Canadian History 11

Political Regions

Federal, Provincial &Territorial Flags

Left to right, top row: National Flag of Canada, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, 

Middle row: Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario

Bottom Row:  Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon, Flag of Canada*

What is a Government?

The word government means to exercise power in a group. Every group needs people to make and enforce decisions that control the conduct of the group.

A government’s basic task is to make a set of laws to allow people in a society to live together in peace and security.

There are 3 functions of government: Legislative function is

the making of laws or the passing of legislation.

Executive function is putting the laws into effect on a daily basis.

Judicial function is to decide if an individual has broken society’s laws and to punish the guilty.

Video Clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGfYOmz_FSE

Canada’s government has been described as the following: Democracy = is a system of government in

which the people rule or have the power. In Canada, we elect others to represent us in governing the country.

Canada’s government has been described as the following: Monarchy = The monarch is the

source of all authority. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Canada. She is represented by the Governor General Governor General.

Canada’s government has been described as the following:

Parliamentary system = Canada’s parliament consists of the Queen represented by the Governor General, the Senate, whose members are appointed and by the House of Commons, made up of representatives elected by the Canadian voters.

Canada’s government has been described as the following: Cabinet = The cabinet minsters carry

out the executive functions of the government. Cabinet ministers must be elected to the House of Commons or have seats in the Senate. In order to stay in office they must have the support of the majority of the members of the House of Commons.

Canada’s government has been described as the following:

Federal Government = The government has a system in which the power to make laws is shared between two levels of government: a national or central government and provincial governments. Canada is a federation of provinces and territories or has a federal government because both levels of government have the power to make laws

The Federal System

The Executive

The Sovereign

The Governor General

Parliament

The Prime Minister

The Legislature The Cabinet Judiciary

The Senate House of Commons Supreme Court of Canada

Agriculture Fisheries Revenue Canada

Communications Native Affairs & Public Works

Consumer & Corporate Northern Development Regional Industrial

Affairs Justice Expansion

Employment & Immigration Labour Secretary of State

Energy, Mines &Resources National Defence Solicitor General

Environment National Health & Supply & Service

External Affairs Welfare Transport

Finance Veterans Affairs

Governor General Appointed Official Represents the

Queen, but follows the advice of the cabinet

5 years

Entertains important foreign visitors

Honours distinguished Canadians

Cuts ribbons at ceremonies

Lends support to causes & events

Serves as a reminder of the past

Resides at Rideau Hall in Ottawa

Gives Royal Assent to Bills

Current Governor General

David Johnston is the 28th Governor General of Canada.

Prime Minister

Leader of the majority party in the House of Commons

Elected by the people Office has no fixed

term Follows the wishes of

the majority of the House of Commons

Leads the party caucus in parliament.

Caucus = a private meeting of the elected members of a political party

Acts as the voice of the nation

Directs foreign policy

Serves as the leader of the governing party and with the aid of a House leader guides debates/discussions in the House

Prime Minister

Chooses the Ministers for his/her Cabinet

Can ask anyone to resign from the Cabinet

Cabinet decisions do not necessarily go by the majority vote. A strong PM, after having listened to everyone’s opinions & advice, simply announces that his or her view is the policy of the government

The PM lives at 24 Sussex Drive, a house maintained by the government

Current Prime Minister

Prime Minister of Canada is the Conservative Party's Stephen Harper

The Cabinet

PM Cabinet is made up of app. 30 ministers

Chosen by the PM from the majority party in the House of Commons

The Cabinet & PM decide on policies the Government will follow.

It is responsible for all legislation & has the power to make new laws

It decides whether : to raise or lower

taxes The country will be

at peace or war To improve airports To increase old-age

pensions

The Cabinet

Each province must be represented by at least one Minister.

Each minister is responsible for a Government Department

Each minister also has a Deputy Minister who is a permanent head of the department.

These officers are civil servants who are employed by the Government.

Each Minister is responsible, answerable & accountable for his/her department to the House of Commons.

The Cabinet The Cabinet works as a

team. Every Cabinet Minister

must agree and defend all policies decided whether they totally agree with them or not.

If they cannot agree & will not support the Cabinet, they may resign or be asked to resign by the PM

This team playing is referred to as “the collective responsibility of the Cabinet”

Cabinet Ministers The Leader of the Government in the

Senate The Minister of Agriculture and Agri-

Food The Minister of Canadian Heritage The Minister of Citizenship &

Immigration The Minister of Environment The Minister of Finance & Minister for

the Federal Office of Regional Development Quebec

The Minister of Fisheries & Oceans The Minister of Foreign Affairs The Minister of Health The Minister of National Revenue The Minister of Transport The President of the Queen’s Privy

Council for Canada, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs & Ministers responsible for Public Service Renewal

The Minister of Human Resource Development & Western Economic Diversification

The Minister of native Affairs & Northern Development

The Minister of Industry The Minister of International Trade The Minister of Justice & Attorney

General of Canada The Minister of National Defence

& Veterans’ Affairs The Minister of Public Works &

Government Services & of the Atlantic Opportunities

The President of the Treasury Board & Minister for Infrastructure

The Solicitor General & Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Parliament

Parliament consists of : The Queen The Senate (Upper

House) House of Commons

(Lower House)

The Queen is the formal head of Canada.

The Governor General represent her at the Federal level

The Lieutenant-Governors represent her at the Provincial level They govern through a

Cabinet, headed by the PM (federal level) & a Premier (Provincial Level)

The Senate The Upper House Made up of 105 men &

women Its presiding officer, the

Speaker of the Senate, and the Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the PM

Usually given as a reward for service to the country

Senators must retire at 75 yrs old or if they miss 2 consecutive sessions of Parliament

They must be at least 30 yrs old & have real estate worth $4000.00

They must reside in the province/territory for which they are appointed

The Senate

The can initiate bills, except bills providing for the spending of public money or imposing taxes.

It has the right to amend or reject any bill

No bill can become law unless passed by the Senate

The Senate is made up of members who have specialized knowledge and long years of legal, business or administrative experience.

They are often ex-Ministers, ex-Premiers, ex-mayors, important lawyers & experienced farmers

The Senate 2010

The House of Commons

Lower House 308 Seats Elected by the people 5 year term Each Member

represents a constituency (district) of a province or territory.

They do not have to live in the constituency

Parliament sits about 27 weeks of the year.

A regular sitting day always includes routine business, committee reports are presented, documents are recorded, Ministers make statements, petitions are presented & bills are introduced

The Question Period is when Ministers must defend the activities of their departments & the policies of the Government

The House of Commons 2010

The House of Commons

1. Speaker2. Pages3. Government Members4. Opposition Members*5. Prime Minister6. Leader of the Official Opposition7. Leader of the Second Largest Party in Opposition8. Clerk and Table Officers9. Mace10. Hansard Reporters11. Sergeant-at-Arms12. The Bar

13. Interpreters14. Press Gallery15. Public Gallery16. Official Gallery17. Leader of the Opposition’s Gallery18. Members’ Gallery19. Members’ Gallery20. Members’ Gallery21. Speaker’s Gallery22. Senate Gallery23. T.V. Cameras

National Political Parties

Stephen Harper

Michael Ignatieff

Jack Layton Gilles Duceppe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hfGy_b87gI&feature=related (Rick Mercer on Elections)

Political SpectrumLeft Wing Centre Right Wing

Larger role for government, smaller role for individualsMore spending on social welfare programsLess spending on the militaryGovernment Ownership of key industries & resourcesEmphasis on individual rightsMore lenient justice system, with emphasis on rehabilitating offenders

Shared role for government and individualsMaintain existing spending on social welfare programsMaintain existing spending on militaryEconomy a mix of public and private enterpriseMix between individual rights and social orderBalance between protecting society’s rights and rehabilitating offenders

Larger role for individuals, smaller role for governmentLess spending on social welfare programsMore spending on the militaryEconomy left to the private sector, with little government interferenceStrict adherence to social orderStricter justice system, with harsher punishment for offenders

Opposition Party

Political parties sitting in the OPPOSITION serve as watchdogs of government. It is their job to criticize and challenge governmental policies, laws and decisions, in order to have the best possible outcomes throughout the political process.

Current Opposition Party is the Liberal Party

Leader of the Opposition Party is Michael Ignatieff

Speaker of the House

There are 2 Speakers in the Houses of Parliament: Speaker of the Senate is

appointed Speaker of the House of

Commons is elected by the Members of Parliament in a secret ballot in the Commons Chambers after a new election.

Must be a member of the House of Commons.

If the speaker is English then the Deputy Speaker must be French and vice-versa

Speaker of the House

Each sitting of the House of Commons is preceded by a Speaker’s Parade

Each day begins in the House of Commons with the Speaker saying a prayer before being seated in an ornately carved armchair.

Members must bow to the Speaker when they enter, leave or cross the Chamber.

They make sure everyone is following parliamentary procedure.

If there is a tie vote in the House, the Speaker may cast the deciding vote.

Speaker of the House

The current Speaker of the House of Commons is the Honourable Peter Milliken.

Sergeant-at-Arms Usually a former senior of

the Canadian Forces In the old days, they

served as a body guard for the Speaker of the House.

They work for the Speaker of the House and carries out 2 duties: To perform whenever

there are ceremonial activities

They are responsible for the security of the House of Commons & the Parliament Buildings.

Guardian of the Mace

Sergeant-at-Arms

The current Sergeant-at-Arms is Ms. Jill Pay.

The Mace The Mace is a symbol of authority

held by the Speaker of the House and plays an important role in the Opening of Parliament.

It represents ancient authority of the Crown

It is carried by the Sergeant-at- Arms during the Speaker’s Parade.

Without the Mace the House of Commons cannot hold its proceedings.

The Mace was originally a weapon of the Middle Ages. It was used by the Sergeant-at-Arms, who was the king’s body guard.

It was first used in Canada in 1792. During the War of 1812, American soldiers invaded and captured York (Toronto) and stole the mace.

It was not returned until 1934, by Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The Usher of the Black Rod Created in England during the

reign of Henry VIII. In Canadian Parliament, they

call the House of Commons to the Senate for the Speech from the Throne or Royal Assent to Legislation.

The Usher knocks of the doors of the House of Commons 3 times and when he is admitted he requests on behalf of the sovereign “the immediate attendance of the Honourable Members in the Chamber of the Honourable Senate

The tradition of the knock came from the reign of Charles I, who stormed the House of Commons during the British Civil War.

This was the last time a monarch had entered the House of Commons in the British Commonwealth.

Other duties include: Leader of the Speaker’s

Parade Responsible for Senate

security.

A Parliamentary Page Each year 40 students are selected from various

high schools across Canada to work as Pages in the House of Commons.

They work as messengers part-time You can apply to be a Page as long as you:

Are a Canadian citizen and can prove it. Are graduating from a secondary school and will

be attending university full-time in September. Have an overall academic average of 80% Speak both languages at a superior level Have been accepted to one of the universities in

Ottawa or Hull.

Members of Parliament An MP is a federal representative who

represents people that live in a voting area called a constituency. The people that live in a constituency are called constituents.

MPs are from all over Canada and form a group called the House of Commons.

They meet at Parliament to discuss the country’s business and things that affect the people.

They report to their constituents through meetings, phone calls, letters, newsletters and websites.

How is Law Made?

Laws are made by Parliament.

A law or statute begins as a bill.

MPs can introduce a bill in the House of Commons or the Senate.

Each bill must have three readings.

1st reading = introduces the bill 2nd reading = members debate the

general principles of the bill, the ideas and convictions on which it is based. They then examine the details of the bill, which is done in the Committee of the Whole House. The bill might then go to a smaller committee, Standing Committee, where experts are called in to give their views. Amendments may also be made.

3rd reading = After this, it goes to the Senate and once the Senate approves it, it goes to the Governor General for assent.

Once it is signed, it becomes law is called an Act.

Ceremony Video Clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdSVRYC04YU&NR=1

Elections http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jvcz5M3QVtk

Held every 5 years People vote for the leader they

want Elections are held at the national

level, provincial level and local level The PM calls for the election or if

there is a vote of non-confidence, which means that the government is defeated in the House of Commons because the members no longer feel the government is working well.

Election Canada is an agency run by Parliament that organizes all federal elections

Enumerators make a list of all the people in Canada that can vote. You must be 18 years of age.

The voters elect representatives to the House of Commons.

Canada is organized into app.300 electoral districts, also called ridings, seats or constituencies.

In each riding, the different political parties choose candidates to run for election.

The candidate that wins takes a seat in the House of Commons.

The party that wins the most seats forms the government.

The leader of the winning party becomes the Prime Minister.

Parliament Buildings

Queen Victoria declared Ottawa to be the Capital of Canada in 1858 and Barracks Hill was chosen for the government buildings.

Parliament Hill 1866

Parliament or Center Block

House of Commons

Senate

Confederation Hall

The Great Hall of Honour

Peace Tower: 53 Bells & honours Canadian soldiers who died during WWI

Memorial Chamber

Library of Parliament

Changing of the Guards

Rick Mercer Videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vqyfY7cZPk