1.
Canada
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Canada is a country in the northern half of North America. Canadas border with the United States is the worlds longest binational land border, the majority of the country has a cold or severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in summer. Canada is sparsely populated, the majority of its territory being dominated by forest and tundra. It is highly urbanized with 82 per cent of the 35.15 million people concentrated in large and medium-sized cities, One third of the population lives in the three largest cities, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Its capital is Ottawa, and other urban areas include Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec City, Winnipeg. Various aboriginal peoples had inhabited what is now Canada for thousands of years prior to European colonization. Pursuant to the British North America Act, on July 1,1867, the colonies of Canada, New Brunswick and this began an accretion of provinces and territories to the mostly self-governing Dominion to the present ten provinces and three territories forming modern Canada. With the Constitution Act 1982, Canada took over authority, removing the last remaining ties of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Elizabeth II being the head of state. The country is officially bilingual at the federal level and it is one of the worlds most ethnically diverse and multicultural nations, the product of large-scale immigration from many other countries. Its advanced economy is the eleventh largest in the world, relying chiefly upon its abundant natural resources, Canadas long and complex relationship with the United States has had a significant impact on its economy and culture. Canada is a country and has the tenth highest nominal per capita income globally as well as the ninth highest ranking in the Human Development Index. It ranks among the highest in international measurements of government transparency, civil liberties, quality of life, economic freedom, Canada is an influential nation in the world, primarily due to its inclusive values, years of prosperity and stability, stable economy, and efficient military. While a variety of theories have been postulated for the origins of Canada. In 1535, indigenous inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct French explorer Jacques Cartier to the village of Stadacona, from the 16th to the early 18th century Canada referred to the part of New France that lay along the St. Lawrence River. In 1791, the area became two British colonies called Upper Canada and Lower Canada collectively named The Canadas, until their union as the British Province of Canada in 1841. Upon Confederation in 1867, Canada was adopted as the name for the new country at the London Conference. The transition away from the use of Dominion was formally reflected in 1982 with the passage of the Canada Act, later that year, the name of national holiday was changed from Dominion Day to Canada Day
2.
Politics of Canada
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The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a monarchy, in which the Monarch is head of state. The country has a multi-party system in many of its legislative practices derive from the unwritten conventions of. Such members, in the government caucus, and junior or lower-profile members of opposition caucuses, are known as backbenchers, backbenchers can, however, exert their influence by sitting in parliamentary committees, like the Public Accounts Committee or the National-Defence Committee. Smaller parties like the Quebec nationalist Bloc Québécois, and the Green Party of Canada have also been able to exert their own influence over the political process, far-right politics has never been a prominent force in Canadian society. Thus in 1931, the British Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster, giving recognition to the autonomy of Canada. Similarly, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain continued to make the decision on criminal appeals until 1933. Name Canada Type of government Westminster style federal parliamentary democracy within a constitutional monarchy, National holiday Canada Day, July 1. Constitution Westminster system, based on unwritten conventions and written legislation, suffrage Citizens aged 18 years or older. Only two adult citizens in Canada cannot vote, the Chief Electoral Officer, and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, the Governor General is eligible to vote, but abstains due to constitutional convention. Citizens residing outside of Canada for a greater than 5 years are excluded from voting beginning 2015. Description of national flag A red maple leaf centred on a Canadian pale, head of state Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. Viceroy David Lloyd Johnston, Governor General of Canada, head of government Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Cabinet Ministers chosen by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Governor General to lead various ministries and agencies, the Governor General is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister for a non-specific term, though it is traditionally approximately five years. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is usually designated by the Governor General to become Prime Minister, the bicameral Parliament of Canada consists of three parts, the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons. Currently, the Senate, which is described as providing regional representation, has 105 members appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister to serve until age 75. It was created with equal representation from each of Ontario, Quebec, the Maritime region, however, it is currently the product of various specific exceptions, additions and compromises, meaning that regional equality is not observed, nor is representation-by-population. The normal number of senators can be exceeded by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, the House of Commons currently has 338 members elected in single-member districts in a plurality voting system, meaning that members must attain only a plurality rather than a majority
3.
Government of Canada
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The Government of Canada or more formally Her Majestys Government, is the federal government of Canada, a country in North America, composed of 10 provinces, Ottawa, and 3 territories. The head of government is Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose party the Liberal Party of Canada won the majority of seats in the Canadian Parliament in the 2015 Canadian federal election, in Canadian English, the term can mean either the collective set of institutions or specifically the Queen-in-Council. Further elements of governance are outlined in the rest of the Canadian constitution, which includes written statutes, court rulings, in Canadian English, the word government is used to refer both to the whole set of institutions that govern the country, and to the current political leadership. In federal department press releases, the government has sometimes referred to by the phrase Government. The same cabinet earlier directed its press department to use the phrase Canadas New Government, as per the Constitution Acts of 1867 and 1982, Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning sovereign is both legal and practical, but not political. The executive is formally called the Queen-in-Council, the legislature the Queen-in-Parliament. The government is defined by the constitution as the Queen acting on the advice of her privy council, however, the Privy Council—consisting mostly of former members of parliament, chief justices of the supreme court, and other elder statesmen—rarely meets in full. This body of ministers of the Crown is the Cabinet, one of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a democratic government is always in place, which means appointing a prime minister to thereafter head the Cabinet. The monarch and governor general typically follow the advice of their ministers. The royal and viceroyal figures may unilaterally use these powers in exceptional constitutional crisis situations, politicians can sometimes try to use to their favour the complexity of the relationship between the monarch, viceroy, ministers, and parliament, and the publics general unfamiliarity with it. Per democratic tradition, the House of Commons is the dominant branch of parliament, the Senate, thus, reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint. The Constitution Act,1867, outlines that the general is responsible for summoning parliament in the Queens name. After a number of sessions, each parliament comes to an end via dissolution. As a general election typically follows, the timing of a dissolution is usually politically motivated, the sovereign is responsible for rendering justice for all her subjects, and is thus traditionally deemed the fount of justice. However, she does not personally rule in cases, instead the judicial functions of the Royal Prerogative are performed in trust. Below this is the Federal Court, which cases arising under certain areas of federal law. It works in conjunction with the Federal Court of Appeal and Tax Court of Canada, in some cases, however, the jurisdictions of the federal and provincial parliaments may be more vague. For instance, the federal parliament regulates marriage and divorce in general, other examples include the powers of both the federal and provincial parliaments to impose taxes, borrow money, punish crimes, and regulate agriculture
4.
The Crown
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The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their sub-divisions, although the term is not only a metonym for the State. The Crown is a sole that represents the legal embodiment of executive, legislative. These monarchies are united by the union of their monarch. The concept of the Crown developed first in the Kingdom of England as a separation of the crown and property of the nation state from the person. The concept spread through English and later British colonisation and is now rooted in the lexicon of the other 15 independent realms. In this context it should not be confused with any physical crown, the concept of the Crown took form under the feudal system. Though not used this way in all countries that had this system, in England, all rights, land, for instance, was granted by the Crown to lords in exchange for feudal services and they, in turn, granted the land to lesser lords. One exception to this was common socage—owners of land held as socage held it only to the Crown. The Crown as ultimate owner of all property also owns any property which has become bona vacantia, the monarch is the living embodiment of the Crown and, as such, is regarded as the personification of the state. He office cannot exist without the office-holder, the Crown also represents the legal embodiment of executive, legislative, and judicial governance. While the Crowns legal personality is usually regarded as a sole, it can, at least for some purposes. Historically, the Crown was considered to be indivisible, two judgments—Ex parte Indian Association of Alberta and Ex parte Quark —challenged that view. The Crown in each of the Commonwealth realms is a similar, because both Canada and Australia are federations, there are also crowns in right of each Canadian province and each Australian state. The Succession to the Crown Law 2013 defined the Crown, for the purposes of implementing the Perth Agreement in Jersey law, as the Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Jersey. Legislation in the Isle of Man also defines the Crown in right of the Isle of Man as being separate from the Crown in right of the United Kingdom and this constitutional concept is also worded as the Crown in right of the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The reserve powers of the Crown for each territory are no longer considered to be exercisable on the advice of the UK government, often cases are brought by the Crown according to the complaint of a claimant. The title of the case follows the pattern of R v Y. Thus R v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is R v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, where Miller is Gina Miller, in Scotland, criminal prosecutions are undertaken by the Lord Advocate in the name of the Crown
5.
Monarchy of Canada
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The Monarchy of Canada is at the very core of both Canadas federal structure and Westminster-style of parliamentary and constitutional democracy. The monarchy is the foundation of the executive, legislature, and judiciary in the federal, the Canadian sovereign is the personification of the Canadian state and, as a matter of constitutional law, is Canada. The current Canadian monarch, since 6 February 1952, is Queen Elizabeth II, as such, Elizabeths son, Prince Charles, is heir apparent. Although the person of the sovereign is shared with 15 other independent countries within the Commonwealth of Nations, each countrys monarchy is separate. However, the Queen is the member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role. While some powers are only by the sovereign, most of the monarchs operational and ceremonial duties are exercised by his or her representative. In each of Canadas provinces, the monarch is represented by a lieutenant governor, as the territories are not sovereign, they do not have a viceroy. As all executive authority is vested in the sovereign, their assent is required to allow for bills to become law and for letters patent, Canada is one of the oldest continuing monarchies in the world. The emergence of this arrangement paralleled the fruition of Canadian nationalism following the end of the First World War and culminated in the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931. Upon a demise of the Crown, the late sovereigns heir immediately and automatically succeeds, without any need for confirmation or further ceremony, hence arises the phrase The King is dead. It is customary for the accession of the new monarch to be proclaimed by the governor general on behalf of the Privy Council. Following an appropriate period of mourning, the monarch is crowned in the United Kingdom in an ancient ritual. This is because, in law, the Crown never dies. After an individual ascends the throne, he or she continues to reign until death. The relationship between the Commonwealth realms is such that any change to the rules of succession to their respective crowns requires the consent of all the realms. Succession is governed by statutes, such as the Bill of Rights 1689, the Act of Settlement 1701, in 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated and any possible future descendants of his were excluded from the line of succession. As the Statute of Westminster 1931 disallowed the UK from legislating for Canada, including in relation to succession, the latter was deemed by the Cabinet in 1947 to be part of Canadian law, as is the Bill of Rights 1689, according to the Supreme Court of Canada. The Department of External Affairs included all succession-related laws in its list of acts within Canadian law, certain aspects of the succession rules have been challenged in the courts
6.
Elizabeth II
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Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
7.
Governor General of Canada
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The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, currently Queen Elizabeth II. The commission is for a period of time—known as serving at Her Majestys pleasure—though five years is the normal convention. Beginning in 1959, it has also been traditional to rotate between anglophone and francophone incumbents, once in office, the governor general maintains direct contact with the Queen, wherever she may be at the time. The office began in the 16th and 17th centuries with the Crown-appointed governors of the French colony of Canada followed by the British governors of Canada in the 18th and 19th centuries, subsequently, the office is, along with the Crown, the oldest continuous institution in Canada. Throughout this process of gradually increasing Canadian independence, the role of governor general took on additional responsibilities, finally, in 1947, King George VI issued letters patent allowing the viceroy to carry out almost all of the monarchs powers on his or her behalf. The current governor general is David Johnston, who has served since 1 October 2010, johnstons wife—who is thus the viceregal consort—is Sharon Johnston. The Government of Canada spells the title governor general without a hyphen, the Canadian media still often use the governor-general spelling. As governor is the noun in the title, it is pluralized, thus, governors general, moreover, both terms are capitalized when used in the formal title preceding an incumbents name. The position of general is mandated by both the Constitution Act,1867, and the letters patent issued in 1947 by King George VI. As such, on the recommendation of his or her Canadian prime minister and that individual is, from then until being sworn-in, referred to as the governor general-designate. Besides the administration of the oaths of office, there is no set formula for the swearing-in of a governor general-designate, the governor general will then give a speech, outlining whichever cause or causes he or she will champion during his or her time as viceroy. The incumbent will generally serve for at least five years, though this is only a convention. The prime minister may recommend to the Queen that the viceroy remain in her service for a longer period of time. A governor general may also resign, and two have died in office, the sovereign has unrestricted freedom of choice. We leave that to Her Majesty in all confidence, however, between 1867 and 1931, governors general were appointed by the monarch on the advice of the British Cabinet. Thereafter, in accordance with the Statute of Westminster 1931, the appointment was made by the sovereign with the direction of his or her Canadian ministers only. Until 1952, all governors general were also members of the Peerage or sons of peers. These viceroys spent a limited time in Canada, but their travel schedules were so extensive that they could learn more about Canada in five years than many Canadians in a lifetime
8.
Julie Payette
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Julie Payette, OC, CQ is a Canadian astronaut, engineer and administrator. Payette has completed two spaceflights, STS-96 and STS-127, logging more than 25 days in space and she served as Chief Astronaut for the CSA, and has served in other roles for both NASA and CSA, such as CAPCOM. In July 2013, Julie Payette was named Chief Operating Officer for the Montreal Science Centre in the Old Port of Montreal, in April 2014, she was appointed a Director of the National Bank of Canada. Payette was born in Montreal, Quebec and she attended elementary and secondary schools in Montreal. She also attended Collège Regina Assumpta for three years, in 1982 she completed an International Baccalaureate diploma at the United World College of the Atlantic in South Wales, United Kingdom. Between 1986 and 1988, Payette worked as an engineer for IBM Canadas Science Engineering division. From 1988 to 1990, as a student at the University of Toronto, she was involved in a high-performance computer architecture project. At the beginning of 1991, Payette joined the Communications and science department of the IBM Research Laboratory in Zürich, Switzerland, Payette was selected by the CSA as one of four astronauts from a field of 5,330 applicants in June 1992. After undergoing basic training in Canada, she worked as an advisor for the Mobile Servicing System. In preparation for an assignment, Payette obtained her commercial pilot licence. In April 1996, Payette was certified as a deep sea diving suit operator. Payette obtained her captaincy on the CT-114 Tutor military jet at Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw and she obtained her military instrument rating in 1997. Payette has logged more than 1,500 hours of flight time, Payette reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 to begin mission specialist training. After completing one year of training, she was assigned to work on issues for the Astronaut Office Robotics Branch. Payette completed the astronaut training in spring of 1998. Payette served as Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency from 2000 to 2007 and she also worked as CAPCOM at the Mission Control Center in Houston for several years, including the return to flight mission STS-114. She was lead CAPCOM during STS-121, Payette flew on Space Shuttle Discovery from May 27 to June 6,1999, as part of the crew of STS-96. During the mission, the performed the first manual docking of the Shuttle to the International Space Station
9.
Monarchy in the Canadian provinces
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The monarchy has been headed since 6 February 1952 by Queen Elizabeth II who as sovereign is shared equally with both the Commonwealth realms and the Canadian federal entity. She, her consort, and other members of the Canadian Royal Family undertake various public, however, the Queen is the only member of the Royal Family with any constitutional role. Royal Assent and the royal sign-manual are required to enact laws, letters patent, in all provinces, the monarchys roots lie in the British Crown, while in some, mostly in Eastern Canada, the French Crown also had influence. Over the centuries, the throughout the country has evolved to become a distinctly Canadian one. There is one monarch, but she acts in different rights, such is demonstrated when the sovereign takes on different legal personas in a case wherein a provincial government files a lawsuit against the federal and/or another provincial government. Also, as it was put in Attorney-General of Canada v. Higbie, When the Crown, in right of the Province, transfers land to the Crown, in right of the Dominion, what takes place is merely a change of administrative control. The Canadian Crown thus both remains above and links all of the jurisdictions in Confederation, it has been described as a divided crown. The arrangement provides that each of Canadas provinces are all sovereign of each other, the provincial Crown exists to safeguard the independence of each province. The system was set up as such by the Fathers of Confederation because they saw such a use of constitutional monarchy as a bulwark against any fracturing of the Canadian federation. In 1939, Sir Shuldham Redfern, then Secretary to the Governor General, said that, without a common allegiance to the Crown, the British North America Act,1867, was written so as to reflect the view of John A. That rule was never followed in Ontario and Quebec, though, in his ruling, which discovered a provincial guise of the Crown and thus further empowered the provinces, Watson stated, the Lieutenant Governor. Is as much a representative of Her Majesty, for all purposes of Provincial Government as the Governor General himself is, for all purposes of Dominion Government. The Lord Denning of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales ruled in 1982 that the Crown became separate and divisible and it was separate and divisible for each self-governing Dominion or province or territory. The Crown became the foundation of the principle in Canada. Funding of the Crowns operation in the provinces is split between the federal and provincial governments, the provincial coffers supply the relevant lieutenant governor for other expenses of office, travel costs, and the upkeep of official residences, amongst other necessities. The sovereign and other members of the Royal Family are only supported by tax dollars in the performance of their official duties, residents of the provinces do not pay any money to the royals, either as personal income or to support royal residences outside of the province. This is done in reciprocation to the sovereigns Coronation Oath, wherein he or she promises to govern the Peoples of, according to their respective laws and customs. There was in the 1970s some opposition to the oath by Parti Québécois members of the National Assembly of Quebec, the sovereign may still hold audience with the provincial premiers, however
10.
Lieutenant governor (Canada)
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Similar positions in Canadas three territories are termed Commissioners and are representatives of the federal government, however, not the monarch directly. In the Canadian context, there are numerous, and not mutually agreeable, various acts in the Canadian constitution and numerous provincial websites typically indicate Lieutenant Governor of, likely due to the primacy of those positions in their respective jurisdictions. However, The Canadian Style indicates Lieutenant-Governor, though lieutenant-governors when pluralized, the Guide to Canadian English Usage equivocates somewhat, indicating upper case only when used in and associated with a specific provincial lieutenant governor or name, not generally, and varied use. In French, the term is always hyphenated, also, as governor is the main noun in the title, it is the word that is pluralized, thus, it is lieutenant governors, rather than lieutenants governor. There have been two Black and several Aboriginal lieutenant governors, norman Kwong, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta from 2005 to 2010, was Chinese-Canadian and David Lam, the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia from 1988 to 1995, was Hong Kong-Canadian. Former Lieutenant Governor of Quebec Lise Thibault used a wheelchair, while David Onley, besides the administration of the oaths of office, there is no set formula for the swearing-in of a lieutenant governor-designate. The lieutenant governor then receives the insignia of the order or orders. A lieutenant governor may also resign and some have died in office, the office is the core of authority in a province. While they continue to be appointed by the general, the lieutenant governors are considered to be direct representatives of the sovereign. The Governor-in-Council of both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick are also tasked to appoint in the Queens name the judges of the courts of probate. The lieutenant governor alone is also mandated to summon the legislature. Beyond that, the viceroy carries out the other conventional parliamentary duties in the sovereigns stead, including reading the Speech From the Throne, if the governor general withholds the Queens assent, the sovereign may within two years disallow the bill, thereby annulling the law in question. R. Altogether, lieutenant governors had also withheld Royal Assent to bills 28 times, the last example of the former was, however, in 1945 and the latter in 1961. The provincial viceroys have been said to be, outside of Quebec, a focus of community ideals and he or she will host members of the Canadian Royal Family, as well as foreign royalty and heads of state, and is also tasked with fostering national unity and pride. In the exercise of duties, the lieutenant governors may sometimes receive advice from the Department of Canadian Heritage Ceremonial. During a provincial election, a lieutenant governor will curtail these public duties, further, the lieutenant governors present the Vice-Regal and Commissioners Commendation to individuals who offer their service—paid or volunteer—to the viceregal offices. As the personal representative of the monarch, a lieutenant governor follows only the sovereign in the order of precedence. Per the orders constitutions, the lieutenant governors, except for that of Quebec and they also upon installation automatically become a Knight or Dame of Justice and a Vice-Prior in Canada of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem
11.
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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Those in the council are accorded the use of an honorific style and post-nominal letters, as well as various signifiers of precedence. The quorum for Privy Council meetings is four, as its function is to provide the vehicle for advising the Crown, the members of the QPC are predominantly all living current and former ministers of the Crown. In addition, the justices of Canada and former governors general are appointed. To date, only Prime Minister Paul Martin advised that Parliamentary Secretaries be admitted to the QPC, I will in all things to be treated, debated and resolved in Privy Council, faithfully, honestly and truly declare my mind and my opinion. I shall keep secret all matters committed and revealed to me in this capacity, generally, in all things I shall do as a faithful and true servant ought to do for Her Majesty. Harper, on 15 October 2007, also advised Governor General Michaëlle Jean to appoint Jim Abbott, on occasion, a non-Canadian has been appointed to the QPC. For example, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was inducted during a visit to Canada on 29 December 1941. Privy councillors are entitled to the style The Honourable or, for the minister, chief justice, or certain other eminent individuals, The Right Honourable. These appointments ended under Lester Pearson, though the style remained in use, limited to only prime ministers. Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King had the Privy Council convene in 1947 to consent to the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Philip Mountbatten, as per the Royal Marriages Act 1772. The council has assembled in the presence of the sovereign on two occasions, First, at 10,00 am on Thanksgiving Monday of 1957, at the residence in Ottawa. Two years later, the QPC again met before the Queen in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the last formal meeting of the Privy Council was held in 1981 to give formal consent to the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Lady Diana Spencer. There, all gathered were informed of the Princes engagement, nodded their approval, Prince Charles was himself appointed to the council on 18 May 2014
12.
Prime Minister of Canada
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Canadian prime ministers are styled as The Right Honourable, a privilege maintained for life. The office and its functions are instead governed by constitutional conventions, the prime minister, along with the other ministers in cabinet, is appointed by the governor general on behalf of the monarch. There are no age or citizenship restrictions on the position of prime minister itself, while there is no legal requirement for the prime minister to be a member of parliament, for practical and political reasons the prime minister is expected to win a seat very promptly. However, in rare circumstances individuals who are not sitting members of the House of Commons have been appointed to the position of prime minister, two former prime ministers—Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott and Sir Mackenzie Bowell—served in the 1890s while members of the Senate. Both, in their roles as Government Leader in the Senate, succeeded prime ministers who had died in office—John A. Macdonald in 1891 and that convention has since evolved toward the appointment of an interim leader from the commons in such a scenario. Prime ministers who are not Members of Parliament upon their appointment have since been expected to seek election to the commons as soon as possible. For example, William Lyon Mackenzie King, after losing his seat in the 1925 federal election, Turner was the last serving prime minister to not hold a commons seat. The Canadian prime minister serves at Her Majestys pleasure, meaning the post does not have a fixed term, once appointed and sworn in by the governor general, the prime minister remains in office until he or she resigns, is dismissed, or dies. Following parliamentary dissolution, the prime minister must run in the general election if he or she wishes to maintain a seat in the House of Commons. Should the prime ministers party subsequently win a majority of seats in the House of Commons, if, however, an opposition party wins a majority of seats, the prime minister may resign or be dismissed by the governor general. This option was last entertained in 1925, however, the function of the prime minister has evolved with increasing power. Caucuses may choose to follow rules, though the decision would be made by recorded vote. Either the sovereign or his or her viceroy may therefore oppose the prime ministers will in extreme, for transportation, the prime minister is granted an armoured car and shared use of two official aircraft—a CC-150 Polaris for international flights and a Challenger 601 for domestic trips. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police also furnish constant personal security for the prime minister, all of the aforementioned is supplied by the Queen-in-Council through budgets approved by parliament, as is the prime ministers annual salary of CAD$170,400. Should a serving or former prime minister die, he or she is accorded a state funeral, John Thompson also died outside Canada, at Windsor Castle, where Queen Victoria permitted his lying-in-state before his body was returned to Canada for a state funeral in Halifax. In earlier years, it was traditional for the monarch to bestow a knighthood on newly appointed Canadian prime ministers. Accordingly, several carried the prefix Sir before their name, of the first eight premiers of Canada, the Canadian Heraldic Authority has granted former prime ministers an augmentation of honour on the personal coat of arms of those who pursued them. To date, former prime ministers Joe Clark, Pierre Trudeau, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, the written form of address for the prime minister should use his or her full parliamentary title, The Right Honourable, Prime Minister of Canada
13.
Justin Trudeau
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Justin Pierre James Trudeau PC MP is a Canadian politician. He is the 23rd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Liberal Party. The second youngest Prime Minister after Joe Clark, he is also, as the eldest son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, born in Ottawa, Trudeau attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and graduated from McGill University in 1994 and the University of British Columbia in 1998. He gained a public profile in October 2000, when he delivered a eulogy at his fathers state funeral. After graduating, he worked as a teacher in Vancouver, British Columbia and he completed one year of an engineering program at Montreals École Polytechnique before quitting in 2003. In 2005 he began a degree in environmental geography at McGill University. He used his profile to advocate for various causes and acted in the 2007 TV miniseries The Great War. Eight years after his fathers death, Trudeau entered politics, in the 2008 federal election, he was elected to represent the riding of Papineau in the House of Commons. In 2009, he was appointed the Liberal Partys critic for youth and multiculturalism, in 2011, he was appointed as critic for secondary education and youth and amateur sport. On Christmas Day, Justin Trudeau was born at 9,27 pm EST at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, like all Canadian hospitals at that time, Ottawa Civic Hospital barred husbands from the delivery room. The hospitals board of directors promptly ended the restriction following Margaret Trudeaus protests and many hospitals in the city. Trudeau is the child in Canadian history to be born to a prime minister in office. Trudeaus younger brothers Alexandre and Michel were the third and fourth, Trudeau is predominantly of Scottish, French Canadian, and English descent. His grandfathers were businessman Charles-Émile Trudeau and Scottish-born James Sinclair, who served as minister of fisheries in the cabinet of prime minister Louis St. Laurent. Trudeaus maternal great-grandfather Thomas Bernard was born in Makassar to an Anglo-Dutch colonial family and immigrated to Penticton, on April 14,1972, Trudeaus father and mother hosted a gala at the National Arts Centre, at which visiting U. S. president Richard M. Earlier that same day U. S. first lady Pat Nixon had come to see him in his nursery to deliver a gift, nixons White House audio tapes later revealed Nixon referred to that visit as wasting three days up there. That trip we needed like a hole in the head and his parents publicly announced their separation on May 27,1977, when Trudeau was five years old, with his father having custody. Eventually his parents came to an amicable joint-custody arrangement and learned to get quite well
14.
Cabinet of Canada
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The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada. For practical reasons, the Cabinet is informally referred to either in relation to the minister in charge of it or the number of ministries since Confederation. The current cabinet is the Trudeau Cabinet, which is part of the 29th Ministry, the interchangeable use of the terms cabinet and ministry is a subtle inaccuracy that can cause confusion. This body of ministers of the Crown is the Cabinet, which has come to be the council in the phrase Queen-in-Council, the prime minister thereafter heads the Cabinet. The governor general appoints to the Cabinet persons chosen by the prime minister—John A, throughout the 20th century, Cabinets had been expanding in size until the Cabinet chaired by Brian Mulroney, with a population of 40 ministers. Cabinet itself—or full Cabinet—is further divided into committees, other Cabinet committees include, Operations, Social Affairs, Economic Growth and Long-Term Prosperity, Foreign Affairs and Security, Environment and Energy Security. Each committee is chaired by a minister whose own portfolio normally intersects with the mandate of the committee he or she is chairing. The most important minister, following the premier, is the Minister of Finance, while other high-profile ministries include foreign affairs, industry, justice, there are also a few duties which must be specifically performed by, or bills that require assent by, the Queen. Public inquiries and Royal Commissions are also called through a Royal Warrant issued by the Queen or Governor-in-Council, all Cabinet meetings are held behind closed doors and the minutes are kept confidential for thirty years, Cabinet members being forbidden from discussing what transpires. Decisions made must be unanimous, though this occurs at the prime ministers direction. However, the Cabinets collective influence has been seen to be eclipsed by that of the prime minister alone, savoie quoted an anonymous minister from the Liberal Party as saying Cabinet had become a kind of focus group for the Prime Minister, while Simpson called cabinet a mini-sounding board. Coyne wrote in 2015, Cabinet does not matter and it does not govern, that is the job of the prime minister, and of the group of political staff he has around him, and of the bureaucracy beyond them. John Robson criticised the use of the ministers name to identify the Cabinet. Each party in Her Majestys Loyal Opposition creates a shadow cabinet, with each member thereof observing and critiquing one or more actual Cabinet portfolios and offering alternative policies. Its members are often, but not always, appointed to a Cabinet post should the leader of their party be called to form a government, the Liberal Party of Canada won the federal election of October 19,2015 with a majority of seats in the House of Commons. The Cabinet was sworn-in on November 4, with Justin Trudeau appointed as prime minister, initially, five members of Cabinet were appointed by orders-in-council on November 4 as ministers of state, but styled without the traditional of state in their titles. These were the Ministers of Science, Small Business and Tourism, Sport and Persons with Disabilities, Status of Women, Ministers are listed according to the Canadian order of precedence, Notes Reference to current cabinet ministers Cabinet Minister responsibilities
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29th Canadian Ministry
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The Twenty-Ninth Canadian Ministry is the combined Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Ministers that began governing Canada shortly before the opening of the 42nd Parliament. The original members were sworn in during a ceremony held at Rideau Hall on November 4,2015 and those who were not already members of the Queens Privy Council for Canada were sworn into the Privy Council in the same ceremony. The Cabinet currently consists of 30 members, including the prime minister, when the ministry was first sworn in, with fifteen men and fifteen women, it became the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history. List of Prime Ministers of Canada List of current Parliamentary Secretaries of Canada
16.
President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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In the Canadian cabinet, the President of The Queens Privy Council for Canada is nominally in charge of the Privy Council Office. It is the equivalent of the office of Lord President of the Council in the United Kingdom, under Prime Ministers Pierre Trudeau and Joe Clark the position was synonymous with that of Government House Leader. In 1989 the Government House Leader became a position and the President of the Privy Council became a largely honorary title given to a senior minister in addition to other portfolios. From 1993 it has regularly held by whoever holds the portfolio of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In the past decade the position has generally seen to be the closest thing to a sinecure posting within the Cabinet. The current President, Karina Gould, holds the position of Minister of Democratic Institutions
17.
Privy Council Office (Canada)
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It is located in the Langevin Block of the Parliament buildings. The Federal Government helps the Privy Council by constituting the premier levels of government in Canada, although the PCO has grown in size and complexity over the years, its main pillars remain the operations and plans secretariats. The former is concerned with coordinating the day-to-day issues of government while the latter takes a medium-term view to the evolution of the Canadian federation. Each incoming Prime Minister will re-organize the PCO to suit the policy agenda of his government, traditionally, the PCO has served as a finishing school for civil servants destined for executive positions within government. The head of the service has the title of Clerk of the Privy Council. The Privy Council Offices role is different from that of the Prime Ministers Office and it is understood that the Prime Minister should not receive advice from only one institutionalized source. To that end, the PCO serves as the policy-oriented but politically-sensitive advisory unit to the Prime Minister, while the PMO is politically-oriented but policy-sensitive
18.
Public Service of Canada
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The Public Service of Canada is the civil service of the Government of Canada. Its function is to serve as the staff of the Canadian Crown, the head of the Public Service of Canada is the Clerk of the Privy Council and he or she is Canadas senior serving civil servant. The Public Service is divided into various administrative units such as departments, agencies, commissions, Crown corporations. Over 40% of the Public Service of Canada is located in the National Capital Region, the Public Service of Canada is the countrys single largest employer. The purpose of the Public Service of Canada is to serve the constitutional democratic Canadian state, as is suggested by referring to the Public Service of Canada as part of the executive branch, its fundamental purpose is to execute or carry out state decisions. The decisions of the state take various forms and are taken in various ways, the most fundamental decisions of the state are those expressed in the constitution. Altering these decisions often requires the participation of multiple Canadian legislative assemblies and it is the duty of the executive branch, including the public service, to execute or carry out the constitution—that is, to act in ways that are consistent with it. The state also takes decisions through its legislatures, federal and provincial, the federal legislature of the Canadian state is Parliament, consisting of the Senate, the House of Commons and Her Majesty the Queen as head of state. When Parliament takes a decision, the result is generally a statute, the duty of the executive branch of the state, including the public service, is to execute or carry out the decisions that the state has taken by way of statutes. A third way the state takes decisions is through the enactment of subordinate or delegated legislation, statutes can and often do delegate to someone other than Parliament the power to make a subordinate form of legislation, generally referred to as regulations. The public service, as the arm of the state. In addition to the role of carrying out decisions taken by the state. In carrying out this forward-looking or planning role, the executive develops proposals relevant to each level of state decision, the public service supports the executive in this planning role and this role also is service to the Canadian state. In 2007, there were approximately 200 departments, agencies, commissions, boards, councils, in a typical department, it is the minister who holds the respective portfolio who has overall responsibility for the management and direction of the department. The deputy minister is the head of the department and is its senior serving civil servant, however, it is always the respective minister who is held accountable to parliament for its operations. A variety of associate and assistant deputy ministers head the various sections of responsibility within a department, under Directors-General are Directors, who oversee various directorates, which are the core of any department. These directorates constitute the level in each department, and are the members of the civil service who implement state decisions, carry out research. Hiring of civil service employees is typically done through a process that is either open to employees of the Public Service only or open to the general public
19.
Legislature
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A legislature is a deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. Legislatures form important parts of most governments, in the separation of model, they are often contrasted with the executive. Laws enacted by legislatures are known as legislation, legislatures observe and steer governing actions and usually have exclusive authority to amend the budget or budgets involved in the process. The members of a legislature are called legislators, each chamber of legislature consists of a number of legislators who use some form of parliamentary procedure to debate political issues and vote on proposed legislation. There must be a number of legislators present to carry out these activities. Some of the responsibilities of a legislature, such as giving first consideration to newly proposed legislation, are delegated to committees made up of small selections of the legislators. The members of a legislature usually represent different political parties, the members from each party generally meet as a caucus to organize their internal affairs, the internal organization of a legislature is also shaped by the informal norms that are shared by its members. Legislatures vary widely in the amount of power they wield, compared to other political players such as judiciaries, militaries. In 2009, political scientists M. Steven Fish and Matthew Kroenig constructed a Parliamentary Powers Index in an attempt to quantify the different degrees of power among national legislatures, such a system renders the legislature more powerful. Legislatures will sometime delegate their legislative power to administrative or executive agencies, legislatures are made up of individual members, known as legislators, who vote on proposed laws. For example, a legislature that has 100 seats has 100 members, by extension, an electoral district that elects a single legislator can also be described as a seat, as, for, example, in the phrases safe seat and marginal seat. In parliamentary systems of government, the executive is responsible to the legislature which may remove it with a vote of no confidence, names for national legislatures include parliament, congress, diet and assembly. A legislature which operates as a unit is unicameral, one divided into two chambers is bicameral, and one divided into three chambers is tricameral. In bicameral legislatures, one chamber is considered the upper house. In federations, the upper house typically represents the component states. This is a case with the legislature of the European Union. Tricameral legislatures are rare, the Massachusetts Governors Council still exists, tetracameral legislatures no longer exist, but they were previously used in Scandinavia. Legislatures vary widely in their size, among national legislatures, Chinas National Peoples Congress is the largest with 2987 members, while Vatican Citys Pontifical Commission is the smallest with 7
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Parliament of Canada
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The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa, Ontario. The body consists of the Canadian monarch, represented by a viceroy, the general, an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house. Each element has its own officers and organization, by constitutional convention, the House of Commons is the dominant branch of parliament, the Senate and Crown rarely opposing its will. The Senate reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint and the monarch or viceroy provides the necessary Royal Assent to make bills into law. The governor general also summons parliament, while either the viceroy or monarch can prorogue or dissolve parliament, either will read the Throne Speech. The most recent parliament, summoned by Governor General David Johnston in 2015, is the 42nd since Confederation in 1867, the Parliament of Canada is composed of three parts, the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons. Each has a role, but work in conjunction within the legislative process. Only those who sit in the House of Commons are called members of parliament, though legislatively less powerful, senators take higher positions in the national order of precedence. No individual may serve in more than one chamber of parliament at the same time, the sovereigns place in the legislature, formally called the Queen-in-Parliament, is defined by the Constitution Act,1867, and various conventions. All federal bills begin with the phrase Now, therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada. And, as such, the Crown is immune from acts of parliament unless expressed otherwise in the act itself. As both the monarch and his or her representatives are traditionally barred from the House of Commons, any parliamentary ceremonies in which they are involved take place in the Senate chamber. The upper and lower houses do, however, each contain a mace, which indicate the authority of the Queen-in-Parliament, following the burning of the Centre Block on 3 February 1916, the City of London, England, donated a replacement, which is still used today. The temporary mace, made of wood, and used until the new one arrived from the United Kingdom in 1917, is carried into the Senate each 3 February. The Senates 1. 6-metre-long mace comprises brass and gold, senators served for life until 1965, when a constitutional amendment imposed a mandatory retirement age of 75. Senators may, however, resign their seats prior to that mark, the Senate is divided equally amongst four geographic regions,24 for Ontario,24 for Quebec,24 for the Maritimes, and 24 for the Western provinces. Newfoundland and Labrador, which became a Canadian province in 1949, is represented by six senators, further, Canadas three territories—the Northwest Territories, Yukon, and Nunavut—are allocated one senator each. The elected component of the Canadian parliament is the House of Commons, with each member chosen by a plurality of voters in each of the countrys federal electoral districts
21.
Senate of Canada
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The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons and the Monarch. The Senate is modelled after the British House of Lords and consists of 105 members appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister, Senators may serve until they reach the age of 75. The Senate is the house of Parliament and the House of Commons is the lower house. As a matter of practice and custom, the Commons is the dominant chamber, the approval of both chambers is necessary for legislation and, thus, the Senate can reject bills passed by the Commons. Between 1867 and 1987, the Senate rejected fewer than two bills per year, but this has increased in recent years. Moreover, members of the Cabinet are responsible solely to the House of Commons, while the prime minister and the rest of Cabinet remain in office only while they retain the confidence of the Commons, Senators are not beholden to such control. The Senate of Canada and the House of Commons of Canada sit in separate chambers in the Centre Block on Parliament Hill, located in Ottawa, Ontario. The chamber in which the Senate sits is called the red chamber, due to the red cloth that adorns the chamber. The red Senate chamber is decorated, in contrast with the more modest. There are chairs and desks on both sides of the chamber, divided by a centre aisle, the Speakers chair is at one end of the chamber, in front of it is the Clerks table. Various clerks sit at the table, ready to advise the Speaker, Members of the governing party sit on the benches to the Speakers right, while members of the Opposition occupy the benches on the Speakers left. The seat has the coat of arms of the Princess Louise The first two seats are vacant but present during the sitting of the Senate. The Speaker of the Senate uses the third seat with the Arms of Canada and this seat is removed during the throne speech. At either end of the chamber, on the floor, are the visitors galleries. The north gallerys lower seating area, or tribune, is reserved for journalists, the Governor General holds the power to make normal senatorial appointments, although, in modern practice, they make appointments only on the advice of the prime minister. A prime minister normally chooses members of his or her own party to be Senators, in practice, a large number of the members of the Senate are ex-Cabinet ministers, ex-provincial premiers, and other eminent people. The first Aboriginal senator was James Gladstone, who sat as an Independent Conservative, under the constitution, each province or territory is entitled to a specific number of Senate seats. The constitution divides Canada into four areas, each with an number of senators,24 for Ontario,24 for Quebec,24 for the Maritime provinces
22.
Speaker of the Senate of Canada
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The Speaker of the Senate of Canada is the presiding officer of the Senate of Canada. The Speaker represents the Senate at official functions, rules on questions of procedure and parliamentary privilege. The current Speaker is George Furey who assumed office upon nomination by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on December 3,2015, replace Leo Housakos. The Speaker of the Senate is appointed by the Governor General of Canada, on behalf of the Canadian Monarch, by convention, however, this advice is generally expressed exclusively by the Prime Minister of Canada. The role of the Speaker in the Senate was originally based on that of the Lord Chancellor in the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the Senate was also similar to the Lord Chancellor in being considered equal to other Senators. Decisions of the chair were not binding on the Senate unless the Speakers decision was also the pleasure of a majority of Senators, also similar to the practice of the Lords was that the Speaker would not intervene unless another Senator brought the matter to the attention of the Speaker. Decisions from the chair remain subject to appeals from the Senate, Canada has more recently departed from the traditions of the House of Lords, notably since 1991, when new rules for the Senate were adopted. The new Standing Orders have made it clear that the Speaker of the Senate could intervene without being called to do so by the Senate. The new Guidelines move the Senate further from the model of the practices of the House of Lords. The position was preceded by the Speaker of the Speaker of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada, the Speaker of the Senate is historically responsible for deciding on points of order, only once risen by another Senator. Therefore, the Speaker is, broadly speaking, responsible for the maintenance of order and they are expected to represent Canada internationally, and sometimes visit other nations on behalf of the Government of Canada. While the Speaker is an officer of the Senate, the Speaker as Senator also remains a representative of the Province from which he or she was appointed. Unlike the Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, the Speaker of the Senate of Canada has the right to participate in debates on behalf of the citizens of their Province or Territory. The Speaker has the right and power to cast an original vote, the Speaker of the Senate holds no similar role, as the Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets, and Administration is chaired by another Senator. In the absence of the Speaker in the Red Chamber, his duties are carried by the Speaker pro tempore, should both chair officers be absent, any Senator can be called upon to take the chair. Irrespective of who is in the chair, their decisions hold the force as that of the Speaker of the Senate of Canada. The Speaker of the Senate performs the Senate Speakers Parade to mark the opening of a sitting in the Senate with the help of the Black Rod, key, Hays, Kinsella and Housakos are the only current living former Speakers of the Senate
23.
Leader of the Government in the Senate (Canada)
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The representative is appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada. The position replaces the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the old position had almost always been held by a cabinet minister, except briefly in 1926, from 1958–63 and since 2013. The situation has created uncertainty about how the Senate will function. Retired civil servant Peter Harder was named to the position on March 18,2016, the government leaders counterpart on the Opposition benches is the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, who continues to be a member of the opposition political party. Early Canadian cabinets included several senators who would be answerable to the Senate for government actions, in the nineteenth century, it was not considered unusual for a senator to be Prime Minister. Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott and Sir Mackenzie Bowell served as minister from the Senate. Abbott and Bowell both found it difficult to lead the government from the Senate, however, and over time, today, it is rare for senators to occupy prominent positions in cabinet. From 1935 on, it was typical for a cabinet to have only one senator who would have the position of minister without portfolio alongside the position of leader of the government in the Senate. In 1968, the position of leader of the government in the Senate became a cabinet position in its own right with the appointment of Paul Martin. From July 2013, under prime minister Stephen Harper, the government leader in the Senate was again a non-cabinet minister, the government side in the Senate is the party that forms the government in the Canadian House of Commons. This means that the government party in the Senate may have fewer seats than the opposition, key, Notes Parliament of Canada biography of current Leader of the Government in the Senate Leader of the Opposition in the Senate
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Leader of the Opposition in the Senate (Canada)
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In Canada, the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Senate is the leader of the largest party in the Senate not in government. Thus, the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate may lead more Senators than the Leader of the Government in the Senate. Since, normally senators have longer tenure than MPs, this is often the case following a change in government. The Leader of the Opposition in the Senate is not necessarily from the party as the opposition in the House of Commons. From 1993 until 2003 the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate was a Progressive Conservative despite the fact the Progressive Conservatives were not the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, the Official Opposition in the Commons, did not have Senate representation. There are no set rules governing the manner in which the position is filled from within caucuses, Senator Jacques Flynn was unopposed in 1967 after being encouraged to seek the position by the then national leader Robert Stanfield. However, Senators John Lynch Staunton in 1993 and Noël Kinsella in 2004 were elected by their colleagues over other contenders, in a November 10,2015 Canadian Press story, Senator Claude Carignan referenced his election to the position of Senate Opposition Leader. The traditional practice of the Liberal party in opposition had been for their leader to select their leader in the Senate. When the Senate met in the afternoon, the first order of business was a discussion of that status of the Liberal Senators, accordingly, I will continue to serve as Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Senator Fraser was similarly elected to serve as deputy leader, Senator Munson as our caucus whip, as well, Senator Mitchell will continue as chair of our caucus. parl. gc. ca/About/Senate/Factsheets/leadership-e. htm
25.
Canadian Senate divisions
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Canadian Senate divisions refers to two aspects of the Canadian Senate. The four regions are the Western Provinces, Ontario, Quebec, while not within any of the original four Senate divisions, Senate seats are also allocated to Newfoundland and Labrador and the three territories. The four divisions can be expanded when the need arises to have an extra two senators appointed to regional division. Second, it refers to divisions within a province represented by senators from the Canadian Senate, under the Constitution, only Quebec has official Senate divisions for each of the senatorial designations within the province. In all other provinces, Senators are appointed to represent the province as a whole and these senate divisions have no specific geographic boundaries though their names often give a reference to a general geographic area. However a senator will sometimes create boundaries for their senate division even though it has no legal status, while relatively rare, a senator outside of Quebec can change his or her division in the same manner as party affiliation, simply by notifying the Clerk of the Senate. Unlike the House of Commons, seats in the Canadian Senate are not based upon any population measure or adjusted by population. Rather, they are fixed under the Constitution Act 1867, or are established upon the appointment of a senator, the Constitution also provides that a province cannot have fewer seats in the House of Commons than it has in the Senate. There are currently 105 seats in the Canadian Senate, seats are divided among provinces and territories and can only change with constitutional amendment, or a constitutional provision that allows seats to change based on certain conditions. Beyond the constitutional allotment of seats per province, the seats are grouped into four regions of 24 seats. Provisions under section 26 of the Constitution Act exist to add up to two seats per region, with no more than 113 members allowed to sit in the Senate. Senators have the constitutional provisions to offer services as members of the House of Commons. This includes a rarely used provision to maintain a constituency office, three senators currently have such offices. Two of the three have not designated themselves to a specific divisions, but to represent their province as a whole, while constituency offices are rare, all senators maintain an office on Parliament Hill. Note,1870 The Manitoba Act,1870 allows for two Senate seats with an expansion up to four adding seats at 50,000 and 75,000 population. 1871 The British Columbia terms of Union,1871 provides three seats for British Columbia 1873 Under the Prince Edward Terms of Union 1873 Prince Edward Island was given four seats, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia lost two seats to decrease when the first two senators leave office. 1873 New Brunswick Senator William Steeves dies, dropping New Brunswick to 11 seats 1873 Nova Scotia Senator John Locke dies,1882 Manitoba reaches the population requirements for its third seat, it gained its fourth in 1889. 1903 Northwest Territories granted 2 additional seats,1905 Saskatchewan and Alberta are created from the Northwest Territories with 4 seats each, under the Saskatchewan and Alberta Acts Northwest Territories loses 4 seats
26.
House of Commons of Canada
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The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons chamber is located in the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, the House of Commons is a democratically elected body whose members are known as Members of Parliament. There were 308 members in the last Parliament, but that number has risen to 338 following the election on Monday October 19,2015, Members are elected by simple plurality in each of the countrys electoral districts, which are colloquially known as ridings. MPs may hold office until Parliament is dissolved and serve for constitutionally limited terms of up to five years after an election, historically however, terms have ended before their expiry and the sitting government has typically dissolved parliament within four years of an election according to a long-standing convention. In any case, an Act of Parliament now limits each term to four years, seats in the House of Commons are distributed roughly in proportion to the population of each province and territory. However, some ridings are more populous than others, and the Canadian constitution contains some provisions regarding provincial representation. As a result, there is some interprovincial and regional malapportionment relative to population, the lower of the two houses making up the parliament, the House of Commons in practice holds far more power than the upper house, the Senate. Although the approval of both Houses is necessary for legislation, the Senate very rarely rejects bills passed by the Commons, moreover, the Government of Canada is responsible solely to the House of Commons. The Prime Minister stays in office only as long as he or she retains the support, or confidence, the term derives from the Anglo-Norman word communes, referring to the geographic and collective communities of their parliamentary representatives and not the third estate, the commonality. This distinction is clear in the official French name of the body. Canada and the United Kingdom remain the only countries to use the name House of Commons for a house of parliament. The new Parliament of Canada consisted of the Queen, the Senate, the Parliament of Canada was based on the Westminster model. Unlike the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the powers of the Parliament of Canada were limited in that other powers were assigned exclusively to the provincial legislatures, the Parliament of Canada also remained subordinate to the British Parliament, the supreme legislative authority for the entire British Empire. Greater autonomy was granted by the Statute of Westminster 1931, after which new Acts of the British Parliament did not apply to Canada and these exceptions were removed by the Canada Act 1982. From 1867, the Commons met in the chamber until that was destroyed by fire in 1916. It relocated to the amphitheatre of the Victoria Memorial Museum—what is today the Canadian Museum of Nature, since then, the Commons has sat in its current chamber. The House of Commons comprises 338 members, each of whom represents a electoral district. The constitution specifies a minimum of 295 electoral districts
27.
Speaker of the House of Commons (Canada)
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The Speakers role in presiding over Canadas House of Commons is similar to that of speakers elsewhere in other countries that use the Westminster system. The current Speaker is Geoff Regan, the Speaker with the longest tenure is Peter Milliken who served four consecutive parliaments in 10 years,124 days. In Canada it is the Speakers responsibility to manage the House of Commons and it is also the Speakers duty to act as a liaison with the Senate and the Crown. He is to rule over the house and have the government answer questions during the period as well as keep decorum with the house. The term Speaker originates from the British parliamentary tradition, by convention, Speakers are normally addressed in Parliament as Mister Speaker, for a male, and Madame Speaker, for a female. While the Constitution requires that the Speaker be elected by the House of Commons, however, in 1986 this was changed and they are now selected by secret ballot. The Speaker remains a sitting MP, but only votes on matters in the case of a tie, all MPs except for Cabinet ministers and party leaders are eligible to run for the Speakership. Any MP who does not wish to put his or her name forward must issue a letter withdrawing from the ballot by the day before the vote. The election is presided over by the Dean of the House, currently Louis Plamondon, all candidates who receive less than 5% of the vote are removed from the ballot. If no candidate received less than 5% of the then the MP with the fewest vote drops off. This continues, with a break between ballots, until one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. In the event of a tie on the ballot, the ballot is taken again. This happened once, in 1993, when Gilbert Parent won over Jean-Robert Gauthier, the winner is escorted to the Speakers chair by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Official Opposition. Scheer was the youngest Speaker in Canadian history, on December 2,2015, Geoff Regan was elected Speaker in a secret ballot by members of the 42nd Parliament over Liberal candidates Denis Paradis, Yasmin Ratansi and Conservative Bruce Stanton. Regan won on the first ballot and is the first speaker from Atlantic Canada in over a hundred years, the Speaker usually comes from among MPs of the governing party. In the 39th Parliament, three members, Peter Milliken, Diane Marleau and Marcel Proulx, ran for Speaker. So far, every Speaker from a party has been a Liberal. The Speaker is required to perform his or her office impartially, Speaker Lucien Lamoureux decided to follow the custom of the Speaker of the British House of Commons and ran in the 1968 election as an independent
28.
Official Opposition (Canada)
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This is usually the second-largest party in a legislative house, although, in certain unusual circumstances, it may be a third or fourth party or even the largest party. The Official Opposition is viewed as the caucus tasked with keeping the government in check and it is also generally viewed as the alternative government or government in waiting. The spokesperson for each portfolio is known as an opposition critic, thus, in the event the government loses the confidence of the House or the Official Opposition party wins a general election, the party is ready to become the government. The Official Opposition is styled as Loyal Opposition to demonstrate that, although the group may be against the government, it remains loyal to the Crown. The Leader of the Opposition has a residence in Ottawa known as Stornoway. Additionally, the Leader and other cabinet members have the privilege of meeting with visiting foreign dignitaries. The Official Opposition party has advantages over other parties in the House. They are assigned to speak first after the government, and receive time in question period than other opposition parties. It also gets more space, funding for research. The third-place Conservative Party, led by Arthur Meighen, thus became the Official Opposition, as a result of the 1925 election, the Official Opposition was actually the largest party in the House of Commons, the Conservatives. The Ontario Liberal Party, the second largest party, governed from 1985 to 1987 with supply provided by the Ontario New Democratic Party, in 1993, the Reform Party challenged whether the Quebec sovereigntist Bloc Québécois could hold the position of official opposition. The Speaker ruled in favour of the Bloc, as they held two more seats than Reform, during the Blocs time as the official opposition, Quebec issues on national unity dominated Question Period, often to the irritation of the other opposition parties. However, Reform was considered to be opposition to the Liberals on all other issues that were not specific to Quebec. In 1987, the Liberals won every seat in the 51st New Brunswick Legislative Assembly, to ensure the proper functioning of the parliamentary system, Premier Frank McKenna named several members of his own caucus, led by Camille Thériault, to serve as the Official Opposition. Since November 2015 the Official Opposition is the Conservative Party, there is also an Official Opposition in the Canadian Senate. This is the largest party in the Senate that is not in government, as the governing party is determined in the House of Commons, the Official Opposition in the Senate may actually be larger than the government party in the Senate. It is customary, however, for the Senate to pass legislation approved in the House of Commons even if the government has a minority in the Senate, although the Senate nominally has the power to block most legislation, this power is rarely exercised in practice. The party that forms Official Opposition in the Senate is not necessarily the same party as in the House of Commons and this is because the BQ, and Reform Party had no Senators
29.
Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (Canada)
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Members of the official opposition are generally referred to as opposition critics, but the term Shadow Minister is also used. It is led by Rona Ambrose, who was selected as leader of the Conservative Party on November 5,2015. There are currently 30 Senior members of the Shadow Cabinet,17 are men,13 are women
30.
Judiciary
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The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes, in some nations, under doctrines of separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law or enforce law, but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. In other nations, the judiciary can make law, known as Common Law, by setting precedent for other judges to follow, the Judiciary is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under law. In many jurisdictions the judicial branch has the power to change laws through the process of judicial review, Judges constitute a critical force for interpretation and implementation of a constitution, thus de facto in common law countries creating the body of constitutional law. Budget of the judiciary in many transitional and developing countries is almost completely controlled by the executive, the latter undermines the separation of powers, as it creates a critical financial dependence of the judiciary. The proper national wealth distribution including the government spending on the judiciary is subject of the constitutional economics and it is important to distinguish between the two methods of corruption of the judiciary, the state, and the private. For instance, in France, the jurisprudence constante of the Court of Cassation or the Council of State is equivalent in practice with case law, in common law jurisdictions, courts interpret law, this includes constitutions, statutes, and regulations. They also make law based upon prior case law in areas where the legislature has not made law, for instance, the tort of negligence is not derived from statute law in most common law jurisdictions. The term common law refers to this kind of law, in civil law jurisdictions, courts interpret the law, but are prohibited from creating law, and thus do not issue rulings more general than the actual case to be judged. Jurisprudence plays a role to case law. State courts, which try 98% of litigation, may have different names and organization, trial courts may be called courts of common plea, appellate courts superior courts or commonwealth courts. The judicial system, whether state or federal, begins with a court of first instance, is appealed to an appellate court, and then ends at the court of last resort. In France, the authority on the interpretation of the law is the Council of State for administrative cases. In the Peoples Republic of China, the authority on the interpretation of the law is the National Peoples Congress. Other countries such as Argentina have mixed systems that include lower courts, appeals courts, a cassation court, in this system the Supreme Court is always the final authority, but criminal cases have four stages, one more than civil law does. On the court sits a total of nine justices and this number has been changed several times. Japans process for selecting judges is longer and more stringent than the process in the United States, assistant judges are appointed from those who have completed their training at the Legal Training and Research Institute located in Wako. Once appointed, assistant judges still may not qualify to sit alone until they have served for five years, Judges require ten years of experience in practical affairs, as a public prosecutor or practicing attorney
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Court system of Canada
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Some of the courts are federal in nature while others are provincial or territorial. The Canadian constitution gives the government the exclusive right to legislate criminal law while the provinces have exclusive control over civil law. The provinces have jurisdiction over the administration of justice in their territory, almost all cases, whether criminal or civil, start in provincial courts and may be eventually appealed to higher level courts. The federal government appoints and pays for both the judges of the courts and the judges of the superior and appellate level courts of each province. The provincial governments are responsible for appointing judges of the provincial courts. Provincial administrative tribunals also comprise part of provincial courts and this intricate interweaving of federal and provincial powers is typical of the Canadian constitution. Very generally speaking, Canadas court system is a four-level hierarchy as shown below from highest to lowest in terms of legal authority. Each court is bound by the rulings of the courts above them, however, Civil courts in Quebec, in particular, are under no obligation to apply judicial precedent—the principle of stare decisis—which is the general rule elsewhere in Canada. This is because Quebecs civil law is codified, while civil law in the other nine provinces grew out of the English common law. There are two terms used in describing the Canadian court structure which can be confusing, and clear definitions are useful at the outset, the first is the term provincial court, which has two quite different meanings, depending on context. 92 of the Constitution Act,1867 and this head of power gives the Provinces the power to regulate. The Constitution, Maintenance, and Organization of Provincial Courts, both of Civil and of Criminal Jurisdiction, and including Procedure in Civil Matters in those Courts. All courts created by a Province, from the claims court or municipal by-law court. However, there is a limited meaning to the term. The Provincial Court of a province may also have a limited civil jurisdiction, over small claims. The exact scope of the jurisdiction of a Provincial Court will depend on the laws enacted by the particular province, Provincial Courts in this sense are courts of limited statutory jurisdiction, sometimes referred to as inferior courts. To distinguish between the two meanings of the term, capitalization is used, a reference to a provincial court normally is a reference to the broad meaning of the term, any court created by the Province. A reference to Provincial Court normally is referring to the court of limited statutory jurisdiction
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Supreme Court of Canada
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The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada, the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system. The court grants permission to between 40 and 75 litigants each year to appeal decisions rendered by provincial, territorial and federal appellate courts, the creation of the court was provided for by the British North America Act,1867, renamed in 1982 the Constitution Act,1867. The first bills for the creation of a supreme court, introduced in the Parliament of Canada in 1869. It was not until 8 April 1875 that a bill was passed providing for the creation of a Supreme Court of Canada. Prior to 1949, however, the Supreme Court did not constitute the court of last resort, as well, some cases could bypass the court and go directly to the Judicial Committee from the provincial courts of appeal. The Supreme Court of Canada formally became the Court of last resort for criminal appeals in 1933, the last decisions of the Judicial Committee on cases from Canada were made in the mid-1950s, as a result of their being heard in a court of first instance prior to 1949. The increase in the importance of the court was mirrored by the numbers of its members, the court was established first with six judges, and these were augmented by an additional member in 1927. It was in 1949 that the bench reached its current composition, prior to 1949, most of the appointees to the Supreme Court of Canada owed their position to political patronage. Each judge had strong ties to the party in power at the time of their appointment, in 1973, the appointment of a constitutional law professor, Bora Laskin, as chief justice represented a major turning point for the court. Increasingly in this period, appointees either came from backgrounds or were well-respected practitioners with several years experience in appellate courts. Laskins federalist and liberal views were shared by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, the evolution from the Dickson court through to the Lamer court witnessed a continuing vigour in the protection of civil liberties. Lamers criminal law background proved an influence on the number of cases heard by the court during his time as chief justice. Nonetheless, the Lamer court was more conservative with charter rights, the appointment of Beverly McLachlin as chief justice in 2000 has resulted in a more centrist and unified court. Dissenting and concurring opinions are fewer than during the Dickson and Lamer Courts, with the 2005 appointments of Justices Louise Charron and Rosalie Abella, the court became the worlds most gender-balanced national high court, four of its nine members being female. Justice Marie Deschamps retirement on 7 August 2012 caused the number to fall to three, the appointment of Suzanne Côté on 1 December 2014 restored the number of female justices to four. At the next level are the provinces and territories superior courts, judgments from the superior courts may be appealed to a still higher level, the provincial or territorial courts of appeal. Several federal courts also exist, the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal, unlike the provincial superior courts, which exercise inherent or general jurisdiction, the federal courts jurisdiction is limited by statute. In all there are over 1,000 federally appointed judges at various levels across Canada, the Supreme Court of Canada rests at the apex of the judicial pyramid
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Chief Justice of Canada
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The Chief Justice of Canada is the presiding judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor General-in-Council, who appoints the other eight puisne judges of the court. The Chief Justice is appointed by the Governor General-in-Council under the Supreme Court Act, on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada. The appointment is subject to the Supreme Court Act, which governs the administration, judges appointed to the court must be a judge of a superior court of a province or a barrister or advocate of at least ten years standing at the bar of a province. Tradition dictates that the Chief Justice is appointed from a judge appointed to the court. The Chief Justice is sworn as a member of the Queens Privy Council for Canada prior to taking the oath of office as Chief Justice, the Chief Justices central duty is to preside at hearings before the Supreme Court. The Chief Justice presides from the centre chair, if the Chief Justice is absent, the senior puisne judge presides. The Chief Justice chairs the Canadian Judicial Council, which is composed of all chief justices, the Chief Justice also sits on the advisory council of Canadas highest civilian order, the Order of Canada. Under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, each province has a three-person commission responsible for modifying that provinces federal ridings. This has happened twice in the past, with Chief Justices Robert Taschereau, in 2005, Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin was Administrator of Canada when then-Governor General, the Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson, was hospitalized when she had a pacemaker installed. The current Chief Justice is The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, PC, a graduate of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law, she has also practised law with various firms and taught law at the University of British Columbia. She was born in Pincher Creek, Alberta, in 1943
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Constitution of Canada
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The Constitution of Canada is the supreme law in Canada, the countrys constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and uncodified traditions and conventions. It is one of the oldest working constitutions in the world, the constitution outlines Canadas system of government, as well as the civil rights of all Canadian citizens and those in Canada. Canadian constitutional law relates to the interpretation and application of the constitution, the Supreme Court of Canada held that the list is not exhaustive and includes a number of pre-confederation acts and unwritten components as well. See list of Canadian constitutional documents for details, the first semblance of a constitution for Canada was the Royal Proclamation of 1763. The act renamed the portion of the former French province of New France as Province of Quebec. The Treaty of Paris of 1783 ended the American War of Independence and sent a wave of British loyalist refugees northward to Quebec, the winter of 1837–38 saw rebellion in both of the Canadas, with the result they were rejoined as the Province of Canada in 1841. This was reversed by the British North America Act in 1867 which established the Dominion of Canada. Initially, on 1 July 1867, there were four provinces in confederation as One dominion under the name of Canada, Canada West, Canada East, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. Title to the Northwest Territories was transferred by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1870, British Columbia joined confederation in 1871, followed by Prince Edward Island in 1873. The Yukon Territory was created by Parliament in 1898, followed by Alberta, the Dominion of Newfoundland, Britains oldest colony in the Americas, joined Canada as a province in 1949. An Imperial Conference in 1926 that included the leaders of all Dominions and representatives from India, Newfoundland never ratified the statute, so it was still subject to imperial authority when its entire system of government and economy collapsed in the mid-1930s. Canada did ratify the statute, but had requested an exception because the Canadian federal and provincial governments could not agree on a formula for the Canadian constitution. It would be another 50 years before this was achieved, in the interim, the British parliament periodically passed enabling acts with respect to amendments to Canadas constitution, this was never anything but a rubber stamp. In a formal ceremony on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed both acts as law on 17 April 1982, Constitution Act,1982, included the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Prior to the charter, there were various statutes which protected an assortment of civil rights and obligations, the charter has thus placed a strong focus upon individual and collective rights of the people of Canada. Enactment of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms has also fundamentally changed much of Canadian constitutional law, the act also codified many previously oral constitutional conventions and made amendment of the constitution significantly more difficult. Since the act, amendments must now conform to certain specified provisions in the portion of the Canadian constitution. This was an Act of the British parliament, originally called the British North America Act 1867 and it outlined Canadas system of government, which combines Britains Westminster model of parliamentary government with division of sovereignty
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Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
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The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, in Canada often simply the Charter, is a bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution of Canada. It forms the first part of the Constitution Act,1982, the Charter guarantees certain political rights to Canadian citizens and civil rights of everyone in Canada from the policies and actions of all areas and levels of the government. It is designed to unify Canadians around a set of principles that embody those rights, the Charter was signed into law by Queen Elizabeth II of Canada on April 17,1982 along with the rest of the Act. The Charter was preceded by the Canadian Bill of Rights, which was enacted in 1960, however, the Bill of Rights is only a federal statute, rather than a constitutional document. As a federal statute, it can be amended through the legislative process and has no application to provincial laws. The Supreme Court of Canada also narrowly interpreted the Bill of Rights, the relative ineffectiveness of the Canadian Bill of Rights motivated many to improve rights protections in Canada. The movement for human rights and freedoms that emerged after World War II also wanted to entrench the principles enunciated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Charter, however, granted new powers to the courts to enforce remedies that are more creative, as a result, the Charter has attracted both broad support from a majority of the Canadian electorate and criticisms by opponents of increased judicial power. The Charter only applies to government laws and actions, and sometimes to the common law, under the Charter, people physically present in Canada have numerous civil and political rights. Most of the rights can be exercised by any legal person, the rights are enforceable by the courts through section 24 of the Charter, which allows courts discretion to award remedies to those whose rights have been denied. This section also allows courts to exclude evidence in trials if the evidence was acquired in a way that conflicts with the Charter, Section 32 confirms that the Charter is binding on the federal government, the territories under its authority, and the provincial governments. Every case in which a court discovers a violation of the Charter would therefore require a section 1 analysis to determine if the law can still be upheld, Section 1 has thus been used to uphold laws against objectionable conduct such as hate speech and obscenity. Section 1 also confirms that the rights listed in the Charter are guaranteed, in addition, some of these rights are also subjected to the notwithstanding clause. The notwithstanding clause authorizes governments to temporarily override the rights and freedoms in sections 2 and 7–15 for up to five years, the Canadian federal government has never invoked it, and some have speculated that its use would be politically costly. In the past, the clause was invoked routinely by the province of Quebec. The provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta have also invoked the clause, to end a strike and to protect an exclusively heterosexual definition of marriage. The territory of Yukon also passed legislation once that invoked the notwithstanding clause, Section 4, the maximum duration of legislatures is set at five years. Section 5, a sitting of legislatures is required as a minimum
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