Section 2 Introduction

Section 2 Introduction

Canada was established as a nation in 1867 with the signing of the British North America Act (BNA Act) in the Parliament of Great Britain. This act was the rule book on how the new nation would govern itself as a democracy.

The federal government was designed to be the highest political system and would take care of matters of national interest. To ensure that Canada had more than one level of government, the BNA Act act defined that both the federal and provincial governments have important roles.

In Canada, provincial governments were established to provide provincial laws and to ensure that needs within each province are met. Then, each province created local (or municipal) governments to provide for the needs of smaller areas.

Local governments include urban (cities and towns) and rural (counties, municipalities) councils as well as First Nation and Métis councils. Each council makes important local decisions and delivers services to its communities.

In this section, you will...

• be introduced to Canada's federal political system as you investigate the three branches of government
  
  
• understand how the government meets the needs of all Canadians and how Canadians get involved in government decision-making (An investigation of decision-making and the role of the political and legislative processes will help you to understand how the government responds to opportunities and challenges.)
  
  
• examine the three branches of Canada's federal political system and the roles of political parties, Members of Parliament and Senators, lobby groups, and media
  
  
• investigate the legislative process of a bill becoming a law
  
  
• examine the role of the media and lobby groups as important voices for all Canadians

In this section, you will examine this question:

What is the structure of Canada's federal political system?


In this section, you will complete the following:

• Section 2 Inquiry
  
  
• activities
  
  
• assignments

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