Politics of Canada

Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a Commonwealth Realm (see Monarchy in Canada) with a federal system of parliamentary government, and strong democratic traditions. Many of the country's legislative practices derive from the unwritten practices of and precedents set by the United Kingdom's Westminster parliament; however, Canada has evolved variations. Party discipline in Canada is stronger than in the United Kingdom, and more of the votes are considered confidence votes, which tends to diminish the role of non-cabinet Members of Parliament (MPs), known as backbenchers. Backbenchers can, however, exert their influence by sitting in parliamentary committees, like the Public Accounts Committee or the National Defence Committee.

Related Topics:
Canada - Constitutional monarchy - Commonwealth Realm - Monarchy in Canada - Federal system - Parliamentary government - Democratic - Members of Parliament - Backbenchers

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The political system under which Canada operates, known as the Westminster system, was enshrined by the British Parliament in the Constitution Act of 1867 (also known as the British North America Act), but the federal model and division of powers were devised by Canadian politicians. Particularly after World War I, citizens of the self-governing "dominions" began to develop a strong sense of identity, and in the Balfour Declaration, 1926, the British government expressed its intent to grant full autonomy to these dominions. Thus in 1931 the British Parliament passed the Statute of Westminster giving legal recognition to the autonomy of Canada and other dominions. Canadian politicians were unable to obtain consensus on a process for amending the constitution until 1982. Therefore, amendments to Canada's constitution required the approval of the British Parliament. Similarly, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in Britain continued to make the final decision on legal issues until 1949, such as whether a woman could be appointed to the Senate (see Persons Case).

Related Topics:
Political system - Westminster system - British Parliament - British North America Act - World War I - Dominion - Balfour Declaration, 1926 - 1931 - Statute of Westminster - 1982 - Judicial Committee of the Privy Council - Persons Case

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Canada's politics are evolving. The size of the federal public service and its operational powers are felt by some to qualify the Public Service as an Operational Branch of government. As well, due to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and rulings of courts on legislation, Canada is becoming more like a constitutional democracy, as opposed to the parliamentary democracy of its design.

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