Lesson One: Canadian Democratic System

1. Introduction

2. Lesson 6.1.1 Canada's Democratic Government

To What Extent Does the Political System of Canada Embrace Liberalism?

As a Canadian citizen, you may have noticed that you have some basic rights and freedoms that often do not exist in other countries. In Canada, some rights and freedoms include freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to support any political party, and the right to vote for various candidates from a multitude of political parties.

Canada's Democratic Government

The elected Members of Parliament (MPs) are responsible for representing the people of Canada. This means that the MPs represent their constituents in the House of Commons. In this way, the voices of Canada's people are heard.

Canada's government is a parliamentary democracy based on the British form of government and adapted by Canada for its political decision making.

Separation of Powers

Canada's representative democracy is divided into three branches of government:

• executive

• legislative

• judicial

This results in a separation of powers. This is so that no one branch of the government can have absolute power over everything in government. Examine the following diagram to find out how these branches work in Canada. 

Please watch this video that describes each of the three branches of government in Canada.

A Closer Look at Canada's Liberal Democracy

In unit 5, you investigated how political and economic systems reflect the values of liberalism, and you began to look at Canadian practices such as consensus decision making and representative and direct democracies.  Canada's political system, widely accepted as being democratic and reflecting the values of liberalism, has also been criticized for not being as democratic as it could be. 

The "Big Three" when it comes to questioning Canada's liberal democracy are:

• the positions of governor general and lieutenant-governor in Canadian politics
• the role of the senate
• the tradition of political parties in Canada

The Governor General and Lieutenant-Governor

Currently, Canada is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy- where we have an elected House of Commons, an appointed Senate, and a governor general.  This means that Canadians recognize the queen as our head of state.  Canada's governor general carries out Her Majesty's duties in Canada on a daily basis and is Canada's de facto (effective) head of state.  

The governor general has four areas of responsibility:

1. To represent the (British) Crown in Canada:

• guarantees that we have a prime minister and government in place
• appears in government, signs official documents, and meets regularly with the prime minister to encourage, warn and be consulted 
• summons Parliament, reads the Speech from the Throne
• gives Royal assent to bills that have been passed by Parliament

2. to represent all Canadians and support our sovereignty

• acts as Commander-in-Chief of the Canadian Forces
• receives prominent guests and foreign leaders and leads delegations to other countries to reflect Canada's interests

3. to celebrate excellence

• on behalf of all Canadians, presents honours and awards, such as the Order of Canada

4. to bring Canadians together

• promotes our national identity and unity
• meets with Canadians regularly

Now I would like you to watch a short interview about whether the governor general is necessary in Canada.

To learn more about the role of the governor general and the lieutenant-governor in Canada please refer to pages 339 to 341 in your text book Understandings of Ideologies.  This reading will help you draw your own conclusions about whether Canada should keep the governor general the way it is, reform or abolish it out right.

The Senate

The role of the Senate in Canadian politics is to check the power of the House of Commons and give each bill a "somber second look" before it is passed into law.  It was also created to represent regional, provincial and minority interests.  

Since Confederation in 1867, there have been critics of the Senate.  The top three reasons include:

• Senators are chosen by the prime minister, not elected by the people, and they can stay until they are 75
• They do not always show up for sessions, and still get paid taxpayers' money
• They just vote the same way as the political party that nominated them

As a result of these criticisms, one popular idea to reform the Senate is called the "Triple E Senate."  Please read the linked article here, Senate: The Canada Guide, to learn more about the Senate and possible Senate reform. 

The Tradition of Canadian Political Parties

Nowhere in our Constitution is it stated that Canada must have political parties.  It is a matter of tradition.  The United States is basically a two party system, while in Canada we are a multiparty system, where each party has a different platform.  Here are some of the top reasons people believe political parties are contrary to liberal values:

1. Representatives must follow the "party line" or platform (the party's position on an issue), in practice known as party solidarity.  They may have personal objections to a policy, or they may feel that they are not representing the voters who elected them; however, if an MP (Member  of Parliament) does not accept the decisions of caucus, he or she may be kicked out of the party.  Sometimes MPs oppose a party policy so strongly that the only solution is to "cross the floor" of the House of Commons and join another political party.

2. Majority governments can be somewhat dictatorial.  If a party has a large majority, it may not worry about following the will of the people.  A majority government can always get its law passed and need not worry about criticism from opposition parties.  This can weaken the parliamentary system, which is based on being able to keep the government in check through opposition questions and criticisms.

3. Minority governments, in an attempt to stay in power, may not tackle important issues or may weaken their position to convince other parties to support a law.  They are always worried about not being able to continue as the government and losing a major vote.

3. Conclusion

The structure of the government through our parliamentary democracy and the conventions or traditions it practices may not always reflect liberal values.  Examples of this include the role and practices associated with the governor general, the Senate, and political parties.  Many Canadians, while acknowledging that Canada's political system is largely democratic, have suggested that it could be reformed to become more democratic than it already is.