Canadian History 11
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Appointed Official
Represents the Queen, but follows the advice of
the cabinet
5 years
Duties:
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Entertains important foreign visitors
Honours distinguished Canadians
Cuts ribbons at ceremonies
Lends support to causes & events
Serves as a reminder of the past
Resides at Rideau Hall in Ottawa
Gives Royal Assent to Bills
David Johnston is the 28th
Governor General of Canada
Leader of the majority party in the House of
Commons
 Elected by the people
 Office has no fixed term
 Follows the wishes of the majority of the House of
Commons
 Leads the party caucus in parliament.
 Caucus = a private meeting of the elected members
of a political party
Duties:
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◦ Acts as the voice of the nation
◦ Directs foreign policy
◦ Serves as the leader of the governing party and with the aid
of a House leader guides debates/discussions in the House
Prime Minister of Canada
is the Conservative Party's
Stephen Harper
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PM Cabinet is made up of app. 30 ministers
Chosen by the PM from the majority party in the
House of Commons
The Cabinet & PM decide on policies the
Government will follow.
Responsible for all legislation & has the power to
make new laws
It decides whether :
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To raise or lower taxes
The country will be at peace or war
To improve airports
To increase old-age pensions
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Each province must be represented by at least
one Minister.
Each minister is responsible for a Government
Department
Each minister also has a Deputy Minister who
is a permanent head of the department.
These officers are civil servants who are
employed by the Government.
Each Minister is responsible, answerable &
accountable for his/her department to the
House of Commons.
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The Cabinet works as a team.
Every Cabinet Minister must agree and defend
all policies decided whether they totally agree
with them or not.
If they cannot agree & will not support the
Cabinet, they may resign or be asked to
resign by the PM
This team playing is referred to as “the
collective responsibility of the Cabinet”
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Parliament consists of :
◦ The Queen
◦ The Senate (Upper House)
◦ House of Commons (Lower House)
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The Queen is the formal head of Canada.
The Governor General represent her at the
Federal level
The Lieutenant-Governors represent her at the
Provincial level
◦ They govern through a Cabinet, headed by the PM
(federal level) & a Premier (Provincial Level)
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The Upper House
Made up of 105 men & women
Its presiding officer, the Speaker of the Senate,
and the Senators are appointed by the Governor
General on the recommendation of the PM
Usually given as a reward for service to the
country
Senators must retire at 75 yrs old or if they miss
2 consecutive sessions of Parliament
They must be at least 30 yrs old & have real
estate in their riding.
They must reside in the province/territory for
which they are appointed
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Lower House
308 Seats
Elected by the people
5 year term
Each Member represents a constituency (district) of a
province or territory.
They do not have to live in the constituency
Parliament sits about 27 weeks of the year.
A regular sitting day always includes routine business,
committee reports are presented, documents are
recorded, Ministers make statements, petitions are
presented & bills are introduced
The Question Period is when Ministers must defend the
activities of their departments & the policies of the
Government
Speaker
Pages
Government Members
Opposition Members*
Prime Minister
Leader of the Official Opposition
Leader of the Second Largest
Party in Opposition
Clerk and Table Officers
Mace
Hansard Reporters
Sergeant-at-Arms
The Bar
Interpreters
Press Gallery
Public Gallery
Official Gallery
Leader of the Opposition’s
Gallery
Members’ Gallery
Members’ Gallery
Members’ Gallery
Speaker’s Gallery
Senate Gallery
T.V. Cameras