Chapter 6: What is Government?

Why Does Canada Have Different Levels of Government?

- At Confederation 2 levels of government are created: Federal and Provincial

Aboriginal Self Government• Aboriginals have an inherent right to self-

determination (government)• Depending on the demographics of an area, an

aboriginal self-government could cover a local community or an entire territory (like in Nunavut)

Responsibilities of Different Levels of Government• Each level of government is responsible for certain

duties and services

The Federal Government

The Federal Government is responsible for...• Foreign Trade• Aboriginal Peoples• Defense• Postal Service• Immigration• Criminal Law• Currency

How is it all paid for?

The Government pays for all of these services with federal revenue– i.e. Taxes

- Taxes are generated through the GST sales tax- Income Tax- And are used in a variety of ways

- Like Pensions- Equalization payments- Development efforts (infrastructure)

Overlap of Responsibilities

Sometimes the responsibilities of the Provinces and the Federal Government overlap

• Development (highways, parks, police)• Legal issues like marriage

Provincial Responsibilities

• Property and Civil rights• Marriage Licences• Alcohol• Natural Resources• Hospitals• Health and welfare• Education• Motor vehicle registration

Local Government Responsibilties

• Police and Fire departments• Streets and roads• Water and sewage• Transit• Garbage

All of these services are paid for with grants from the provincial government and with property taxes

Branches of Government in Canada

• The idea of having different branches comes all the way from a French Philosopher named Montesquieu (1689-1755)

• He thought that by separating powers between different branches it would create a system of Checks and Balances to make government work

• Canada has a 3 branch system– Executive: carry out the business of government– Legislative: makes laws– Judicial: interpret and enforce law

The Executive Branch• The Head of State for Canada is the Queen of England–

she is represented in Canada by the Governor General– The G.G. Is responsible for signing bills into law (Royal

Assent)– Officially welcomes foreign dignitaries– Details the government plans for a new session of

parliament– Promotes pride and awareness of Canada– But has no real power... Just a figurehead for tradition’s

sake• A Lieutenant Governor also represents the crown in

each of Canada’s Provinces

Prime Minister and Cabinet• The Prime Minister is the most powerful

political leader in Canada

• Is always the leader of the party that has the most M.P.s

• After an election, the PM chooses some advisors who are MPs who form the Cabinet

• The Cabinet usually has about 20-30 members and has different jobs– Minister of Finance to deal with the budget– Minister of Justice for law– Minister of health– Minister of Defense

The Legislative Branch

• Canada’s Federal Legislative body is the House of Commons in Parliament

• It is composed of 308 MPs who are elected from 308 ridings across Canada

• Each Riding has about 100,000 people in it• The party with the most MPs is the majority

party and the one that gets to choose the P.M.• To Pass a bill you need at least half +1 of the

MPs. So, that makes 155

• A Minority Government occurs when the biggest party does not have at least half of the MPs in the Commons– So the current Conservative Government is a “Minority

Government” because it only has 135 Seats.

• New Bills are usually proposed by members of the Cabinet

• If an Important bill fails, however, the ruling party loses the confidence of Parliament and an election is called.

• Either way, a new election must occur at least 1 time per 5 years

The Senate• The Senate is the “Upper House” in Parliament• The senate is traditionally made up of Upper

Class Gentlemen• They had the power to Veto irresponsible bills• They were meant to oversee the commoners in

the House of Commons and keep them under control

• In modern times the senate rarely vetoes a bill• It has 105 seats • Senators are appointed either for public service

or for political patronage

The Legislative Assembly

• The provincial Legislatures are similar in how they run to the Federal Parliament

• Members are called MLA (Members of the Legislative Assembly)

• Manitoba has 57 electoral divisions (ridings)• Like in Parliament, there is a speaker, an

Official Opposition, an executive (Premier instead of PM)

The Judicial Branch: Federal and Provincial Levels

The Judicial Branch has to interpret the Nation’s laws and make sure they are enforced

• The Supreme Court of Canada– Highest Court in Canada– Has a chief Justice and 8 other Judges

(appointed by the PM)– Can review the decisions of a lower court– Can also interpret the consititution

• Provincial and Territorial Courts– These courts interpret the laws of their

areas– Each area also has a court of appeals