Activity 3 page 3

Sir John A. Macdonald, as the first Prime Minister of Canada, believed that the Senate was the opportunity for "sober, second thought". This means the Senate is used to ensure that the House of Commons is effective and accountable.

The Senate has 105 members from various regions across Canada. Historically, a senator is selected by the prime minister for many reasons. The reasons may be related to cultural background, gender, profession, or political party affiliation. The main goal of the Senate is to represent the rights of regions, provinces, and minorities of the country.

Examine the following charts to see how representation in the House of Commons is divided by province (based on population of each province) and representation in the Senate is divided by region.

Are MPs and Senators answerable or accountable to you? How effective is the current federal practice in promoting and holding Members of Parliament and Senators accountable to you?

Use the information you have gathered in this lesson to help analyze the current practice of electing Members of Parliament and appointing Senators.

Click on one of the links below to complete the PMI Chart activity. Store your completed chart in your Activities folder.

PMI Chart (Word)
PMI Chart (pdf)
PMI Chart (Google Doc)

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The Canadian Parliament and the Library
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Inquire and Respond

Return to the Functions of Government Chart to which you were introduced in Activity 1.

Record the function of the Senate into the chart.

You are developing a thorough understanding of the three branches of government. Look carefully at the chart. Can you add any more detail to enhance your descriptions?

Save your updated Functions of Government Chart to your Activities folder.

Going Beyond

What is the role of the page program? The page program offers students the opportunity to work in the legislative branch to gain a first-hand experience of Canada's government. A student may serve as a page in either the House of Commons or the Senate.

Examine page 43 of your textbook. You may also do an online search for the requirements and expectations of being a page by using the keywords "Canada Page Program".

Workbook Summary

In this workbook, you investigated the following questions.

How does the federal political system meet the needs of all Canadians?

What is the role of political parties in Canada's federal political system?

How are Members of Parliament and Senators selected?

Are Members of Parliament and Senators answerable to you?

Are you ready to vote when you are 18 years old? You have been investigating the roles and responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches in the federal government. These branches work to help meet the needs of Canadians.

You are well on your way to being prepared for your role as an active 18-year-old Canadian citizen. However, there are still some important details to discover.

Just as parties that you might attend are important to you, political parties are a very important part of government. They provide a voice for Canadians and strive to meet the needs of all Canadians. The party with the most seats in Parliament is the governing party. The party with the next largest number of seats becomes the official opposition.

You discovered that Members of Parliament (MPs), Senators, and the Governor General are all members of the legislative branch. It is their role to participate in the making of laws. To ensure that these laws are beneficial to all Canadians, the legislative branch must be held accountable for its decisions. As a citizen, you have the opportunity to participate in this process.

Continue your discovery of the political system in Canada by examining the third branch, the judicial branch. Find out how citizens in Canada are protected by the laws that are made by the legislative branch.

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