The Canadian political system

The Canadian political system as it is known today for the first time drawn up by the "Fathers of Confederation" at the Quebec Conference of 1864. This then became law when the constitution act was passed in 1867. This act gave the formal executive authority to Queen Victoria (Queen of Great Britain) that have made Canada a sovereign democracy. The Canadian political system is therefore loosely adapted from the British system.

Now, Canada is an independent federal state with the Queen still the head of state. Its powers are extremely limited however, as Parliament approves laws which the Queen gives the "royal assent" as the final step. The Governor General of Canada is the Queens representative in Canada and conducts all real obligations when the Queen is not in Canada. The Governor is always a Canadian chosen by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The term of office is normally five years for the Governor General.

Houses of Parliament (seat of the federal government) are located in Canada's capital, Ottawa. There are 3 main sections of the Canadian Parliament. The Queen, as Head of State, the Senate (appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister) and the election of the House of Commons.
The federal government has the power to "make laws for peace, order and good government of Canada" which includes International policies, defense, immigration, criminal law, customs and border control.

The Senate

The Senate consists of 105 senators who are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. These Senators are men and women of all provinces and a wide variety of backgrounds. They can join the Senate until 75 years and must be a Canadian citizen, over 30 years, just $ 4,000 of equity in the land of their home province, have over $ 4,000 as personal equity and live in the province represented. Each province or territory has a number of Senators - 24 each from the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario, 6 each from Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 6 from Newfoundland and Labrador and a further 1 each of the three territories.

The main role of the Senate is to read and evaluate the "bills" sent by the House of Commons, although they may also initiate bills. This process ensures that no rogue bill becomes law, although it is rare that the Senate rejected a bill - to send back to the editing room. The bills are submitted to the legislative process by the full Senate, and if approved will be given to the Governor General for royal assent and become law.

House of Commons

The real power is held by the House of Commons. Here, members of Parliament (MP) are elected by citizens during a Federal election - normally every five years. The country is divided into electoral districts (308 in total with the size of the population) and whichever candidate has the most votes wins the right to represent the constituency and take their "seat" in Parliament.

Each Most candidates represent a particular political party and the party with more "seats" takes over as the Government. The main parties in Canada are Paul Martins Liberals (manager), Conservative Stephen Harper, Jack Layton's New Democratic Party, The Bloc Quebecois and the Green Party to name the largest.

The leader of the political party that wins the election becomes Prime Minister of Canada (currently Paul Martin Liberal). The Prime Minister effectively runs the country with the support and advice of his cabinet. The Cabinet is made up of "Ministers" chosen by the prime minister to be responsible for some sectors of government. There are Ministers of Health, Finance, Defence and immigration to name a few. These areas of responsibility are called "Portfolio" and each minister will have a large team of public officials (usually the experts in this area) who work for him / her. Only the change ministers during an election campaign - not the staff.

Although the MP represent their local constituency, their main tasks in question the laws to be made and, depending on their party, either for or against the government. The opposition political party with the second most seats in the House and their main task is to keep the government accountable for their decisions.

A government with a lot of seats in the House will be strong and able to pass most laws they want in Parliament. In contrast, a weak government (as now) does not have the majority of seats and must rely on the support of another party to form an effective government.

After each election, the Senate and the House of Commons is elected (House) or appoint (Senate), a speaker. The speaker is responsible for the procedure and must be impartial, enforcing the rules of the house / senate during debates and votes. The President chairs the Assembly by a raised chair with OM MP government the right and the left opposition.

Making laws

For starters, the House of Commons members introduce a "Bill" (legislative proposal). The details of the bill is read to the House without debate and then the bill is printed (first reading).
During the second reading, we discuss the principles of the bill followed by a vote. If successful, the bill is then sent to the committee.

A committee will hear testimony, examine the bill and then submit a report to Parliament recommending as it is, with modifications, or dismantled. From here you pass the stage of relationship.
In the reporting phase, any changes are discussed and voted on. Then he moves to the third reading. This is where the House finally debates and votes on the final draft - if it passes the vote is sent to the Senate.

The Senate has the bill through the House process itself - if you go through all that (normally does!) Is given Royal Assent and becomes Canadian law!

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