A brief introduction into the Branches of Canadian Government

1. BRANCHES
OF
GOVERNMENT

2. BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
• governments do three basic things:
• Make laws
• Ensure laws are followed
• Judge laws
• All are directly related to government’s
central purpose - LAWS

3. BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT
• In democracies no one person [or group of
persons] performs all three functions
• In autocratic states, one individual [or a
small group] is in control of all three
functions
• he/she plays the role of maker, enforcer
and judge of laws

4. Legislative Branch of Government
• Powers:
• Create, change and repeal
laws and regulations
• Members:
• Parliament
• Senators
• Members of the House of
Commons (MPs)
• Example:
• Change the laws defining
marriage in Canada.

5. Executive Branch of
Government
• Powers:
• Administer and carry out
(enforce) laws and plans of the
government
• Members:
• Monarch
• Prime Minister
• Cabinet
• Bureaucrats (or Civil Servants)
• Example:
• Prime Minister declares a state
of emergency and directs the
Canadian Armed Forces to assist
in snow removal.

6. Judicial Branch of
Government
• Powers:
• Interpret the laws
• decide who has broken the law
• assign appropriate penalties
• Members:
• Courts (Supreme, Provincial,
Small Claims, Family, etc.)
• Judges
• Example: Should Hutterites in
Alberta be required to have
photos on their drivers’
licenses?

7. BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT
• NOTE: The Queen of
Canada, through the
Governor-General,
plays a key role within
ALL three branches of
Canadian government

8. Canada's Parliamentary System
Branches of Government Diagram
Queen
Governor
General
Prime
Minister
Cabinet
House of
Commons
Senate
Supreme
Court of
Canada
Federal
Courts
Provincial
Courts
Courts
Executive Branch Judicial BranchLegislative Branch
Parliament

9. Prime Minister and Governor General
•Use the Text Book (38-45) and Yellow
Book (20-23) to answer the following
for each role:
•What are the job requirements?
•What are the job responsibilities?
•How are they compensated?

10. BRANCHES OF
GOVERNMENT
Sources
www2.clarku.edu/research/images/government/cansupct.jpg
www.nationmaster.com/wikimir/images/upload.wikimedia.org/
wikpedia/en/thumb/7/78/250px-Queen_of_canada.jpg
www.stephentaylor.ca/archives/parliament-hill-protest.jpg
www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2004/12/images/20041201
-4_w9w7821-515h.jpg
http://206.47.170.43/channels/images/harper-obama-456-
sept16.jpg