Canada P olitical system加拿大政治體系

CanadaPoliticalsystemTeam9IntroductionCanada’spoliticalsystemwasgreatlyinfluencedbythetwomajorforeignforces:BritainandAmerica.Government:Federalparliamentarydemocracyandconstitutionalmonarchy.Canada’ssystemofgovernmentwasbasedontheBritishsystemofparliamentarydemocracy,referredtoas“Westminster-style”democracy.IntroductionTheParliamentofCanada:

theHouseofCommons(下議院),andtheSenate(參議院)Canadaisafederation(聯(lián)邦制)---tenprovincesandthreeterritories,eachwiththeirowngovernment,whichhavejoinedtoformonecountry.Thegovernmentofthewholecountryisreferredtoasthe“federalgovernment”(聯(lián)邦政府).MonarchyTheofficialheadofstateistheQueen,whoisalsothequeenofotherformerBritishcolonies.Shesymbolizesthenation'sunitybuthasnorealpower.theQueenisrepresentedbyanofficialcalledGovernorGeneral.thecurrentQueenistheBritishmonarchQueenElizabethII.TheExecutiveThePrimeMinister

ThefederalgovernmentTheprovincialgovernmentTerritorialgovernment目錄TheGovernorGeneralCanadiangovernmentdividedThePrimeMinisterThe

Prime

Minister

is

often

the

leader

of

the

majority

party

in

Parliament,

and

selects

the

ministers

who

make

up

the

Cabinet,

they

exercise

executive

power

as

the

“Government”,andareresponsibleonlytotheHouseofCommons.ThePrimeMinister'sOffice(PMO)isakeyfeatureoftheCanadianpowerstructureand,overtheyears,thePMOhasbeenseenasmoreandmorepowerful.Ministersgenerallycomefromoneofthetwochambersofthelegislatureand,iftheyarenotalreadyintheCommonsortheSenate,theywillquicklybeelectedornominatedrespectively.thesizeoftheCabinet（內(nèi)閣）isamatterforthePrimeMinisterandthereforefluctuatesfromthelower20stoalmost40.Cabinet(內(nèi)閣）abodyof

ministersoftheCrown

that,alongwiththe

Canadianmonarch,andwithinthetenetsofthe

Westminstersystem,formsthe

governmentofCanada.Chairedbythe

primeminister,the

Cabinet

isacommitteeofthe

Queen'sPrivyCouncilforCanada

andtheseniorechelonofthe

Ministry,themembershipoftheCabinetandMinistryoftenbeingco-terminal;therearecurrentlyfivemembersofthelatterwhoarenotalsomembersoftheformer.theCabinetisinformallyreferredtoeitherinrelationtotheprimeministerinchargeofitor,moreformally,thenumberofministriessinceConfederation.ThecurrentcabinetistheHarperCabinet,whichispartofthe28thMinistry.TheGovernorGeneralTheGovernorGeneralholdsthehighestpositionandistheoreticallythesourceofexecutivepower.Inpractice,however,theGovernorGeneralisonlythesymbolicexecutivewhocanactonlyontheadviceoftheCanadianPrimeMinisterandtheCabinet.ResponsibilitiesTo

summon

the

House

of

Common

and

the

Senate.To

give

Royal

Assent

to

all

federal

laws

passed

by

the

House.To

open

and

end

session

of

ParliamentTodissolveParliamentbeforeanelectionCanadiangovernmentdividedThe

federal

government:

It

shares

many

of

the

provincial

government’s

features.

Besides,

it

has

a

second

chamber

equivalent

to

the

Canadian

Senate.

Theprovincialgovernment:AlieutenantGovernorrepresentstheKingorQueenineachprovince;theirdutiesaresimilartothoseoftheGovernorGeneralTerritorial

government:

Three

territories

have

their

own

governments

but

with

less

power

than

those

of

the

province.Thelegislative

theHouseofCommonsIntheCanadianpoliticalsystem,thelowerchamberistheHouseofCommonswhichtakesitsnamefromthelowerhouseintheBritishpoliticalsystem.TheCommonsconsistsof308membersknownas-liketheirBritishcounterparts-MembersofParliament(MPs).Membersareelectedbythefirst-past-the-postsystemineachofthecountry'selectoraldistricts.SeatsintheHouseofCommonsaredistributeroughlyinproportiontothepopulationofeachprovinceandterritory,butsomeridingsaremorepopulousthanothersandtheCanadianconstitutioncontainssomespecialprovisionsregardingprovincialrepresentation.ThemaximumtermofMPsisfouryearsbutitiscommonforageneralelectiontobecalledafteralesserperiod.theHouseofCommonsismuchthemorepowerfulofthetwochambers.Althoughalllegislationhastobeapprovedbybothchambers,inpracticethewilloftheelectedHouseusuallyprevailsoverthatoftheappointedSenate.theSenatetheupperchamberistheSenatewhichtakesitsnamefromtheupperhouseintheAmericanpoliticalsystem.TheSenatechamberislocatedintheParliamentBuildingsinOttawa.theSenateconsistsof105membersappointedbytheGovernor-GeneralontheadviceofthePrimeMinister.Seatsareassignedonaregionalbasis,witheachofthefourmajorregionsreceiving24seats,andtheremainingnineseatsbeingassignedtosmallerregions.fourmajorregions:

provincesofQuébec(24seats),provincesofOntario(24seats),theMaritimeprovinces（10eachforNovaScotiaandNewBrunswickandfourforPrinceEdwardIsland),andtheWesternprovinces(sixeachforManitoba,BritishColumbia,SaskatchewanandAlberta)all

those

summoned

to

the

Senate

by

the

viceroy

must

be

a

minimum

of

30

years

old,

and

own

property

with

a

net

worth

of

at

least

$4,000,

in

addition

to

owning

land

worth

no

less

than

$4,000

within

the

province

he

or

she

is

to

represent.

Its

main

function

is

to

accept

or

reject

the

suggestion

of

the

House

of

Commons.TheJudiciaryfour-levelstructureLevel1:

TheSupremeCourt.ItservesasthefinalcourtofappealsinCanada.Ithearsbothcivilandcriminalappealsfromdecisionofthecourtsofappealsinalltheprovincesandterritories.ItplaysaspecialroleasadvisertothefederalgovernmentonquestionsconcerningtheConstitutionandcontroversialcomplicatedareasofprivateandpubliclaw.Level

2:

The

Federal

Court

of

Appeal

and

the

various

provincial

courts

of

appeals.

Level

3:

The

Federal

Court,

The

Tax

Court

of

Canada,

The

provincial

and

the

territorial

superior

courts

of

general

jurisdiction.

Level

4:

Provincial

courts.

PoliticalPartiesTheLiberalParty（自由黨）ThemostfavoredandinfluentialpoliticalpartyinCanada,foundedin1867,andhasoftenovertheyearsheldamajorityintheCanadianHouseofCommons,andatothertimesstillremainedasubstantialamountofseats.Thispartycombinesaliberalsocialpolicywithamoderateeconomicpolicy.TheConservativeParty（保守黨）TherightwingpoliticalpartyinCanadawasformedbythemergeroftheCanadianAllianceandtheProgressiveConservativePartyinDecember2003.TheReformPartyhadbeenthechiefpoliticalpartytoopposetheLiberal

partyforanumberofyears.In2006,thepartyachievedamajorvictorywiththeelectionofitscandidateforPrimeminister,StephenHarper.TheNewDemocraticParty

（新民主黨）ItisasocialdemocraticpartyinCanada,foundedin1961,incorporatingtwootherCanadianparties,theCooperativeCommonwealthFederationandtheCanadianLaborCongress.Thepartyrepresentstheleft-wingposition