1. Government The Parliamentary System
and Politics

2. The Parliamentary System
In Canada, the powers of government are
divided into three branches:
• Legislative power
• Executive power
• Judicial power

3. Legislative

4. Parliament
The legislative branch is
composed of:
• House of Commons
• Senate
• Governor General

5. Parliament
• Parliament meets at least once a year in what is
called a session
• During each session, Parliament passes new laws
and amends (changes) or repeals (removes) others
• Opposition parties challenge the government’s
actions, and raise issues of the day they feel the
government needs to address

6. House of Commons
• Also known as the Lower House
• The only part of the legislative branch that has
elected members
• MPs (members of Parliament) represent areas called
ridings or constituencies that are roughly equal in
population
• Eligible voters in each riding elect on candidate to
represent them in Parliament

7. House of Commons
• The number of seats in the House of Commons is
determined by the population of Canada
• As the population increases, so do the number of
seats in the Commons

9. • Debate in the House
of Commons are
controlled by the
Speaker of the House
• The Speaker is an MP,
and is elected by other
members of
Parliament
• He/she oversees the
impartial operation of
the House

12. Voting
• MPs belong to political parties
• Each party hold private meetings called a caucus
• Party leaders explain their programs, policies, and
actions, and all members have an opportunity to
discuss concerns and express opinions freely

13. Voting
• Once a decision is made, parliamentary tradition
dictates that all MPs are expected to vote with the
party’s position
• The party whip enforces party discipline, keeping all
members in line, ensuring they support party bills
• Free votes allow MPs to vote according to what they
believe is best

14. Senate
• Upper House, independent of the House of
Commons
• Senators are appointed by the Governor General on
the “recommendation” of the Prime Minister
• Senators represent the regions of the country
• The Senate may introduce legislation, but mainly
serves the role of providing “sober second thought”