The H of C

• 3 parts of Parliament:

  • Senate
  • House of Commons
  • Monarch
• bicameral

  • Meaning two tier 
  • Canada has 2 chambers: Senate and House of Commons
  • House of Commons is the lower level
• H of C responsibilities (elected)

  • Forming a government (party with most seats forms government)
  • Passing bills (main role of H of C is to introduce, debate, and pass bills
  • Government accountability (opp. party has responsibility to question and debate government)
  • Budgets and taxes (H of C decided how taxpayer money is distributed across Canada)
  • Representing Canadians (each MP ensures that the people in their constituency are considered)
• Critics: groups of opposition parties
• Shadow Cabinets: opposition parties who are responsible for the same areas of expertise as the governing party’s Cabinet Ministers (sit directly opposite of their counterparts to show that they can switch at any moment. 
• Question Period: 45 mins for Opp. MPs to challenge government on its actions and policies
• Caucus: a group consisting of all parliamentarians from a particular political party that meet on Wednesdays
• 1. The Speaker (sits in big chair)

  • Maintains order
  • Must be impartial
  • Oversees that rules/traditions of the H of C are followed
  • Protects the opposition’s right to be heard
• Government MPs (including PM & Cabinet)

  • Form governing party
  • Propose new bills/laws
• Opposition MPs

  • Challenge government policies
  • Hold government accountable for actions during Question Period
• Prime Minister (sits to right of speaker in 11th chair)

  • Political party leader, government leader, cabinet leader, MP
  • Determines government agenda
• Leader of Official opposition (Sits directly opposite from PM)

  • Leader takes role in debating with the government MPs
• Clerk of the House & Table officers (sit at table in front of speakers Chair called the clerks table)

  • Provide procedural advice to speaker and MPs
  • Provide advice on rules, count votes, keep official records of decisions
• 1. Sergeant-at-Arms (sits opposite to speaker near entrance)

  • Responsible for security/order based off instructions from Speaker
  • Brings out the Mace and escorts speaker to chamber
• Proceedings and Verification Officers

  • Create official records of discussions and decisions
  • Published record in English and French called the Hansard
• Pages

  • First year uni students from across Canada who work for the H of C
  • Carry messages and deliver documents
• Mace

  • Symbol of speakers authority and right of H of C to meet and pass laws (house can’t meet without it)
  • Placed on clerks table
• Bar: a brass railing that guards chamber from unwanted representatives of the Monarch (only MPs and support staff can pass behind)
• Confidence vote: a vote that determines whether the government have the support of the H of C
• Green: H of C is super green, because of its British parliamentary roots (green was the cheapest colour!)
• Red: Senate is red because it is the traditional colour of royalty
• H of C

  • Elected 
  • 338 mps
  • Represented by population
  • Confidence votes
  • Can purpose bills that spend money