Prime Minister of Canada

The Prime Minister of Canada, the head of the Canadian government, is usually the leader of the political party with the most seats in the Canadian House of Commons. The Prime Minister has the right to the style of Right Honourable. The current prime minister is the Right Honourable Paul Martin.

Too much power?

Unlike the Presidential system of government used in countries such as the United States, an elected member of the Canadian House of Commons follows strict party discipline and has difficulty voting against the party line. If any elected member of the Prime Minister's governing party votes against any new legislation, the party caucus has the exclusive authority to expel that person from the party. A Member of Parliament (MP) who has been expelled from the party will then sit as an independent MP with extremely limited resources to conduct their work and almost no procedural right to ask a question or raise any issue in Parliament. This happened to Liberal MP John Nunziata who was expelled by Jean Chrétien for voting against the 1995 budget. At the next election, the expelled member will usually not be allowed to run for the party again. They may run as an independent candidate but they will not receive money from the party to fund their re-election campaign. Members who vote against less important legislation jeopardize their chances of joining/remaining in the Cabinet, or chairing committees. A far more common form of protest, that rarely has serious repercussions is abstaining from a vote. Members of the governing party almost always “toe the party line,” guaranteeing that the will of the Prime Minister of Canada is carried out.

Related Topics:
United States - Party discipline - John Nunziata - Cabinet

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Former Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau, who more than any previous Prime Minister consolidated power in the PMO (Prime Minister's Office), once derisively referred to federal backbenchers in the Liberal party as "trained seals." As well he once referred to opposition backbenchers as "nobodies when they are 50 yards away from the House of Commons." It should be noted that he made the "trained seals" comment prior to joining the Liberal Party. In 1998, during a break at a G7 summit meeting, the microphone of Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was left open and he was heard to complain that President Bill Clinton of the United States was basically powerless to solve international problems (in this case a Pacific coast salmon fishing dispute between Canada and the U.S.) because the American President had no authority and had to answer to Congress. One of the main benefits of the Canadian system is thus that things can be done quickly, and it is easy to see who is accountable for government actions. However, critics likewise allege that such power is far too concentrated, and that the Canadian system lacks the checks and balances present in mixed systems like the US.

Related Topics:
Pierre Trudeau - G7 - Jean Chrétien - Bill Clinton - American President - Congress - Checks and balances

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In addition, the Prime Minister of Canada has virtual control over the appointment of the people to fill the following positions:

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• all members of the Cabinet, and may replace them at any time;
• vacant seats on the Supreme Court of Canada;
• vacant seats in the Senate;
• all heads of Canadian Crown Corporations whom the Prime Minister may replace at any time;
• all executive positions such as the head of the Transportation Safety Board, the president of the Business Development Bank;
• all Ambassadors to Foreign Countries;
• the Governor General of Canada;
• plus approximately 3,100 other powerful government positions, the bulk of which the Prime Minister usually designates a member of his staff to appoint with his concurrence.

As well, the Prime Minister appoints the head of the Office of the Ethics Counsellor whose job is to monitor, and when necessary to investigate, the ethical conduct of the members of Parliament, including the Prime Minister to whom the Ethics Counsellor reports.

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In recent times, a few Canadians and some members of Parliament have begun to question the powers the Canadian Constitution confers on the Prime Minister. In particular, their goal is to find ways to change the insignificant and ineffectual role of elected members of the House of Commons, to create a Parliamentary committee to review appointments to the Supreme Court, and the need to abolish or radically restructure the appointed Senate.

Related Topics:
Parliament - House of Commons - Supreme Court - Senate

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A 2001 book titled The Friendly Dictatorship by The Globe and Mail newspaper's respected national affairs columnist, Jeffrey Simpson, pointed out the potential dangers by detailing what he argues to be near absolute power vested in the Prime Minister of Canada.

Related Topics:
The Globe and Mail - Jeffrey Simpson

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There are still, however some checks on the Prime Minister's power. Cabinet or caucus revolts will bring down a sitting Prime Minister quickly, and even the threat of caucus revolts can force a Prime Minister out of office as happened to Chrétien in 2003.

Related Topics:
Cabinet - 2003

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The Prime Minister is also restricted by the usually powerless Senate. The Senate can delay and impede legislation, as occurred when Brian Mulroney attempted to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST), and when Chrétien tried to cancel the privatization of Toronto Pearson International Airport. In both cases, the conflicts arose primarily because the Senate was dominated by members appointed by previous governments. Both PMs ended up "stacking" the Senate in their favour with a flurry of senate appointments in order to pass their legislation. Mulroney's government used a constitutional provision to receive approval from the Governor General for the creation of eight new Senate seats in 1991.

Related Topics:
Brian Mulroney - Goods and Services Tax - Toronto Pearson International Airport

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Canada is one of the most decentralized of the world's federations, and provincial premiers have a great deal of power. Constitutional changes must be approved by the provincial premiers, and they must be consulted for any new initiatives in their areas of responsibility, which include many important sectors such as health care and education.

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