Government Presentation

Social Studies 11

Three Branches of Government

1. Executive Branch: has the power to make decisions; create bills and bring them to Parliament to be passed into law

2. Legislative Branch: makes, changes (amends), and repeals laws; pass bills into laws

3. Judiciary Branch: interpret and uphold laws; includes all levels of the court system

Federal GovernmentParliament Buildings in Ottawa

Federal Government Executive Branch

• Governor General

• Prime Minister

• Cabinet

• Civil Service

Governor GeneralMichaelle Jean

Governor General

• The Queen’s representative in Canada (5 yrs)• Is appointed by the Queen on advice of the PM• Gives formal (royal) assent to bills before they

become law• Delivers Speech from the Throne to open

Parliament• Dissolves Parliament before an election• Asks leader of the party with the most votes to

form government and become Prime Minister• Performs ceremonial duties

Prime MinisterStephen Harper

• Leader of the party with the most votes becomes Prime Minister

• The Prime Minister is the head of the government, national leader, and party leader

• Stephen Harper is the leader of the Progressive Conservative Party

Roles of Prime Minister

• Head of Government: recommends new judges and senators to the GG, decides when to call an election, chooses and changes Cabinet members, has the final say in creating government policy

• National Leader: addresses issues that concern all Canadians, represents Canada around the world, works with Premiers to coordinate and share responsibilities

• Party Leader: spokesperson for party, gives patronage appointments, leads party in Parliament

Cabinet• Elected party members are chosen by the PM• Each Cabinet minister is responsible for a

government department (Finance, Defence); this is called a portfolio

• Each Cabinet member is responsible for the efficient & effective operation of the department

• The PM selects a cabinet that equally represents men/women, regions of Canada, and ethnic/cultural groups

• Currently 37 cabinet members• 11 are women

Cabinet

• Main job is to draft legislation and bills that will be presented in the House of Commons

• Cabinet meetings are private and held behind closed doors: at the meeting, cabinet can argue and question the PM and party policies/platform

• In public, the cabinet must show party solidarity: they have to present a united front that they all agree with their leader and decisions of government, whether this is true or not!

Civil Service

• A group of permanent employees who perform the daily business of government

• They are the ones who have the most contact with the public = “face” of government

• Senior civil servants advise ministers and help draft new laws, thus they influence public policy

• Jobs include: statistics, write laws, collect taxes, inspect food/goods, process passports, deliver mail, process EI claims

Federal GovernmentLegislative Branch

• Governor General

• House of Commons

• Senate

House of Commons

House of Commons

• Politicians who hold a seat in the House of Commons are called Members of Parliament (MP)

• MPs not in Cabinet are called backbenchers• Each MP represents the population in their

electoral riding/district/constituency• Seats are assigned according to representation

by population (approx. 1 per 100,000)• MPs can hold a seat for a maximum of 5 years,

however elections are usually called 3-4 years into the term of office

House of Commons

• There are currently 308 seats in the House– Conservatives hold 145 seats– Liberals hold 77 seats– Bloc Quebecois hold 48 seats– NDP hold 37 seats– 1 Independent

If any seat is vacated between elections a by-election is held in that riding to fill the seat

House of Commons

• A majority government is formed when one political party wins over 50% of the seats (=155 or more seats)

• A minority government is formed when no one party wins more than 50% of the seats; parties must form alliances to gain majority and form government

• The current government in Ottawa is a minority government

House of Commons• The government can hold office as long as they

have the support of the majority = responsible government

• Each party holds caucus meetings = private meetings to discuss party policy; MPs can express opinions freely

• When it is time to vote in the House, all MPs must follow the party line

• Party Whip: ensures all party members are in the house when it is time to vote

• Sometimes MPs can vote according to what they believe: this is called a free vote

House of Commons

• If government does not have support in the House, they can be forced out of office – this is called a vote of non confidence

• A vote of non confidence occurs when a bill is defeated in the House

• This occurs more often when it is a minority government

• If this happens, the GG must dissolve Parliament and call an election

James MooreMember of Parliament

• Conservative MP for Port Moody – Westwood – Port Coquitlam

• Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics

The Opposition

• The Opposition examines and criticizes government policy

• Ensures the government is responsible

• Voice their opinion during Question Period (45 minutes)

• Filibuster = debate overnight to show dislike for a bill

Michael IgnatieffOfficial Leader of the Opposition

• Political party with the 2nd largest number of votes forms the Official Opposition

• The leader of this party is the Official Leader of the Opposition

• Shadow Cabinet follows each Cabinet Minister

• Michael Ignatieff is the leader of the Liberal Party

Giles DuceppeLeader of Bloc Quebecois

• His party is part of the Opposition

Jack LaytonLeader of the NDP

• His party is part of the Opposition

Senate

Senate

• Is the “Red Room” or “Upper House of Parliament”

• The goal of the Senate is to protect and represent regional and minority rights

• Senators are appointed by the GG based on recommendations from the PM

• Senators can remain in office until the age of 75

Senate

• There are currently 105 seats in the Senate– Conservatives hold 53 seats– Liberals hold 49 seats– 3 people are sitting as Independent

Distribution of Seats in the Senate

BC 6 Nova Scotia 10

Alberta 6 New Brunswick 10

Saskatchewan 6 PEI 4

Manitoba 6 Newfoundland 6

Ontario 24 Yukon 1

Quebec 24 NWT 1

Nunavut 1

Senate

• The Senate provides a “sober second thought” to bill legislation from the House

• The Senate reviews, amends, delays, defeats bills from the House of Commons

• The Senate can also create bills (i.e. restarting the nuclear reactor in Ontario)

• The Senate conducts committee work to examine bills and important issues (i.e. euthanasia, poverty, science research)

Senate

• Canadians feel the Senate is ineffective because the seats are filled by patronage (reward) appointments from each party

• A proposal for reform, called the Triple E Senate, would create an equal, elected, and effective governing body– Equal representation– Elected Senators– Effectively defeat bills from the House

BC Legislative AssemblyProvincial Government

BC Legislative Assembly

Executive Branch• Lieutenant Governor• Premier• Cabinet• Civil Service

Legislative Branch• Lieutenant Governor• Legislative Assembly

Lieutenant GovernorSteven Point

• The Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen in BC

• The LG has a similar role to the federal GG: gives formal assent to bills and performs ceremonial duties

• Mr. Point is BC’s first Aboriginal LG

Gordon CampbellPremier

• Leader of the party with the most votes becomes Premier

• The Premier has a similar role to the PM: head of government, leader of BC, leader of the BC Liberal party

• Mr. Campbell is in his third term as Premier

Cabinet

• The Cabinet in the BC Legislative Assembly has a similar role to the federal Cabinet: they create and draft legislation

• This legislation is brought forward as a bill in the Legislative Assembly in hopes of being passed into law

• Mr. Campbell has selected 25 MLAs for his cabinet (18 men, 7 women)

Legislative Assembly

• Politicians elected to Victoria are called Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

• There are currently 85 seats in the Legislative Assembly: 49 Liberal, 35 New Democratic Party (NDP), 1 Independent

• MLAs can hold their seat for 5 years

Speaker of the House

Speaker of the HouseBill Barisoff

• Is elected by fellow MLAs• Oversees proceedings in

the House, including the introduction of bills and Question Period

• All comments and questions are directed through him using the phrase “Mr. Speaker…”

• He is a Liberal MLA

Sergeant At Arms

• Military officer who provides security in the Legislative Assembly

• Ensures the safety of MLAs, the public, the buildings

• Can be asked to remove a MLA who isn’t following the rules of the House

Legislative Assembly

• Similar to the House of Commons, a Mace must be present in the Legislative Assembly in order for the House to sit

• The Sergeant At Arms is the only person who touches and carries the Mace

Carole JamesLeader of the Opposition Party

• Examines and criticizes the Premier and decisions of the government

• Appoints a shadow cabinet to monitor the actions of Cabinet

• She is a NDP MLA

Mike FarnworthMember of the Legislative Assembly

• Elected MP for the Port Coquitlam-Burke Mountain riding

• He is Opposition House Leader and serves as Opposition Critic for Public Safety and Solicitor General.

• He is a NDP MLA

Greg MooreMayor of Port Coquitlam

• Leader of the Municipal Government

• Elected member of Town Council

• Accountable to local citizens

Government Presentationfor Social Studies 11

Created by

Miss Ross and Miss Miller

Updated January 2010