|
Parliament Buildings |
House of Commons |
The Senate |
The Queen
| The Cabinet |
The Prime Minister |
The Opposition |
Members of Parliament |
The Speaker |
Parliamentary
Procedure | Bill to Act
| Committee System |
Question Period
The Queen is the
official head of state for the country. Her
representative in Canada is the Governor-General and in
the Provincial Governments is the Lieutenant
Governor-General. The evolution of real power and
responsibilities throughout the centuries has result in
a relationship where the Queen or Governor General
relegate real power and decisions to the elected Prime
Ministers. The Queen is treated as the head of
government when on royal visits to Canada and makes
various royal visits across the country every few years.
Although the relationship between the reigning monarch
traditionally was through connections and tradition with
the British Government, that relationship has
fundamentally changed since the constitution was brought
back to Canada in the 80's and legal and formal ties to
Britain's Parliament were severed. The Queen is now
considered the Queen of Canada.
The role of the
monarch is a direct result of the evolution of England's
form of government form the times of the Anglo Saxons
when one accepted ruler of the realm established control
over most of England. When defeated by the great nobles
of the country in a civil uprising King John
unintentionally established the outline of Parliament
when he legally assigned certain rights and roles to the
nobles and eventually leading citizens form different
parts of the country, with the signing of Magna Carta.
As the real power of the monarch was eroded from 1867
onwards in Great Britain, the power also diminished n
Canada. The Monarch has always been one part of
Parliament and remains so today.
It is altogether likely that in the near
future the role of choosing the Governor-General will
evolve into a direct role of the Prime Minister with the
role of the Queen or King being eliminated for the
system completely. |
