Government of Canada
Government of Canada | |
---|---|
Responsible to | House of Commons |
Headquarters | Ottawa |
Website | canada |
The Government of Canada (French: Gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term Government of Canada refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown (together in the Cabinet) and the federal civil service (whom the Cabinet direct); it is alternatively known as His Majesty's Government (French: Gouvernement de Sa Majesté) and is corporately branded as the Government of Canada.[1][2] There are over 100 departments and agencies, as well as over 300,000 persons employed in the Government of Canada. These institutions carry out the programs and enforce the laws established by the Parliament of Canada.
The
Constitutionally, the
Terminology
Under Canada's Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, the terms government and Government of Canada refer specifically to the prime minister, Cabinet, and other members of the governing party inside the House of Commons, but typically includes the federal public service and federal departments and agencies when used elsewhere.[7] This differs from the United States, where the executive branch is referred to as an administration and the federal government encompasses executive, legislative, and judicial powers, similar to the Canadian Crown.
In press releases issued by federal departments, the government has sometimes been referred to as the current prime minister's government (e.g. the Trudeau Government). This terminology has been commonly employed in the media.[8] In late 2010, an informal instruction from the Office of the Prime Minister urged government departments to consistently use, in all department communications, such phrasing (i.e., Harper Government, at the time), in place of Government of Canada.[9] The same Cabinet earlier directed its press department to use the phrase Canada's New Government.[8]
Role of the Crown
Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning sovereign is both legal and practical, but not political.[10] The monarch is vested with all powers of state[11] and sits at the centre of a construct in which the power of the whole is shared by multiple institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority.[12][13][14][15] The executive is thus formally referred to as the King-in-Council.[16]
On the advice of the Canadian prime minister, the sovereign appoints a federal
As part of the royal prerogative, the royal sign-manual gives authority to letters patent and orders-in-Council. Much of the royal prerogative is only exercised in-council, meaning on the advice of the King's Privy Council for Canada (ministers of the Crown formed in Cabinet in conventional practice);[17][18] within the conventional stipulations of a constitutional monarchy, the sovereign's direct participation in any of these areas of governance is limited.[19][20]
Prime Minister and Cabinet
The term Government of Canada, or more formally, His Majesty's Government refers to the activities of the King-in-Council. The day-to-day operation and activities of the Government of Canada are performed by the federal departments and agencies, staffed by the Public Service of Canada, and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Prime minister
One of the main duties of the Crown is to ensure that a democratic government is always in place,[21] which includes the appointment of a prime minister, who heads the Cabinet and directs the activities of the government.[22] Not outlined in any constitutional document, the office exists in long-established convention, which stipulates the Crown must select as prime minister the person most likely to command the confidence of the elected House of Commons, who, in practice, is typically the leader of the political party that holds more seats than any other party in that chamber (currently the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau). Should no particular party hold a majority in the House of Commons, the leader of one party—either the party with the most seats or one supported by other parties—will be called by the governor general to form a minority government. Once sworn in, the prime minister holds office until their resignation or removal by the governor general, after either a motion of no confidence or defeat in a general election.[23]
Privy Council
The executive is defined in the
Cabinet
The stipulations of responsible government require that those who directly advise the Crown on the exercise the royal prerogative be accountable to the elected House of Commons and the day-to-day operation of government is guided only by a sub-group of the Privy Council made up of individuals who hold seats in Parliament, known as the Cabinet.[26]
The monarch and governor general typically follow the near-binding
See also
- Structure of the Canadian federal government
- His Majesty's Government (term)
- Canadian order of precedence
- Office-holders of Canada
- Public Service of Canada
- .gc.ca
- Politics of Canada
- Parliament of Canada
- Court system of Canada
References
Notes
- ^ See 'Responsibilities' and Note 1 at Cabinet of Canada.
- King–Byng Affair of 1926 and Stephen Harper's comments during the 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute.[10]
Citations
- ^ "Overview of the Canadian Parliamentary System | Our Country, Our Parliament". lop.parl.ca. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
- ^ a b MacLeod 2015, p. 18
- ISBN 978-1-100-11529-0, archived from the original(PDF) on 11 June 2011, retrieved 5 July 2009
- from the original on 11 October 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-19-543103-2.
- ^ Office, Privy Council (21 February 2018). "About Cabinet". aem. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
- ^ "The Branches of Government". learn.parl.ca. Archived from the original on 21 April 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
- ^ a b Cheadle, Bruce (3 March 2011), "Tories re-brand government in Stephen Harper's name", The Globe and Mail, archived from the original on 9 July 2018, retrieved 26 April 2011
- ^ CTV News (7 March 2011). "Tories defend use of 'Harper Government'". Bell Media. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2011.
- ^ a b Forsey, Helen (1 October 2010). "As David Johnson Enters Rideau Hall ..." The Monitor. Archived from the original on 3 February 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-100-11096-7. Archived from the originalon 18 March 2010. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ Smith, David E. (10 June 2010), "Conference on the Crown" (PDF), The Crown and the Constitution: Sustaining Democracy?, Ottawa: Queen's University, p. 6, retrieved 22 May 2020 Archived from the original on 17 June 2010.
- ^ Bosc, Marc; Gagnon, André (2017), "1: House of Commons Procedure and Practice", Parliamentary Institutions (3 ed.), Ottawa: House of Commons Table Research Branch, archived from the original on 7 May 2017, retrieved 22 May 2020
- ^ Table Research Branch of the House of Commons, "Our Procedure", The Canadian Parliamentary System, Ottawa, archived from the original on 30 May 2022, retrieved 22 May 2020
- ^ a b Cox, Noel (September 2002). "Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence". Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law. 9 (3): 12. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ MacLeod 2015, p. 17
- ISBN 978-0-662-39689-5. Archived from the original(PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2008.
- ^ Marleau, Robert; Montpetit, Camille (2000). "House of Commons > 1. Parliamentary Institutions". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 28 August 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2009.
- ^ MacLeod 2015, p. 16
- ISBN 978-0-458-95950-1
- ^ Jackson, Michael D. October 2009. "The Senior Realms of the Queen" (book review & commentary). Canadian Monarchist News 39(30):9–12. Archived from the original on 29 December 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2020. p. 9.
Reviewed work: Boyce, Peter. 2008. The Queen's Other Realms: The Crown and its Legacy in Australia, Canada and New Zealand. ISBN 9781862877009. Sydney, AU: Federation Press.
- ^ Office of the Governor General of Canada. "Media > Fact Sheets > The Swearing-In of a New Ministry". Queen's Printer for Canada. Archived from the original on 9 October 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ Brooks 2007, p. 235
- ^ Wrong, Humphrey Hume. 10 November 1952. "Relations With the United States [Telegram 219]." Documents on Canadian External Relations 18(867): Ch. 8. Ottawa: Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ^ Victoria (1867), Constitution Act, 1867, III.15, Westminster: Queen's Printer (published 29 March 1867), III.9 & 11, archived from the original on 3 February 2010, retrieved 15 January 2009
- ^ a b Marleau & Montpetit 2000, The Executive
- ISBN 978-0-458-95950-1. Retrieved 12 June 2010.
- ^ a b MacLeod 2015, p. 8
- ^ MacLeod 2015, p. 16
- ^ Cox, Noel (September 2002). "Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence". Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law. 9 (3). Perth: Murdoch University: 12. Archived from the original on 26 June 2020. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b Neitsch, Alfred Thomas. 2007. "A Tradition of Vigilance: The Role of Lieutenant Governor in Alberta Archived 25 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine." Canadian Parliamentary Review 30(4):19–28. Retrieved 22 May 2020. p. 23.
- OCLC 1030593191.
- ISSN 1927-4165.
- ISBN 978-1-4597-0084-0.
- ISBN 978-1-86287-700-9
Further reading
- Bourinot, John George (2008), Flint, Thomas Barnard (ed.), Parliamentary Procedure and Practice in the Dominion of Canada (4th ed.), Lawbook Exchange, ISBN 978-1-58477-881-3, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- Dawson, R. MacGregor; Dawson, W. F. (1989). Ward, Norman (ed.). Democratic Government in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-8020-6703-6. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
Democratic Government in Canada.
- Johnson, David (2006), Thinking government: public sector management in Canada (2nd ed.), Broadview Press, ISBN 978-1-55111-779-9, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- Hale, Geoffrey (2006), Uneasy partnership: the politics of business and government in Canada, Broadview Press, ISBN 978-1-55111-504-7, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- Malcolmson, Patrick; Myers, Richard (2009), The Canadian Regime: An Introduction to Parliamentary Government in Canada (4th ed.), University of Toronto Press, ISBN 978-1-4426-0047-8, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- ISBN 978-0-662-46012-1, archived(PDF) from the original on 24 October 2022, retrieved 2 October 2021
- Morton, Frederick Lee (2002), Law, politics, and the judicial process in Canada, Frederick Lee, ISBN 978-1-55238-046-8, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- Roy, Jeffrey (2006), E-government in Canada: transformation for the digital age, University of Ottawa Press, ISBN 978-0-7766-0617-0, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020
- Roy, Jeffrey (2007), Business and government in Canada, University of Ottawa Press, ISBN 978-0-7766-0658-3, archivedfrom the original on 10 November 2023, retrieved 25 October 2020