Political system of Canada

According to its constitution Canada is a federal parliamentary state. Unlike other federal states, Canada has a Queen who is the head of state. Thus, the country can also be defined as a constitutional monarchy. Canada and Great Britain share the same Monarch. The Queen is represented on the federal level by the Governor General, on the provincial level by the Lieutenant-Governors. Very much like the Queen in Great Britain, the Governor General stands above politics and his position is mainly ceremonial. For Canada with its diverse population the Governor General symbolizes unity. Officially the Queen appoints the Governor General but in reality it is the Prime Minister who chooses the Governor-General and recommends him or her to the Queen.

The head of the government is Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party that wins the largest number of seats in the House of Commons.

The main legislative body of Canada is Parliament, consisting of the Queen, the Senate and the House of Commons. The House of Commons is the main law-making body. Its main function is to introduce and discuss bills that can become laws. The Senate has three basic functions: to review government bills, to investigate major social and economic issues and to provide national forum for debating public issues. No bill can become law unless it has been passed by the Senate.

The Governor-General (and Lieutenant-Governors in the provinces) officially represents executive power. He governs the country (or province) through a Cabinet. The Cabinet is headed by a Prime Minister or Premier.

Like six other largest countries in the world (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, India, Russia, and the United States), Canada is organized on a federal basis. In all the federal systems, political power is divided between two groups of government — one federal and the other local.

There are a lot of political parties in Canada that represent different views of the population. There are five political parties that are currently in the House of Commons. They are the Liberal Party, the Progressive Conservative Party, the New Democratic Party, the Reform Party, the Bloc Quebecois. The third largest party in the House of Commons is the Bloc Quebecois. The primary goal of this party is the separation of Quebec from Canada.

1. Who appoints the Governor General in Canada?

2. What are the basic functions of the Senate?

3. How is the main law-making body in Canada called?

4. Who represents executive power in Canada?

5. What do you know about political parties in Canada?