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