Editing Politics of Canada (section)

==Governmental organization==
{{Main|Government of Canada}}

; Type of government : [[Westminster system|Westminster style]] [[Federation|federal]] [[Parliamentary system|parliamentary democracy]] within a [[constitutional monarchy]].

; Administrative divisions : [[Provinces of Canada|Ten provinces]] and [[Territories of Canada|three territories]]*: [[Alberta]], [[British Columbia]], [[Manitoba]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Northwest Territories]]*, [[Nova Scotia]], [[Nunavut]]*, [[Ontario]], [[Prince Edward Island]], [[Quebec]], [[Saskatchewan]], [[Yukon]]*.

; Constitution : [[Westminster system]], based on unwritten [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|conventions]] and written [[Constitution of Canada|legislation]].

; Legal system : [[English law|English]] [[common law]] for all matters within federal jurisdiction and in all provinces and territories except Quebec, which is based on the [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]], based on the Custom of Paris in pre-revolutionary France as set out in the [[Civil Code of Quebec]]; accepts compulsory [[International Court of Justice]] jurisdiction, with reservations.
{{Further|Law of Canada}}

; Suffrage : Citizens aged 18 years or older. Only two adult citizens in Canada cannot vote: the [[Chief Electoral Officer (Canada)|Chief Electoral Officer]], and the Deputy Chief Electoral Officer. The [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] is eligible to vote, but abstains due to [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|constitutional convention]].

===Monarchy===
; [[Head of state]]: [[Charles III]], [[Monarchy of Canada|King of Canada]] (since September 8, 2022).

; [[Viceroy]]: [[Mary Simon]], [[Governor General of Canada]] (since July 26, 2021).
{{Multiple image
| align             = right
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| image1            = King Charles III (July 2023).jpg
| caption1          = [[Charles III]], King of Canada, the country's [[head of state]]
| image2            = Mary Simon, Governor General of Canada.jpg
| caption2          = [[Mary Simon]], Governor General of Canada, the monarch's representative
}}
{{quote box
| quote = The function of constitutional monarchy is to personify the democratic state, to sanction legitimate authority, to assure the legality of means, and guarantee the execution of the public will.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/queen-elizabeth-quotes/| title=The Queen's speech to the Quebec Legislature emphasizing the role of constitutional monarchy as a source of freedom, good government, and national unity| date=9 October 1964| author=Elizabeth II| publisher=Reader's Digest Canada| access-date=May 15, 2023| archive-date=29 May 2023| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230529183631/https://www.readersdigest.ca/culture/queen-elizabeth-quotes/| url-status=live}}</ref>
| source = [[Elizabeth II]], Queen of Canada, [[Quebec City]], 1964
| align = right
| width = 250px
| border = 1px
| salign = right
}}Canada is a constitutional monarchy, wherein the role of the reigning [[sovereign]] is both legal and practical, but not political.<ref name="Forsey">{{Cite journal |last=Forsey |first=Helen |date=1 October 2010 |title=As David Johnson Enters Rideau Hall&nbsp;... |url=http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall |url-status=live |journal=The Monitor |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203201325/http://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/monitor/david-johnson-enters-rideau-hall |archive-date=3 February 2011 |accessdate=23 January 2011}}</ref> The [[Monarchy of Canada|monarch]] is formally vested with all powers of state,<ref>{{cite book |last=Privy Council Office |url=http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr/2008/ag-gr-eng.htm |title=Accountable Government: A Guide for Ministers and Ministers of State – 2008 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-100-11096-7 |location=Ottawa |page=45 |author-link=Privy Council Office (Canada) |access-date=17 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318110030/http://www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/index.asp?lang=eng&page=information&sub=publications&doc=ag-gr%2F2008%2Fag-gr-eng.htm |archive-date=18 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> which are in practice exercised only by the various institutions of government acting under the sovereign's authority.<ref name="Smith6">{{citation |last=Smith |first=David E. |title=Conference on the Crown |date=10 June 2010 |work=The Crown and the Constitution: Sustaining Democracy? |page=6 |url=http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf |location=Ottawa |publisher=Queen's University |accessdate=22 May 2020}} Archived from the [http://www.queensu.ca/iigr/conf/ConferenceOnTheCrown/CrownConferencePapers/The_Crown_and_the_Constitutio1.pdf original] on 17 June 2010.</ref><ref>{{citation |last1=Bosc |first1=Marc |title=Parliamentary Institutions |year=2017 |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/About/ProcedureAndPractice3rdEdition/ch_01_2-e.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507081041/http://www.parl.gc.ca/About/House/compendium/web-content/c_d_rolecrowngovernorgeneral-e.htm |archive-date=7 May 2017 |url-status=live |chapter=1: House of Commons Procedure and Practice |edition=3 |location=Ottawa |publisher=House of Commons Table Research Branch |last2=Gagnon |first2=André |accessdate=22 May 2020}}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Table Research Branch of the House of Commons |title=The Canadian Parliamentary System |url=https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/our-procedure/ParliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530121029/https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/our-procedure/ParliamentaryFramework/c_g_parliamentaryframework-e.html |archive-date=30 May 2022 |url-status=live |chapter=Our Procedure |location=Ottawa |accessdate=22 May 2020}}</ref><ref name="Murdoch">{{cite journal |last=Cox |first=Noel |date=September 2002 |title=Black v Chrétien: Suing a Minister of the Crown for Abuse of Power, Misfeasance in Public Office and Negligence |url=http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html |url-status=live |journal=Murdoch University Electronic Journal of Law |volume=9 |issue=3 |page=12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200626163652/http://www.murdoch.edu.au/elaw/issues/v9n3/cox93.html |archive-date=26 June 2020 |access-date=17 May 2009}}</ref> The executive is thus formally referred to as the ''King-in-Council'', the legislature as the ''King-in-Parliament'', and the courts as the ''King-on-the-Bench''.<ref name="MacLeod17">{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=17}}</ref>

Though the person who is monarch of Canada (currently [[{{Canadian monarch, current|plainname=1}}]]) is also the monarch of [[Commonwealth realm|14 other countries]] in the [[Commonwealth of Nations]], he nevertheless reigns separately as [[Style of the Canadian sovereign|King of Canada]], an office that is "truly Canadian" and "totally independent from that of the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch of the United Kingdom]] or the other Commonwealth realms."<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/ceem-cced/fr-rf/crnCdn/index-eng.cfm |title=Crown of Maples- Constitutional Monarchy in Canada |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-662-46012-1 |edition=2008 |pages=5, 12, 20, 40, 49 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727093738/https://www.canada.ca/home.html |archive-date=27 July 2020 |url-status=live |accessdate=2 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Queen and Canada: History and present Government |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727070332/http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/Historyandpresentgovernment.aspx |archive-date=27 July 2020 |accessdate=2 May 2012 |publisher=The Royal Household}}</ref> On the advice of the Canadian prime minister, the sovereign appoints a federal [[Viceroy|viceregal representative]]—the [[Governor General of Canada|governor general]] (currently [[Mary Simon]])—who, since 1947, is permitted to exercise almost all of the monarch's [[royal prerogative]]; though, there are some duties which must be specifically performed by the monarch themselves (such as assent of certain bills). In case of the governor general's absence or incapacitation, the [[administrator of Canada]] performs the Crown's most basic functions.

[[Royal assent]] is required to enact laws. As part of the royal prerogative, the [[royal sign-manual]] gives authority to [[letters patent]] and [[Order in Council|orders-in-Council]]. The royal prerogative also includes summoning, [[Prorogation in Canada|proroguing]], and [[Dissolution of parliament#Canada|dissolving Parliament]] in order to [[Dropping the writ|call an election]] and extends to foreign affairs, which include the negotiation and ratification of treaties, alliances, international agreements, and [[Declaration of war by Canada|declarations of war]];<ref>{{citation |last=Brode |first=Patrick |title=War power and the Royal Prerogative |date=1 May 2006 |journal=Law Times |url=http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122075404/http://www.lawtimesnews.com/20060501549/Headline-News/War-power-and-the-Royal-Prerogative |archive-date=22 November 2012 |url-status=dead |publisher=Thomson Reuters Canada |accessdate=22 October 2012}}</ref> the accreditation of Canadian diplomats and receipt of foreign diplomats; and the [[Canadian passport|issuance of passports]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elizabeth II |author-link=Elizabeth II |year=2006 |title=Canadian Passport Order |url=http://www.pptc.gc.ca/publications/pdfs/81-86_administrative_2006_eng.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326043231/http://www.pptc.gc.ca/publications/pdfs/81-86_administrative_2006_eng.pdf |archive-date=26 March 2009 |access-date=19 May 2009 |series=4.4 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |publication-date=28 June 2006 |location=Ottawa |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Despite the wide theoretical extent of the sovereign's powers, in actual practice he or she exercises them only through or with the advice of the Prime Minister and [[Cabinet of Canada|Cabinet]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Forsey |first=Eugene |url=http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/idb/forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf |title=How Canadians Govern Themselves |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-662-39689-5 |edition=6 |location=Ottawa |page=1 |author-link=Eugene Forsey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090325074418/http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/idb/forsey/PDFs/How_Canadians_Govern_Themselves-6ed.pdf |archive-date=25 March 2009 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all |accessdate=14 May 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Marleau |first1=Robert |last2=Montpetit |first2=Camille |year=2000 |title=House of Commons > 1. Parliamentary Institutions |url=http://www2.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5&Lang=E&Print=2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828112251/http://www.parl.gc.ca/MarleauMontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?DocId=1001&Lang=E&Print=2&Sec=Ch01&Seq=5 |archive-date=28 August 2011 |accessdate=28 September 2009 |publisher=Queen's Printer for Canada |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Within the [[Constitutional_conventions_of_the_United_Kingdom|constitutional conventions]] of the [[Westminster system]], the sovereign's freedom of action or personal choice in any area of governance is quite limited.<ref name="MacLeod16">{{Harvnb|MacLeod|2015|p=16}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Russell |first=Peter |title=And no one cheered: federalism, democracy, and the Constitution Act |date=1983 |page=217 |editor-last=Banting |editor-first=Keith G. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sUwOAAAAQAAJ |contribution=Bold Statecraft, Questionable Jurisprudence |location=Toronto |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-458-95950-1 |editor2-last=Simeon |editor2-first=Richard}}</ref>

===Executive power===
[[File:Prime Ministers of Canada to 1963.jpg|right|thumb|[[List of prime ministers of Canada|Canada's Prime Ministers]] from 1867 to 1963. The [[Prime Minister of Canada]] serves as the [[head of government]].]]
; [[Head of government]]: [[Mark Carney]], [[Prime Minister of Canada]] (since March 14, 2025).

; Cabinet: [[The Ministry|Ministers]] (usually around thirty) chosen by the prime minister and appointed by the governor general to lead various ministries and agencies, generally with regional representation. Traditionally most, if not all, cabinet ministers will be members of the leader's own party in the House of Commons or Senate (see [[Cabinet of Canada]]); however this is not legally or constitutionally mandated, and occasionally, the prime minister will appoint a cabinet minister from another party.

; Elections : The monarchy is hereditary. The governor general is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister for a non-specific term, though it is traditionally approximately five years. Following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is usually designated by the governor general to become prime minister.
{{Further|Monarchy of Canada|Monarchy in the Canadian provinces|Lieutenant Governor (Canada) |Premier (Canada)|Elections in Canada}}

===Legislative power===
The [[Bicameralism|bicameral]] [[Parliament of Canada]] consists of three parts: the [[Monarchy of Canada|monarch]], the [[Senate of Canada|Senate]], and the [[House of Commons of Canada|House of Commons]].

Currently, the Senate, which is frequently described as providing regional representation, has 105 members appointed by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister to serve until age 75. It was created with equal representation from the three regions of Ontario, Quebec, and the Maritimes (originally New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, expanded in 1873 to include Prince Edward Island). In 1915, a new Western division was created, with six senators from each of the four western provinces, so that each of the four regions had 24 seats in the Senate. When Newfoundland and Labrador joined Confederation in 1949, it was not included in an existing region and was assigned six seats. Each of the three territories has one seat. It is not based on representation-by-population. The normal number of senators can be exceeded by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister, as long as the additional senators are distributed equally with regard to region (up to a total of eight additional Senators). This power of additional appointment has only been used once, when Prime Minister [[Brian Mulroney]] petitioned [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] to add eight seats to the Senate so as to ensure the passage of the [[Goods and Services Tax (Canada)|Goods and Services Tax]] legislation.

[[File:Colline du Parlement, Édifice du Centre 04.jpg|thumb|A democratically elected body, the [[House of Commons of Canada]] is one of three components of the [[Parliament of Canada]].]]

The House of Commons currently has 343 members elected in [[single-member district]]s in a [[Plurality voting|plurality voting system]] (first past the post), meaning that members must attain only a [[Plurality (voting)|plurality]] (the most votes of any candidate) rather than a [[majority]]. The [[Electoral district (Canada)|electoral districts]] are also known as [[Riding (division)|ridings]].

Mandates cannot exceed five years; an election must occur by the end of this time. This fixed mandate has been exceeded only once, when Prime Minister [[Robert Borden]] perceived the need to do so during World War I. A [[British North America Acts#British North America Act, 1916|constitutional amendment]] was passed, extending the life of the Parliament by one year, by the unanimous consent of the House of Commons. The size of the House and [[Apportionment (politics)|apportionment]] of seats to each province is revised after every decennial census, conducted every ten years, and is based on population changes and approximately on representation-by-population.

===Elections and government formation===
{{More citations needed section|date=October 2018}}
[[Canadians]] vote for the election of their local [[Member of Parliament (Canada)|member of parliament]] (MP) only. A vote is cast directly for a candidate. The candidate in each riding who receives a plurality of votes ([[First-past-the-post voting|first-past-the-post system]]) is elected.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Elections Canada |date=2022-10-17 |title=The Electoral System of Canada |url=https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=ces&document=part1&lang=e#p11 |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=www.elections.ca}}</ref> An MP need not be a member of any political party: such MPs are known as [[Independent politician|independents]]. When a number of MPs share political opinions they may form a body known as a [[political party]].

The ''[[Canada Elections Act]]'' defines a political party as "an organization one of whose fundamental purposes is to participate in public affairs by endorsing one or more of its members as candidates and supporting their election." Forming and registering a federal political party are two different things. There is no legislation regulating the formation of federal political parties. [[Elections Canada]] cannot dictate how a federal political party should be formed or how its legal, internal and financial structures should be established.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=pol&dir=pol/bck&document=index&lang=e|title=Registration of Federal Political Parties|first=Elections|last=Canada|website=elections.ca|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180201235534/http://elections.ca/content.aspx?section=pol&dir=pol%2Fbck&document=index&lang=e|archive-date=2018-02-01}}</ref>

Most parties elect their leaders in [[Instant-runoff voting|instant-runoff elections]] to ensure that the winner receives more than 50% of the votes. Normally the party leader stands as a candidate to be an MP during an election. This happens at [[leadership convention]]s. Canada's parliamentary system empowers political parties and their party leaders. Where one party gets a majority of the seats in the House of Commons, that party is said to have a "majority government." Through party discipline, the party leader, who is elected in only one riding, exercises a great deal of control over the cabinet and the parliament.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Canada |first=Elections |date=2023-01-18 |title=FAQs on Leadership Contests |url=https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=med&document=lea_faq&lang=e&cid=e |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=www.elections.ca}}</ref>

Historically, the [[Prime Minister of Canada|prime minister]] and senators are selected by the [[Governor General of Canada|Governor General]] as a representative of the King, though in modern practice the monarch's duties are ceremonial. Consequently, the prime minister, while technically selected by the Governor General, is for all practical purposes selected by the party with the majority of seats. That is, the party that gets the most seats normally forms the government, with that party's leader becoming prime minister. The prime minister is not directly elected by the general population, although the prime minister is almost always directly elected as an MP within his or her constituency.

Often the most popular party in an election takes a majority of the seats, even if it did not receive a majority of the vote. However, as there are usually three or more political parties represented in parliament, often no party takes a majority of the seats. A [[minority government]] occurs when the party that holds the most seats in the House of Commons holds fewer seats than the opposition parties combined. Where no party is given a majority, the defeated Ministry may choose to stay in office until defeated on a vote of confidence in the House, or it may resign. If it resigns, the Governor General will ask the leader of the opposition party most likely to enjoy the confidence of the House to form a government;<ref>https://www.ourcommons.ca/procedure/procedure-and-practice-3/ch_01_2-e.html</ref> however, for the government to survive and to pass laws, the leader chosen must have the support of the majority of the House, meaning they need the support of the elected members of at least one other party. This can be done on a case-by-case basis, through a coalition government (which has only occurred once at the federal level, the [[10th Canadian Ministry|Unionist government]] formed during World War I) or through a [[confidence-and-supply agreement]] (such as the one the Liberals and the NDP signed in 2022).