Government of Canada

Type: Confederation with parliamentary democracy.

Confederation: July 1, 1867.

Constitution: The amended British North America Act of 1867 patriated to Canada on April 17, 1982, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and unwritten custom.

Branches: Executive--Queen Elizabeth II (head of state represented by a governor general), prime minister (head of government), cabinet. Legislative--bicameral parliament (House of Commons has been 301 members, and will be 308 members as of the June 28, 2004 elections; 105-seat Senate). Judicial--Supreme Court.
Federal-level political parties: Liberal Party, Bloc Quebecois, New Democratic Party, Conservative Party of Canada.

Subdivisions: 10 provinces, 3 territories.

Inside The Canadian Government

Canada is a constitutional monarchy with a federal system, a parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. The 1982 Charter of Rights guarantees basic rights in many areas. Queen Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, serves as a symbol of the nation's unity. She appoints a governor general, who serves as her representative in Canada, on the advice of the prime minister of Canada, usually for a 5-year term. The prime minister is the leader of the political party in power and is the head of the cabinet. The cabinet remains in office as long as it retains majority support in the House of Commons on major issues.

Canada's parliament consists of an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. Legislative power rests with the 308-member (as of the June 28, 2004 elections) Commons, which is elected for a period not to exceed 5 years. The prime minister may ask the governor general to dissolve parliament and call new elections at any time during that period. Federal elections were last held in November 2000. Vacancies in the 104-member Senate, whose members serve until the age of 75, are filled by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister. Recent constitutional initiatives have sought unsuccessfully to strengthen the Senate by making it elective and assigning it a greater regional representational role.

Criminal law, based largely on British law, is uniform throughout the nation and is under federal jurisdiction. Civil law is also based on the common law of England, except in Quebec, which has retained its own civil code patterned after that of France. Justice is administered by federal, provincial, and municipal courts.

Each province is governed by a premier and a single, elected legislative chamber. A lieutenant-governor appointed by the governor general represents the Crown in each province.

Principal Government Officials (as of July 20, 2004)
Head of State--Queen Elizabeth II
Governor General--Adrienne Clarkson
Prime Minister--Paul Martin
Minister of Foreign Affairs--Pierre Pettigrew
Ambassador to the United States--Michael Kergin
Ambassador to the United Nations--Allan Rock

Information for Visitors to Canada

• Canada Facts & Trivia.
• Map of Canada.
• People of Canada.
• Geography of Canada.
• Economy of Canada.
• Canadian Yellow Pages.
• Canada Consumers Guide.
• Immigration to Canada.
• Canadian Immigration Lawyers.

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