Canadian Parliament

Canadian Parliament

Canadian Parliament, national legislature of Canada. Parliament consists of three elements: the House of Commons; the Senate; and the governor-general, who serves as the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's head of state. Parliament encompasses the executive and the legislative branches of the Canadian federal government. The prime minister and cabinet ministers together constitute the executive branch, but are also in the legislature as members of Parliament.

Parliament makes laws and controls the federal budget. The government, as the prime minister and the Cabinet are generally known, introduces budgets and most of the bills that become law. All budgets and bills must be approved by both Commons and the Senate and receive royal assent from the governor-general in order to become law. Parliament cannot pass laws that concern issues outside the authority of the federal government or that infringe on the rights protected by the Constitution of Canada.

One of Parliament's primary duties is to maintain responsible government by holding the prime minister and Cabinet accountable to the voters. The government can only remain in office as long as it has the support of a majority of the members of Commons.

The structure of the Canadian Parliament derives from both British and American models. As in Britain, from which Canada gained significant but not complete independence in 1867, Canada has a parliamentary form of government accompanied by a constitutional monarchy. Canada has a federal system similar to that of the United States; the federal government has a division of responsibilities between the national, the ten provincial, and the three territorial governments. (1)

More about the Canadian Parliament

• Canadian Parliament
• Parliament Powers
• Parliament Constitutional Conventions
• Responsible Government
• Collective Ministerial Responsibility
• Individual Ministerial Responsibility
• Debates About Ministerial Responsibility
• Parliament Membership
• Parliament Structure
• House of Commons
• Senate
• Governor-General
• Parliamentary Sessions
• Legislative Process
• Influences on the Legislative Process
• History of Parliament
• Parliament (in General in Canada)
• Parliament (in the World)

Resources

Notes and References

1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also

Law is our Passion

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This entry was last updated: March 23, 2014