NationStates Jolt Archive

What's the Canadian government like?

Canadians only please...

It's fairly stupid like most others, what exactly do you want to know?

You posted this a gazillion times. You should go back and delete the others.

Your lagging up the site Bass. Delete those other meaningless topics.

Here is a pretty fair comparison of Canadian politics as compared to American (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_US_politics_compared)

-Z-

Ok in a nutshell. . .

The House of Commons. . .
There are 310 'ridings' in Canada. They are about 100 000 people each. The people in each riding elect someone. Usually they will elect one of three main parties (Conservative, NDP, or Liberal) The leader of the political party with the most seats becomes the Prime Minister. The leader of the party with the second-most number of seats becomes the leader of the Official Opposition.

The Senate. . .
These people are not elected; they are appointed by the Prime Minister. They are considered the house of 'sober second thought.'

The Governor General. . .
This person is appointed by the Queen with the advice of the Governor General. He/she (a female right now) signs bills into law.

Scandals are not supposed to be a part of the government. :lol: Just the Liberal party.

Canada is a confederacy, confederacies are not exactly the best governments in the world.

Somebody told me there's a lot of grass on Capitol Hill.

Canada is a confederacy, confederacies are not exactly the best governments in the world.

Actually Canada is a Federation.. :P

Canada was essentially founded on corruption and is still trying to perfect it. Financiers and railroad types from Upper Canada (Ontario) and Lower Canada (Quebec), under pressure from British financiers sick of losing money on over-priced and underachieving (in some instances) railways and canals, and threatened by a strong and heavily industrialised United States, conned, bullied, and otherwise hoodwinked the Atlantic provinces (except Newfoundland, which is an entirely separate case) into a confederation. The intent of the first prime minister (i.e. first minister/president of the executive council, and now, I believe president of the Queen's Privy Council of Canada as well (probably wrong on that last bit)), other than to pay off Ontario and Quebec's massive rail debt, was to establish a firmly centralised "dominion" in contrast to the heavily fractured American federation. The provinces had none of it, so we're left with what we presently have: a pack of corrupt buffoons, thinking themselves cleverer than they are, and robbing the citizenry blind. And as the old saying goes, it doesn't matter who you vote for, the government still gets in.

Political system:
Head of State and Commander in Chief: Queen Elizabeth II through her representative, the Governor-General, who is appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister for five years. Basically sits around, wastes money, hands out honours, and gives royal assent to bills (thereby establishing the bills as law).
Government: The Canadian Ministry, made up of departments run by ministers of the Crown and headed by the Prime Minister. Also, the Privy Council of Canada consisting of the Prime Minister and up to five senior ministers, which serves as the secretariat for the Canadian Ministry and which passes subordinate legislation (regulations and the like) and ensures that government acts are promulgated and enforced. The Treasury Board Secretariat is also somewhat important.
Legislature: Bicameral, consisting of an appointed upper house (Senate) and elected (by the first-past-the-post (most votes) method) lower house (House of Commons). The Senators rarely sit and stay on (if they ever attend) 'til they die or reach 75 years of age. MPs (Members of the lower house) sit for up to five years from the return of the writs of a general election, unless the PM decides to hold an election earlier.
10 provinces, 3 territories.

Canada

Nice copy/paste, do you have any thing you can add personally? Or do you only copy/paste?

Guess you copy/pasted from a rather old site.. Canada signed away from the UK in 1982.. if you're going to copy/paste, at least can you make it in this decade?

Canada

Nice copy/paste, do you have any thing you can add personally? Or do you only copy/paste?

Guess you copy/pasted from a rather old site.. Canada signed away from the UK in 1982.. if you're going to copy/paste, at least can you make it in this decade?

Oh dear, aren't we snippy. Canada may have "signed away" from the UK, but while the Governor General is titularly the head of state, the Queen is still the de jure head of state. The Constitution Act, 1982 repatriated the power over the constitution and law from the UK, which had been essentially the case since 1931. As for making it current... Mulroney was a crook (Airbus), Chretien was a crook (MHP, Shawinigate, advertising scandals, Jane Stewart "losing" $1 billion, Gagliano (sp?)), and Martin is a crook (re: advertising scandals). Besides, 10 provinces and 3 territories is pretty current (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador; Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut). And, Stephistan, none of that was copy and paste--it was all from memory. Think before you behave so poorly.

Even though the Governor-General is the head of state he doesn't have any power. In fact the last time a Governor General refused to do what the the Prime Minister told him we had the King-Byng crisis (1926). Which led to the removal of any power whatsoever in the position of Governor General (abbreviated GG).

The Queen as well has no power of Canada, she can't even get plane tickets to Toronto without the permission of the Prime Minister.

You forgot to mention that the Prime Minister appoints all Senators, Supreme Court Justices and Cabinet members as well as the GG.

Literally, Canada is one step away from an absolute dictatorship.

I knew America > Canada....but not this badly....

Of course, I'm joking... :wink: .....semi-joking

Literally, Canada is one step away from an absolute dictatorship.

Oh, give me a break - that's pure rightwing sour grapes and paranoia :roll:

Literally, Canada is one step away from an absolute dictatorship.

:roll: Canada isn't like that at all. I mean our government isn't perfect, but what government is?