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The executive branch of Canada is composed of three elements - the symbolic, political, and permanent - that work together as the government. On the Internet, you will find resources that explain the structure and work of the executive branches of government, at both the federal and provincial levels. You will also find links to commissions of inquiry, as well as the latest federal and provincial budgets. SYMBOLIC EXECUTIVEThe symbolic executive is composed of the Queen,
who is the legal head of state of Canada, and her representatives, who
fulfill the monarch's daily duties in Canada. For more information about
the royal family, visit Monarchy
in Britain. For almost all purposes, the Queen's functions are fulfilled
in Canada by Canadian officials.
The level of support for the monarchy has eroded in Canada in the 1990s. Note that there are quite different levels of support in the various regions of the country. Two sites that promote the monarchy in Canada are:
The Governor
General acts as Canada's de facto head of state and has several
functions
in Canada's system of government. You can read a biography of Adrienne
Clarkson, who was appointed Governor General on October 7, 1999.
The Queen signs a personal
commission by which a person becomes Governor General, once they
have sworn the oath
of office. Lieutenant governors play a similar role for provincial
governments. (See the Ontario government's description of the
role of the Lieutenant Governor as well as the site of the Saskatchewan
Lieutenant Governor.)
The governor general's position is constituted through the 1947 Letters Patent, although many of the powers of that position (and those of the lieutenant governors) are to be found in the Constitution Act, 1867. See Governors General of Canada since 1867. While the governor general usually acts on the "advice" (instructions, really) of the prime minister, there are occasions when the governor general can refuse to act on this advice. One constitutional crisis occurred in 1926 when Governor General Lord Byng refused Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for a general election. A contemporary scenario, in which the governor general or lieutenant governor might use his or her discretion to refuse to act on the government's advice is in Quebec. The lieutenant governor could, or even should, refuse to grant royal assent to any bill that would be aimed at making Quebec an independent country. POLITICAL EXECUTIVEThe political executive is the leading element
of the executive branch. The Prime
Minister is the head of government. See hCanadian
Prime Ministers since 1867.
Although formally appointed by the governor general, the other members of Cabinet and the Ministry are chosen by the prime minister. Most of the cabinet's work is done in specialized committees. See Cabinet committees. You can e-mail the Prime Minister of Canada if you want to voice your views on political issues of the day. In late September 1999, Saskatchewan made history with the first coalition government in Canada for about 50 years. After the provincial election left no party with an overall majority, Roy Romanow of the NDP invited Liberals Jim Melenchuk and Jack Hillson to become members of the cabinet. Canadians have experienced numerous minority governments, where one party forms the cabinet, but relies on one or more opposition parties to pass legislation; but the Saskatchewan government is a coalition, where two parties are in the cabinet together. PERMANENT EXECUTIVEThe permanent executive is the body of professional
civil servants who manage and administer the government's policies.
See departments
and agencies of the Government of Canada. Access information on
individual civil servants and a searchable
directory for documents from many agencies and departments in the
federal government.
Two key central departments are the Department of Finance and the Treasury Board. ThePrivy Council has a special role in the Canadian government: to support the cabinet. The Clerk of the Privy Council, Mel Cappe, is effectively the most senior civil servant in Canada. The Clerk's Annual Reports to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada provide interesting discussions of the role of government and ways to strengthen the public service. The Privy Council Office has published a number of research reports on the Canadian system of government. The Public Service Commission of Canada is an agency that oversees the hiring and professional development of federal civil servants. Some interesting Deputy Minister Task Force Reports have been prepared for the government of Canada. These documents can be read with the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, and they include:
An important aspect of parliamentary government is the ability of members of the legislature to find out what is going on in the civil service. The Privy Council Office has an interesting document: notes for civil servants appearing before parliamentary committees. To explore issues relating to public policy and government reform, visit Policy.ca. PROVINCES AND TERRITORIESConnect to the Web sites maintained by the provincial
and territorial governments. At each government's site, you will be
able to find information on, and links to, the premier and cabinet,
as well as links to various departments and agencies.
COMMISSIONS OF INQUIRYCanadian governments frequently set up commissions of
inquiry to aid in the policy process. Some commissions are intended
to determine the facts of a specific event or policy issue. Others examine
a policy area and make recommendations for new policies the government
should consider implementing. The reports and executive summaries of
some recent commissions are available on-line:
ANNUAL BUDGETSOne of the most important tasks undertaken by a government
is the preparation of an annual budget. In fact, this is so important
that a constitutional convention requires a government to resign or
call an election if the legislature rejects its budget.
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