Branches of Government 1 RECAP OF LEVELS OF

Branches of Government 1. RECAP OF LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT 2. OVERVIEW OF BRANCHES 3. LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 4. EXECUTIVE BRANCH 5. JUDICIAL BRANCH 6. LINKING IT ALL TOGETHER 7. ASSIGNMENT

Quick Recap �Identify the following as controlled either at the: Federal, Provincial or Municipal level �Aboriginal Affairs �Parks and Recreation �Marriage and Divorce �Health Care �Road Maintenance �Shipping and Navigation �Welfare

Branches of Government The government is broken into 3 different parts: � Legislative branch – the power to make laws � Executive branch – the power to carry out laws � Judicial branch – the power to find a person innocent or guilty, the power to carry out laws

Legislative Branch �Legislative: the power to make laws. This power is held in Canada by Parliament is comprised of the House of Commons whose members are elected by the voters, and the Senate, whose members are appointed by the prime minister.

Executive Branch Executive: the power to carry out laws. � Federal level – power held by the Queen and Governor General (as figureheads), but in practice these powers are carried out by the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons. The Cabinet is formed by MPs selected by the PM, and usually these selected MPs come from the PM's own political party. Cabinet Ministers have a responsibility for running certain departments. At the federal level these include Aboriginal Affairs, Trade and Commerce, and Defence. **Note** At the provincial level, the Executive consists of the queen and lieutenant governor, the premier, cabinet members, and civil servants Check out this website: http: //www. parl. gc. ca/Members. Of. Parliament/Main. Cabinet. Complete. List. aspx? Time. Period=Current to see the current cabinet ministers in Canada.

Judicial Branch �Judicial: the power to interpret the laws and settle conflicts between people, and between individuals and government. �In Canada this power is in the court system. The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court in Canada. There also other federal and provincial courts. Our courts are presided over by judges and supported by many people who work to help the judicial system run smoothly and fairly.

Linking it all Together Executive Branch Legislative Federal Provincial Municipal Governor General Lieutenant Governor Mayor/Reeve Prime Minister Premier Council Committee Cabinet Ministers Public Service Civil Servants House of Commons Legislative Assembly Town/City Council Supreme Court Provincial Supreme Court Municipal Bylaws Federal Court Superior Trial Court Senate Judicial Provincial Courts

To do. . . �Complete the Branches of Government assignment found in your Student Common folder. Be sure to save your work as you go in your documents folder! �Additional information to help you complete this assignment can be found on the Branches of Government Informational Handout, also located in the Student Common folder.