Canada
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Canada Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm (see Monarchy in Canada) with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. ...
Executive (The Crown)
Sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II) Governor General (Michaëlle Jean) Queen's Privy Council for Canada Prime Minister (Stephen Harper) Cabinet (Twenty-Eighth Ministry) Throughout the Commonwealth Realms The Crown is an abstract concept which represents the legal authority for the existence of any government. ... The Arms of Her Majesty in Right of Canada, proclaimed by Queen Elizabeth II in 1994. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneure générale du Canada or Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative in Canada of the Canadian Monarch, who is the Head of State; Canada is one of... Michaëlle Jean, CC, CMM, COM, CD, DUniv (honoris causa), D.Litt (honoris causa) , (born September 6, 1957, in Port-au-Prince, Haïti) is the current Governor General of Canada. ... The Privy Council Office as it appeared in the 1880s The Queens Privy Council for Canada (French: Conseil privé de la Reine pour le Canada) is the council of advisers to the Queen of Canada, whose members are appointed by the Governor General of Canada for life on the... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ... Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. ... The Cabinet of Canada (French: Cabinet du Canada or Conseil des ministres) plays an important role in the Government of Canada in accordance with the Westminster System. ... Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Governor General Michaëlle Jean with Twenty-Eighth Ministry after the swearing-in ceremony (February 6, 2006) The Twenty-Eighth Canadian Ministry is the cabinet and secretaries of state of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, which have governed Canada since the beginning of the 39th Parliament...
Legislative (Parliament)
Senate Speaker of the Senate Government Leader in the Senate Opposition Leader in the Senate Canadian Senate divisions House of Commons Speaker of the House Government House Leader Official Opposition Leader of the Opposition Opposition House Leader Shadow Cabinet A legislature is a type of representative deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Senate Chamber of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. ... The Senate of Canada (French: Le Sénat du Canada) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... The Speaker of the Canadian Senate (French: Président du Sénat) is the presiding officer of the Canadian Senate. ... The Leader of the Government in the Senate is a Canadian cabinet minister who leads the government side in the Canadian Senate and is chiefly responsible for promoting and defending the governments program in the Upper House. ... In Canada, the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Senate is the leader of the largest party in the Senate that is not in government. ... Representation in the Canadian Senate is divided into seats on a provincial basis. ... The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ... Current house speaker Peter Milliken In Canada the Speaker of the House of Commons (French: Président de la Chambre des communes) is the presiding officer of the lower house and is elected by fellow MPs. ... The Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (French: Leader du gouvernement à la Chambre des communes), more commonly known as the Government House Leader, is the Cabinet minister responsible for planning and managing the governments legislative program in the Canadian House of Commons. ... Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (French: LOpposition Loyale de Sa Majesté) in Canada is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Canadian House of Commons that is not in government either on its own or as part of a governing coalition. ... The Leader of the Opposition (French: Chef de lOpposition) in Canada is the Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons who leads Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (the body in Parliament recognized as the Official Opposition). ... In Canada each political party with representation in the House of Commons has a House Leader who is a front bench MP and an expert in parliamentary procedure. ... The outgoing Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet is listed below. ...
Elections
Parliamentary constituencies Electoral system Last election The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) has two chambers. ... This is a list of Canadas 308 electoral districts (also known as ridings in Canadian English) as defined by the 2003 Representation Order, which came into effect on May 23, 2004. ... Rendition of party representation in the 39th Canadian parliament decided by this election. ...
Judicial
Supreme Court Chief Justice Lower Courts of Appeal Constitution British North America Acts Peace, Order and Good Government Charter of Rights and Freedoms The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      In law, the judiciary or judicial is the system of courts which administer justice in the name of the sovereign or state, a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. ... The Supreme Court of Canada (French: Cour suprême du Canada) is the highest court of Canada and is the final court of appeal in the Canadian justice system. ... The Right Hon. ... List of final courts of appeal in Canada. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The British North America Acts 1867–1975 are a series of Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom dealing with the government of Canada, which was known as British North America until 1867. ... In Canada, the phrase peace, order and good government (in French, paix, ordre et bon gouvernement), called POGG for short, is often used to describe the principles upon which that countrys Confederation took place. ... The Charter, signed by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau in 1981. ...
Provinces and territories Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countriesAtlas  Politics Portal      Canada is a federation which consists of ten provinces that, with three territories, make up the worlds second largest country in total area. ... Lieutenant-Governors Premiers Legislatures Politics of: AB | BC | MB | NB | NL NT | NS | NU | ON | PE QC | SK | YT
Regions Political culture Foreign relations In Canada, the lieutenant-governor (often without a hyphen[1], pronounced ), in French lieutenant-gouverneur/lieutenant-gouverneure (always with a hyphen), is the Canadian Monarchs, or Crowns, representative in a province, much as the Governor General is her representative at the national level. ... In Canada, a Premier is the head of government of a province. ... This is a list of the Legislative Assemblies of Canadas provinces and territories. ... Albertas first Legislature, Edmonton, 1906 The politics of Alberta are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. ... Prior to 1903, there were no political parties in British Columbia, Canada, other than at the federal level. ... The Canadian province of Manitoba is governed by a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, which operates under the Westminster system of government. ... New Brunswick has a unicameral legislature with 55 seats. ... The politics of Northwest Territories have been centered around the struggle for responsible government and provincial rights. ... Nova Scotia is a parliamentary democracy. ... The Province of Ontario is governed by a unicameral legislature, the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, which operates in the Westminster system of government. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The politics of Prince Edward Island are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Politics of Saskatchewan are part of the Canadian federal political system along with the other Canadian provinces. ... // Canadian provinces and territories are normally grouped into the following regions (generally from west to east): Northern Canada (The North) Yukon Northwest Territories Nunavut Western Canada British Columbia Prairies Alberta Saskatchewan Manitoba Eastern Canada Central Canada Ontario Quebec Atlantic Canada Maritimes New Brunswick Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia Newfoundland and... Canadian political culture is in some ways part of a greater North American and European political culture, which emphasizes constitutional law, freedom of religion, personal liberty, and regional autonomy; these ideas stemming in various degrees from the British common law and French civil law traditions, North American aboriginal government, and... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      // The British North American colonies which today constitute modern Canada had little control over their foreign affairs until the achievement of responsible government in the late 1840s. ...
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The Canadian electoral system is based on a parliamentary system of government, modelled on that of the United Kingdom. Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The Canadian federal Parliament consists of: Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Senate Chamber of Parliament Hill in Ottawa. ...

• The sovereign (represented by the Governor General)
• An upper house (the Senate), the members of which are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister
• A lower house (the House of Commons), the members of which are chosen by the citizens of Canada through federal general elections.

Elections Canada is the non-partisan agency responsible for the conduct of elections in Canada, including federal elections, by-elections and referendums. It is headed by the Chief Electoral Officer. Armenian king Tigranes the Great. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneure générale du Canada or Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative in Canada of the Canadian Monarch, who is the Head of State; Canada is one of... An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Senate of Canada (French: Le Sénat du Canada) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the House of Commons. ... Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ... A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ... The House of Commons (French: Chambre des communes) is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign (represented by the Governor General) and the Senate. ... ... Elections Canada is the non-partisan agency of the Government of Canada responsible for the conduct of federal elections and referendums. ... Partisan may refer to: A member of a lightly-equipped irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation. ... The Parliament of Canada (French: Parlement du Canada) has two chambers. ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... The Chief Electoral Officer was created in 1920 by the Dominion Elections Act (Canada). ...

Representation in the House of Commons

Representation in the House of Commons is based on geographical divisions known as electoral districts, constituencies or ridings. Each riding elects one member to the House of Commons, and the number of ridings is established through a formula set out in the Constitution. A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... In the British Isles since Anglo-Saxon times, a riding is traditionally a sub-division (especially in three) of a county, in Australia analogous. ...

Riding boundaries are established by independent commissions, and take into account: An agency is a department of a local or national government responsible for the oversight and administration of a specific function, such as a customs agency or a space agency. ...

• population
• social links
• economic links.

New commissions are set up following each decennial census to make any necessary revisions to existing boundaries, following criteria defined in the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. The process of redefining electoral boundaries is called redistribution, and the results are recorded in a representation order. The Representation Order of 2003 set the number of ridings at 308. Although the term social is a crucial category in social science and often used in public discourse, its meaning is often vague, suggesting that it is a fuzzy concept. ... Economics (deriving from the Greek words οίκω [okos], house, and νέμω [nemo], rules hence household management) is the social science that studies the allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited wants. ... An anniversary is a day that commemorates an event that occurred on the same day of the year some time in the past. ... The process known as redistricting in the United States and redistribution in many Commonwealth countries is the changing of political borders (in many countries, specifically the electoral district/constituency boundaries) usually in response to periodic census results. ...

First past the post

Canada’s electoral system is referred to as a first past the post system. The candidate with the most votes wins; an absolute majority is not needed. They receive a seat in the House of Commons and represent their riding as its Member of Parliament. The plurality voting system, also known as first past the post, is a voting system used to elect a single winner in a given election. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ...

Any number of candidates may run for election in an electoral district, but each candidate may only run in one district, either independently or under the banner of a political party. Each party may endorse only one candidate per riding. Candidates who run for election without party affiliation may be designated as independent or as having no affiliation. Political parties Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A political party is a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ...

A political party is a group of people who together:

• Establish a constitution and by-laws
• Elect a leader and other officers
• Endorse candidates for election to the House of Commons.

To obtain the right to put the party name on the ballot, under the names of the candidates it endorses, a political party must register with the Chief Electoral Officer. At the 2000 election, there were 11 registered political parties operating at the federal level in Canada. See List of political parties in Canada. A Bylaw (sometimes also seen as By-Law or ByLaw) is a rule governing the internal management of an organization, such as a business corporation. ... The word leadership can refer to: the process of leading. ... The contents of this page have been moved to http://en. ... For the town in France, see Ballots, Mayenne. ... The 2000 Canadian federal election was held on November 27, 2000, to elect 301 Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of Canada. ... This article lists political parties in Canada. ...

After an election, the party with the most elected representatives usually becomes the governing party. The leader of this party becomes the Prime Minister of Canada and chooses people (usually MPs of his or her party) to head the various government departments. The party with the second largest number of MPs is called the Official Opposition. All the elected candidates have a seat in the House of Commons, where they vote on draft legislation (called Bills) and thus have an influence on government policy. Regions Political culture Foreign relations Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      The Prime Minister of Canada (French: Premier ministre du Canada), is the Minister of the Crown who is head of the Government of Canada. ... Her Majestys Loyal Opposition (French: LOpposition Loyale de Sa Majesté) in Canada is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the Canadian House of Commons that is not in government either on its own or as part of a governing coalition. ... A bill is a proposed new law introduced within a legislature that has not been ratified, adopted, or received assent. ...

Everyone must have access

All citizens have the right to a voice in choosing their parliamentary representatives. Canada’s electoral law requires the Chief Electoral Officer to inform the public about the system and about individual rights under that system, and to remove obstacles that may make voting difficult for some.

During an election, Elections Canada informs Canadians about their right to vote, how to get on the National Register of Electors and the voters list, and where and how they can vote. Its public information activities include Suffrage is the civil right to vote, or the exercise of that right. ...

• News releases
• Advertisements in newspapers and on television and radio, brochures, posters, videos,
• A toll-free telephone enquiries centre
• A website
• Meetings with community and ethnocultural groups.

Between elections, the agency publishes additional background information for the public, keeps its telephone enquiries centre and Website open to answer questions, and works with educators to encourage young people to vote when they become eligible. A press release (sometimes known as a news release or press statement) is a written or recorded communication directed at members of the news media for the purpose of announcing something claimed as having news value. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... A toll-free telephone number (or Freephone number in the UK) is a special telephone number, in which the calling party is not charged for the call by the telephone operator. ...

Helping to remove obstacles to voting is an important part of Elections Canada’s work. Voters who are not able to vote on polling day can vote at the advance polls. A mail-in special ballot is available for Canadians who are away from their ridings, traveling or temporarily resident overseas. Even Canadians in their own ridings during the election period may use the special ballot if they do not wish to go to a Polling Station. In special cases, electors with a disability may vote at home, in the presence of an election officer. Mobile polls serve voters living in certain institutions, such as nursing homes for people who are elderly or who have a disability. An advance poll (also advance voting) is held in some elections to allow participation by voters who may not be able to vote on the set election day(s). ... A polling station situated inside a suburban library in the north of Cambridge during the United Kingdom general election, 2005. ...

Wherever possible, election officers at polling stations speak both official languages (English and French). In addition, a deputy returning officer can appoint and swear in an interpreter to help communicate with a voter. The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... In United Kingdom, a Returning Officer is responsible for overseeing elections in one or more constituencies. ...

For voters with special needs, most polling stations provide level access, or voters can get a transfer certificate to vote at a station with level access. Templates are available for voters with a visual disability. On request, a deputy returning officer can help a voter with a disability or a voter who cannot read in any way that will enable the person to vote. A friend or relative can also assist the voter. Elections Canada maintains a toll-free TTY telephone enquiries line for voters who are deaf or hard of hearing. TTY is a short form of several things: Short form of Teletype, in turn short form of Teletypewriter. ...

All votes are made on the same standard heavy paper ballot which is inserted in a standard cardboard box, furnished by Elections Canada. The ballot and the box are devised to ensure that no one except the elector knows the individual choice that was made. Counting the ballots is done by hand in full view of the representatives of each candidate. There are no mechanical, electrical or electronic systems involved in this process.

References

• Elections Canada

See also

• List of Canada's electoral districts