Canada's Federal Political System PDF

Canada’s Federal Political System How effectively does Chapter 1 Canada’s federal political system govern Canada for all Canadians? Executive Branch Who is part of the Executive Branch? Governor General (GG, represents the Monarch) Prime Minister (PM) Cabinet Minis...

Canada’s Federal Political System How effectively does Chapter 1 Canada’s federal political system govern Canada for all Canadians? Executive Branch Who is part of the Executive Branch? Governor General (GG, represents the Monarch) Prime Minister (PM) Cabinet Ministers What do they do? propose laws (bills) set policies the government will follow run day-to-day business of government Governor General What does the Governor General do? is the representative of the Monarch Mary Simon approves laws - no bill gets passed without the Governor General’s royal assent (signature) How do they get their job? is appointed by the Monarch on the recommendation of the Prime Minister Prime Minister What does the Prime Minister do? is the leader of Canada’s government Justin Trudeau chooses Cabinet Ministers and decides which portfolios to include works with the Cabinet to propose laws (bills) How do they get their job? 1. must be elected as leader of their political party 2. must be elected as a Member of Parliament 3. their political party must win the federal election  Do you recognize these famous Prime Ministers? Pierre Elliott Trudeau Stephen Harper 1968-1979, 1980-1984 2006-2015 Liberal Party Conservative Party Sir John A. Macdonald Jean Chrétien 1867-1873, 1878-1891 1993-2003 Liberal-Conservative Party Liberal Party The Cabinet there are approximately 30 Cabinet Ministers What do Cabinet Ministers do? they work with the Prime Minister to propose laws (bills) they are in charge of portfolios (departments) ○ examples: defense, environment, health, justice How do they get their job? 1. must be a Member of Parliament or a Senator 2. are appointed by the Prime Minister Legislative Branch Who is part of the Legislative Branch? Governor General (GG, represents the Monarch) Senate (Upper House/Chamber) House of Commons (Lower House/Chamber) What do they do? debate bills and make laws represent Canadians The House of Commons Lower House/Chamber there are currently 338 Member of Parliament seats the number of seats changes depending on population What do Members of Parliament (MPs) do? represent their constituents (voters) in their constituency or riding (area) study, debate, and vote on proposed bills inform voters about new laws and policies and how they may affect them How do they get their job? are elected through the First-Past-The-Post system in each riding (area) elected up to five years at a time The Senate Upper House/Chamber there are exactly 105 Senator seats, guaranteed by the Constitution What do Senators do? represent the interests and rights of Canada’s regions, especially minorities provide a “sober second thought” to bills passed by the House of Commons (study, debate, vote) How do they get their job? are appointed by the Prime Minister can remain in office until they are 75 years old Judicial Branch Who is part of the Judicial Branch? Supreme Court of Canada (9 judges) Federal courts and Provincial/Territorial courts What does the Supreme Court do? interpret and apply the laws protect the rights of Canadians How do they get their job? nominated by the Prime Minister and Cabinet nomination is reviewed by Members of Parliament  How are laws passed? The House of Commons 1. First reading - bill is received, printed and circulated for the MPs to read 2. Second reading - bill is debated and there is a vote on the principle idea 3. Committee stage - 3 steps: bill is studied, experts and the public are called in, and a report is made on the bill, whether to accept it or not 4. Report stage - amendments (changes) to bill are debated and voted on 5. Third and final reading - final debate and vote of approval The Senate 6. First reading - bill is received, printed and circulated for the Senate to read 7. Second reading - bill is debated and there is a vote on the principle idea 8. Committee stage - 3 steps: bill is studied, experts and the public are called in, and a report is made on the bill, whether to accept it or not 9. Report stage - amendments (changes) to bill are debated and voted on 10. Third and final reading - final debate and vote of approval 11. If the Senate suggests many amendments or does not approve the bill, it will go through steps 1-10 again. Royal Assent 12. Governor General signs the bill and it becomes a law. Political Parties a political party is an organized group of people with similar political aims and goals; they want the same things for Canadians the members of a political party will share the same or similar ideas about how the government should operate they want to influence government policy by having their candidates elected their role is to decide what the government’s priorities are and how the government should meet those priorities, including how to pay for them Although there are many political parties in Canada, we focus on the parties that have historically won seats in Parliament. Political Parties cont’d political parties offer a way for citizens to participate in the political process by joining or agreeing with a party Canadians usually decide which candidate to vote for based on which party they support because the party reflects their values and beliefs members of a political party agree on their place on the political spectrum; they are either more left, more right, or in the centre The Canadian Political Spectrum Green Party of Canada Liberal People’s Party NDP Bloc of Canada Quebecois Conservative More Government Control Less Government Control COMMUNISM SOCIALISM CAPITALISM LEFT CENTRE RIGHT STATE CONTROL COMBINATION OF STATE INDIVIDUAL CONTROL AND INDIVIDUAL CONTROL  Sample Beliefs, Values, and Policies on the Political Spectrum Please note: these sample beliefs are generalizations LEFT RIGHT Government intervention in the economy Free market economy - minimal Income equality government intervention in the economy Higher taxes to pay for social programs Income inequality (based on worth) Government spending on social Lower taxes programs Reduced government spending Regulations on business (self-reliance) Supports universal healthcare Fewer regulations on business Prefer to ban economic activity that may Opposes government provided universal create jobs but could potentially harm healthcare environment Considers impact of environmental regulations. Believes the free market will find its own solutions Fringe Parties Fringe parties are parties with extreme positions either to the right or to the left that only get a tiny percentage of votes. These parties are often considered frivolous and their beliefs usually do not conform to mainstream values. However, some political parties started out as fringe parties, gained legitimacy with their constituents, and eventually won seats in Parliament (the Green Party).  the political party that wins the most seats Government and in the House of Commons becomes the Official Opposition government and their leader becomes the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Prime Minister the political party with the second highest Liberal Party number of seats becomes the Official Opposition the Opposition party is responsible for keeping the government accountable for Erin O’Toole Official Opposition their actions by questioning their leader decisions and pointing out different Conservative Party perspectives Party Solidarity elected Members of Parliament must balance the wishes of their party with those of their constituents (voters) in their constituency (riding) however, once elected, members of each political party almost always vote the same way on issues debated in Parliament as directed by their leader; this is called party discipline or party solidarity sometimes the party leader will allow a free vote on certain issues otherwise, if a Member of Parliament votes against their party, they may be kicked out or choose to change their party allegiance and “cross the floor”  First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) in an election, a candidate must win the most votes in a riding to win a seat in the House of Commons please note, you DO NOT need a majority of votes to win a seat it is similar to winning first place in a race Voting Systems Popular Vote is an overall percentage of votes a party receives in an election, regardless of winning it is NOT currently used in Canada to determine seats Election Comparison - 2008, 2011, 2015, 2019  Majority Government Majority and a majority government means the Minority winning party has more than 50% of Governments seats in the House of Commons ○ example: 200 out of 338 seats Minority Government a minority government means the winning party has less than 50% of seats in the House of Commons ○ example: 150 out of 338 seats Majority Government Minority Government What voice do First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples need? Indigenous peoples were not consulted when Canada was formed at Confederation in 1867 The British North America Act (BNA) did not acknowledge the rights of Indigenous peoples Since Confederation, Indigenous peoples have successfully campaigned for the inclusion of their rights in Canada’s Constitution Some Indigenous peoples still feel excluded from Canada’s political system The Federal Accountability Act (FAA) makes sure there is responsible and accountable spending by the government protects government employees who “blow the whistle” on wrongdoing within Canada’s civil service (government employees) create regulations in regards to lobbyists The Role of Media media delivers information and messages quickly to large audiences journalists report the news they also influence our understanding of the world and how it works politicians develop key messages for the media to control how and what the media presents to Canadians the Parliamentary Press Gallery is an association of reporters who cover the decisions and actions of the government Lobbyists lobbyists are hired by a group to influence MPs and government officials they must register with a Commissioner of Lobbyists so everyone in Canada can know who they are and who they represent they provide different perspectives and expertise on issues that affect Canadians lobbyists are required to document which MPs and government official they meet with according to FAA rules What issues do you think these lobby groups would be interested in?