GOVERNMENT IN CANADA
How is the federal government formed?
By convention, the political party with the most elected
members in the House of Commons will take the leading role
in forming the government. If it has a majority of seats (151),
then it automatically forms a majority government. If it has
fewer than 151 seats, the leading party will seek the cooperation
of other parties. The leader of this party becomes the Prime
Minister. The party with the second highest number of seats
usually becomes the Official Opposition. Its leader becomes
the Leader of the Opposition. Since the federal election of
02 June 1997, there are five official parties in the House
of Commons.
The Prime Minister chooses a Cabinet from members of the
leading party in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister
and Cabinet must maintain the confidence of the House of Commons,
a practice known as 'responsible government'.
Each member of Cabinet is responsible for the management
of certain aspects of the federal government. To this end,
most Cabinet members oversee the operations of one or more
federal departments or agencies. The most senior officials
in departments are called Deputy Ministers. They are not elected,
and are, generally career public servants, directly responsible
to the Cabinet Minister.
How are the provincial and territorial governments formed?
According to the practice of their federal counterparts,
each provincial government is drawn from the elected members
of the provincial assembly. The provincial leader, however,
is called the Premier.
The provincial legislatures do not have a Senate. In order
for provincial legislation to become law, it needs approval
of the provincial assembly and the Queen's provincial representative,
the Lieutenant Governor.
Territorial Governments
The territories are not sovereign units. Their powers are
delegated by Parliament, and thus they are subordinate bodies.
The territories also have elected assemblies that follow many
of the same practices as the provincial and federal governments.
Local Governments
Local governments are elected regularly to manage municipalities,
cities, towns and regions. Local governments do not have constitutional
powers, but rather have functions delegated to them by other
levels of government. Mayors, councilors and school board
officials, for example, are elected to their positions directly.
Usually, they do not formally represent political parties.
What are the responsibilities of the levels of government
in Canada?
In accordance largely with the Constitution Act of 1867,
the federal government handles such as matters as
- Defence
- Criminal law
- Banking
- Postal system
- Foreign relations
The federal government is also involved in many other areas
including transportation, communication, immigration, health,
and environment matters.
Provincial governments are constitutionally responsible for
such matters as
- Civil justice
- Property
- Municipal institutions
In practice, the provinces share responsibility with the
federal government for such matters as:
- Health services
- Agriculture
- Immigration
- Social assistance
- Transportation
Local governments are responsible for services within a city
or region including:
- Schools
- Police and fire protection
- Water and sewage services
- Recreation
- Local public transportation
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