Transcript Government of Canada

Government of Canada
Grade 9 Social Studies
Chapter 9
What is government?
• Government: the political direction and control
exercised over the actions of the citizens of an
area
• There are many types of government, but the
most common are:
Communism
Democracy
Dictatorship
Monarchy
Totalitarianism
Government in Canada
• Canada is governed as a constitutional
monarchy and a parliamentary democracy
• Democracy: government by the people
Levels of Government
• Canada’s government is divided into three
levels:
federal government (national level – the whole
country)
provincial government (provincial/territorial
level)
municipal government (community/town/city
level)
• Each level of government is responsible for
different tasks.
CANADA’S GOVERNMENT DOMAINS
FEDERAL
Defense
Criminal Law
Employment Insurance
Postal Service
Census
Copyright
Trade
External Relations
Money and Banking
Transportation
Citizenship
Aboriginal Affairs
PROVINCIAL
Property and Civil Rights
Justice
Natural Resources
Environment
Education
Health
Welfare
MUNICIPAL
Water
Sewer
Waste Collection
Public Transit
Land Use Planning
Libraries
Emergency Services
Animal Control
Economic Development
Structure of Government
Prime Ministers of Canada since 1867
Prime Ministers
Government Hierarchy
This branch of government is responsible for ‘running the
government’ – it implements and enforces the laws created by
the legislative branch
I.
The Sovereign
• Elizabeth II is the current ruling monarchy in
Canada
• She is the official Head of State
• In practice, the sovereign rarely personally
exercises her executive, judicial or legislative
powers
• Since the monarch does not normally reside in
Canada, she appoints a Governor General to
represent her and exercise most of her powers.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
• The Queen is Head of State of the UK and 15
other Commonwealth realms.
• The elder daughter of King George VI and Queen
Elizabeth, she was born in 1926 and became
Queen at the age of 25, and has reigned through
more than five decades of enormous social
change and development.
• The Queen is married to Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh and has four children and eight
grandchildren.
Images of Queen Elizabeth II
Image Gallery - British Monarchy
II. Governor General of Canada
• Right Honourable David Johnson is the current
Governor General of Canada as of October 1st
2010 (28th since Confederation)
• He represents the Crown in Canada and carries
out the duties of head
of State.
• He resides at Rideau
Hall in Ottawa, ON.
Duties
1. He summons Parliament, sets out the
government’s program by reading the Speech
from the Throne, and approves all acts of
Parliament that create law.
2. He presides over the swearing-in of the prime
minister and his cabinet.
3. He is Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian
Forces.
4. The governor general is Chancellor of the
Order of Canada and the Order of Military
Merit.
David Johnson
III. Prime Minister of Canada
• Stephen Harper is the current Prime Minister of
Canada (May 2, 2011).
• He is the leader of the national Conservative
Party.
• He is the head of government of Canada and
Head of the cabinet.
• The PM is not elected directly, but is by
constitutional convention the leader of the
political party that holds the largest number of
seats in the House of Commons.
Prime Minister of Canada
• Following an election, the PM is sworn in by the
governor general.
• The official residence of the prime minister is 24
Sussex Drive in Ottawa, Ontario.
Prime Minister of Canada
• A prime minister does not have a fixed term of
office - once sworn in (s)he retains the office
until (s)he resigns, is dismissed or dies.
• In 2007 the Prime Minister of Canada had an
annual salary of $301,600.
Duties
•
The Prime Minister does not have specific
powers and duties.
• Instead, the position has powers in three areas:
1. recommending the appointment of individuals
to key positions (senators, ministers, judges,
ambassadors,)
2. organizing Cabinet (number and appointment
of ministers, sets agenda for meetings)
3. providing leadership and direction to the
government (participates in House of
Commons debates and daily Question Period)
IV. The Cabinet
• The Cabinet is the executive committee of the
Canadian government.
• The current cabinet is comprised of 34
ministers.
• Each minister is responsible for one portfolio, or
department (ex, Minister of Finance).
Duties
• Duties of the cabinet ministers include:
1.advising the queen, governor general and prime
minister of developments in their portfolio.
2.introducing and defending new legislation
regarding their portfolio at the House of
Commons
3.answering questions on their job performance
from the Opposition.
Selection of Cabinet Ministers
• Cabinet is appointed by the governor general
upon the advice of the prime minister.
• The selection process is a complex task as the
prime minister tries to include people from:
each province
visible minorities
both genders
interest groups
The Cabinet…who are they?
• Use this webpage to complete the chart of
current cabinet members:
• Cabinet Members 2009
• House of Commons diagram
This branch of government is responsible initiating, approving
or rejecting laws in Canada
I.
Members of Parliament
• The House of Commons is the first law-making
body in Canada, made up of Members of
Parliament.
• It is also called the “Lower House”
• The MP’s are chosen during federal elections.
Elections
• During an election, constituents (people of
voting age) in a particular area (called a riding)
are presented 1 candidate for each political party
• On election day, all Canadians 18 or older are
eligible to vote. On the ballot are the names of
each candidate. They choose 1.
• The candidate who receives the majority of votes
will represent them in the House of Commons
and becomes a Member of Parliament
Members of Parliament
• Currently, there are 308 MP’s in the House of
Commons (a record 69 are women)
• Each province has a certain number of MP’s,
according to their population.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s MP’s
Riding
Member of Parliament
Political Party
Avalon
Scott Andrews
Liberal
Humber-St Barbe-Baie Verte
Gerry Byrne
Liberal
St. John’s South- Mount Pearl
Siobhan Coady
Liberal
Random-Burin-St Georges
Judy Foote
Liberal
St John’s East
Jack Harris
NDP
Labrador
Todd Russell
Liberal
Bonavista-Gander-Grand
Falls-Windsor
Scott Simms
Liberal
List of Canada's current Members of Parliament
Newfoundland and Labrador’s MP’s
Canadian MP’s per Political Party
Members of Parliament
• The political party with the largest number of
MP’s wins the election and forms the gov’t.
• MP’s hold their positions for a period no longer
than five years.
• The Cabinet members are part of the 308 MP’s,
as is the prime minister.
• Annual salary: $155,400
• Stephen Harper’s current riding is Calgary.
Duties
• The duties of the Members of Parliament are:
1.to represent the constituents who elected them
2.to question gov’t and to bring attention to the
concerns of the people in their riding in the
House of Commons during Question Period
3.to study, amend and introduce bills (laws), such
as the creation of National Holocaust Day
4.to attend functions in their riding
Let's Watch CPAC!
II. The Senate
• The Senate is the second law-making body in
Canada, which is made up of Senators.
• It is also known as the “Upper House”
• The Senators are appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister.
The Senate
• There are currently 105 Senators.
• 34 are women
• There are four senatorial divisions, which have
24 Senators each:
The Maritimes (10 NS, 10 NB, 4 PEI)
Ontario
Quebec
Western (6 each for MN, SK, BC)
plus 6 seats for NL, and one for each of the
territories
The Senate
• The Senate is located in a different block in the
Parliament building, known as the ‘red chamber’
Senate
• Senators originally held their position for life
• But since 1965, Senators cannot hold their
position after the age of 75
• Senators must meet certain criteria to be
eligible, and can loose their seat if they miss two
Senate sessions, are convicted of a crime or go
bankrupt!
Newfoundland and Labrador
Senators
Senator
Political Party
Appointed by
George Baker
Liberal
Chretien
Ethel Cochrane
Conservative
Mulroney
George Furey
Liberal
Chretien
Elizabeth Marshall
Conservative
Harper
Senators per Political Party
Ind., 5 Vacant, 1
Progressive
Conservative, 3
Conservative,
38
Liberal, 58
Duties
• The duties of the Senators are:
1.to provide a “sober, second thought” to the
House of Commons
2.to review bills presented by the MP’s and send
them back for amendments if needed
3.to delay or veto the passage of a bill
4.to introduce bills (but not on taxes)
5.to work on committees that study issues of
public concern, such as health concerns
6.to question and challenge the gov’t
Recap: Federal Government