Responsible Government
Responsible government fuses which two branches of power in Canada’s political system?
What are the legislative and executive branches?
(The cabinet is drawn from, and accountable to, the legislature.)
The Prime Minister advises this person to dissolve Parliament and call elections.
Who is the Governor General?
Name one of the fundamental principles of the Canadian judiciary
Impartiality, Judicial Independence, Equality Before the Law
The Canadian Parliament is composed of these three parts.
What are the House of Commons, the Senate, and the Crown?
According to convention, the Crown acts only “on the advice of” these individuals, whose recommendations are treated as commands.
Who are the ministers (or the cabinet)?
This title refers to Canada’s official head of state.
What is the Crown (King)?
This principle ensures judges are free from political influence and cannot be fired for unpopular decisions.
What is judicial independence?
This person presides over debates in the House and must remain impartial.
Who is the Speaker of the House of Commons?
If the House of Commons passes a motion of non-confidence, the Prime Minister must do one of these two things
What are resign or request a new election?
These unwritten powers allow the Governor General to act independently in rare cases, such as appointing or dismissing a Prime Minister.
What are the reserve powers?
The Supreme Court of Canada must always include three judges from this province.
What is Quebec?
These bills are introduced by MPs who are not part of the cabinet.
What are private members’ bills?
Under responsible government, a cabinet backed by a parliamentary majority is almost guaranteed to govern effectively. What must a minority government do to stay in power?
It must maintain the confidence of the House by gaining the support or neutrality of smaller parties to pass legislation and avoid defeat on confidence votes.
Name two important tasks/rights held by the Prime Minister
- the rights to advise the GG on the dissolution of Parliament/holding of elections
- the right to advise the GG on appointments to the Senate and judiciary
- the right to organize the machinery of government
Name one of the three main tasks of the judiciary
- adjudicating legal disputes between private parties
- adjudicating cases in public law
- judicial review of the constitution
What does it mean when Parliament “prorogues”?
It ends a session of Parliament without dissolving it, terminating all business until a new session begins.
List two of the five conventions that define responsible government in Canada.
- The Crown acts only on the advice of its ministers.
- Ministers are almost always Members of Parliament.
- The convention of collective responsibility (cabinet acts as one).
- The Crown appoints and maintains as ministers only those who have the confidence of the House of Commons.
- The Prime Minister must resign or call an election if confidence is lost.
Most of the Governor General’s powers are symbolic, but they still hold three important “reserve powers.” Name two of them.
- The power to appoint the Prime Minister.
- The power to dismiss a Prime Minister who tries to govern without the confidence of the House.
- The power to prorogue or dissolve Parliament and call an election
The name of the Supreme Court Justice from the LA Times reading this week.
Who is Rosalie Silberman Abella?
What is the main purpose of the Senate in Canada’s Parliament?
To serve as a chamber of “sober second thought” that reviews, revises, and provides regional balance on legislation passed by the House of Commons.