Structures of Government

Parliament Hill at the Night of Celebration

As a former British colony, Canada's system of government was based on the British system of parliamentary democracy. This is often referred to as “Westminster—style” democracy, named after the British House of Commons. Like other former colonies like New Zealand and Australia, many Canadian laws, political practices and customs were brought from the "Old Country" and adapted to the different conditions of the new country. At first glance, the similarity between British and Canadian political conditions are great; but when you look more closely, you can see important differences which have arisen from the experience of governing a huge but sparsely populated country.

Like Britain, Canada is a monarchy. The official head of state is the Queen, who is also the Queen of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and other former British colonies. The Queen is Canada's queen in her own right; if, for example, Britain decided to become a republic, the Queen would still be the Queen of Canada. Because she does not live in Canada, she is represented by an official called a Governor General. When heads of state visit Canada, they will first be greeted by the Governor—General, before being welcomed by the Prime Minister.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II / Her Excellency the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson

Governor General Clarkson Arrive at Parliament Hill to Start the Canada Day Celebration.

Both the Queen and the Governor General occupy roles which are largely ceremonial. Most Canadians would be unable to tell you the name of the current governor general, or identify him or her in a picture. And while the Queen and her family are regarded with affection by most Canadians, the monarchy as such bears little relevance to the governing of modern Canada.

The biggest difference between Canada and the UK is that Canada is a federation—that is, it is ten provinces and three territories, each with their own government, which have joined to form one country. The government of the whole country is referred to as the "federal government", to distinguish it from the lower level governments of each province. These provinces all have a great deal of power in relation to the federal government.

The First Parliament: the First Session of the Elected Assembly in 1793.

Canada was the first political community to combine federalism with a British system of government, a model which was later applied to other areas in the British Commonwealth, notably in Australia, Malaysia, Nigeria and India—large countries with powerful regional and ethnic divisions. Canada's founding fathers of Confederation, who between 1864 and 1867 had to decide what sort of government the new country was to have, chose the British model of government over the model being enacted in the United States. The American system was characterised by "checks and balances" on political power. In contrast, the founding fathers preferred the British system because they wanted a strong central government. The British model offered "strength, order and authority", which they thought was preferable to the weaknesses of the American system, where the President and the Congress frequently battle over policy.

The Parliament

The Canadian parliament is divided into a lower house, the House of Commons, and an upper house called the Senate. Canadians vote in elections for people they want to represent them in the House of Commons. These Members of Parliament (MPs) each fill a "seat" in the House of Commons, which represents a particular electoral district.

The Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons Chamber

Electoral districts are based on population rather than geographic size, so there are more MPs from urban areas and very few from the sparsely settled, wilder regions of Canada. The House of Commons contains about 300 seats. Because most of the Canadian population is concentrated in Ontario and Quebec, these two provinces have the most seats, and therefore the most power in the House of Commons. This has caused a lot of trouble because the provinces with smaller populations feel they are not adequately listened to by "Central Canada". For example, in the 1997 election, because of its large population Ontario elected 103 MPs, whereas the prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba each only had 14 MPs.

As is the case in Britain, MPs generally all belong to political parties. The party that wins the most seats forms the government; the party leader becomes Prime Minister, and so, like in the UK, the most important person in Canadian government is the Prime Minister. The Cabinet, chosen by the Prime Minister, consists of senior MPs from the governing party. They are usually given particular areas of responsibility, like external affairs, multiculturalism, or health and education.

The Speaker's Chair in the House of Commons Chamber

The Senate, the upper house, is not elected. It is appointed by the Governor General, who acts on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Senate is not like the US Senate, but analogous to the House of Lords in the UK, although the Lords can earn their seat by right of birth as well as by being appointed. To balance the fact that the Commons is dominated by MPs from populous Ontario and Quebec, senators are, by tradition, picked to represent the regions more equally. There have been calls in recent years to reform the Senate and make it an elected body.

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