Branches of Government Legislative Our 3 Branches of
Branches of Government: Legislative
Our 3 Branches of Canadian Government 1. ) Legislative Branch = makes laws 2. ) Executive Branch = implements laws 3. ) Judicial = enforcement of laws
Legislative Branch - There are 3 major components of the legislative branch 1. ) Governor General (GG) 2. ) House of Commons (HOC) 3. ) Senate * House of Commons is the most important
Who’s Who? Head of state has ultimate authority in legislative process n Head of state in Canada is the Queen n
Governor General is the representative of the Queen or Monarch in Canada n Current GG is David Johnson n
Governor General’s Role 1. Read the Speech from the Throne – Announces in general terms what legislation the government hopes to have passed during the session 2. Prorogues Parliament – Declares the session over 3. Between opening and prorogation – Gives Royal Assent (signing bills)
Government Composition n In Canada government is formed by the political party which wins the most seats in a federal election n The leader of the party which forms government is the Prime Minister
Structure of the House of Commons - House of Commons consists of all the representatives elected to the house who are called MP’s (Members of Parliament) - 308 seats in the H of C - MP’s of all parties who do not make up government are called opposition - Party with 2 nd most seats in House, is called the Official opposition
The party with the next most amount of seats becomes the “Official Opposition” n It falls to that party to keep the ruling party in check. n The O. O. also has a Shadow Cabinet. For example, there is a Shadow Minister of Finance to keep the Minister of Finance accountable. n
Minority Gov’t When the ruling party has less than 50% of the seats in the House it is called a minority gov’t. n A gov’t that is in minority requires the votes of another party to pass bills. For example, if the Conservatives wanted to pass a bill on minimum wage, it might promise the NDP something in exchange for their support on the bill. n
n 2008 -2011 party seats in the House: n Conservatives n Liberals 143 77 n Bloc 47 n NDP 36 n Ind 1 n Vacant 4 n Is this a minority or majority gov’t?
Senate n Is comprised of 105 members n Appointed n Must by GG upon PM selection retire by age 75
Role of Senate 1. Provides “sober second through” to legislation coming from HOC - power to veto - must pass three readings 2. “polishes” legislations; cleans up wording and technical details 3. Supply Cabinet ministers when MP’s are not available - 1974: Liberals not elected representatives in Alberta
A Closer Look n. A piece of proposed legislation is called a bill n A bill goes through the necessary stages to become law n Ideas for a bill usually originate from cabinet n Legislation involving the spending of government funds, must be introduced in the House of Commons
Creating a Law (p. 237) >The idea for a bill usually comes from a Cabinet Minister. Occasionally a “backbencher” or non. Cabinet MP, will propose a piece of legislation, called a private members bill but this requires a lot of support from Parliament and rarely ends up becoming law. >The First Reading is just the Minister introducing the bill to the House in its ‘rough draft’
n Second Reading: The proposed law is presented to the House again, but this time all the MPs are free to criticize or support it (depending on your party). It is debated and then voted on.
n Committee: If the bill passes the Second Reading, a committee of concerned persons takes it to a meeting where it is edited, revised, and refined. Members of the public are allowed at these committee meetings.
n Third Reading: the bill is brought back to the House for a final vote.
The Senate If the bill is approved in the Third Reading, it is passed on to the Senate, where it again goes through First Reading, Second Reading, Committee, Third Reading. n The Senate has the power to veto the bill, but never does…. n
n The final step: Royal Assent. If the bill passes through both the House and the Senate it is given to the Governor General to sign. She also has the power to veto the bill. Once the bill is signed, it is officially law in Canada. “That’s why I get the puffy chair!”
- Slides: 21