Their decisions are final
The Federal Court Was split into two courts in 2003 – The
Federal Court – Trial Division, and the Federal Court of Appeal
The Federal Court hears mostly cases dealing with immigration or plagiarism/piracy, and cases involving the federal government
The Court of Appeal hears cases appealed from provincial courts before they are taken to the Supreme Court
Cases from the Trial Division MAY be heard in the Appeal Court, but only in special circumstances
The Tax Court Deals only with tax issues Deals with companies and individuals