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The Federal Government of Canada
The Provincial Government of BC
The Municipal Government of Kelowna
Mayor: Colin Basran
City Councilors: • Maxine DeHart
• Gail Given
• Mohini Singh
• Luke Stack
• Charlie Hodge
• Tracy Gray
• Ryan Donn
• Brad Sieben
The six operational departments run by the City Directors:
• Protection of persons and property (ie. management of local firefighting and policing services)
• Local transportation (ie. management of, rail services, public bus, and roadway construction and maintenance)
• Planning and development (ie. industrial/economic development and municipal zoning )
• Public utilities (ie. management of water treatment, local sewage systems,and electric utilities)
• Local social-welfare services (ie. management of local health, social assistance services, and library and educational facilities, )
• Parks, recreation, and culture (ie. development and management of public recreation facilities,local parks and green spaces, and art and cultural programs and events.)
Just like the the Premier, BC’s Cabinet has pretty much had the same role since it started up. The first Woman MLA, Mary Ellen Smith, coincidentally became the first woman Cabinet minister as well. BC's Cabinet is made up of the Premier and Cabinet Ministers. The Lieutenant Governor appoints the Cabinet Ministers with advice from the Premier. The Cabinet Ministers are in charge of a particular Government ministry. When the Cabinet is executing their powers, the Cabinet is called the Executive Council because a Cabinet has no legal basis and isn't a formal body. The Cabinet Ministers have to be accountable to the House for their actions and plans, making it a responsible Government. The Premier can decide how long the Cabinet Minister will remain in his/her office for, but when the Premier resigns, he/she disbands the Cabinet. This doesn't mean that the Executive Council as a whole or the cabinet ministers as individuals are forced to resign though. The Cabinet proposes new laws and changes old ones. The bills and legislation proposed by the Cabinet cannot be passed until it has gone through the Legislative Assembly, but it can decide which issues are dealt with and in which order. Cabinets also are in charge of developing policies to deal with the issues facing the province, preparing legislation to be presented to the Legislative Assembly, submitting government spending requirements to the Legislative Assembly for approval, and making sure the policies and laws of the province are carried out.
The Judiciary Branch, like the other three, was created in 1867 when Canada adopted Britain’s political system. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom, enacted in 1982 forms part on the Canadian Constitution and had tested our Judiciary System. It gives us rights to freedom and that everyone is equal before the law of Canada. It gives our courts the responsibility of deciding if a legislation is against the Constitution or not. Many issues have risen from the judges having to make difficult decisions on individual liberties and rights, for example, abortion. In 1971, the Federal Court was established. It is one of Canada’s more important courts that has been created. The Federal Court still plays important roles in our Government today. It makes sure our system is just and fair. The Federal Court affects many people and faces many important issues. In 2003 the Federal Court was divided in two, the Federal Court - Trial Division and the Federal Court - Appeal Division. The Judicial Branch is made up of courts and judges.The role of Canada's Judicial Branch is to apply the Governments laws to everyday situations. The Judicial Branch has powers to interpret law to make changes to laws when called for in specific situations. Unlike the Legislative and Executive Branches, the Judicial Branch is independent. It is the branch responsible for administering justice, interpreting the law, settling questions about specific legal issues, hearing cases, and determining questions of innocence, guilt or liability to settle disputes. The courts enforce the rules of law and see the the Government acts legally and complies with any constitutional rules.
Since BC’s first Premier, the person in charge has always had the same role, leading the cabinet. Our province has had many Premiers in its past. Before 1903, BC had around as many Premiers as it has had since. In 1934, the Special Powers Act that lasted one year, gave the Government control over all provincial matters. This act was only imposed for the year and has never been brought up since. The first Woman Premier in Canadian history was in BC. Her name was Rita Johnson and she was appointed the role of Premier in 1991. The Premier is the leader of the party with the most elected MLAs and is appointed to his/her position by Lieutenant Governor. The Premier's authorities depend greatly on his/her relationships with the other MLAs, his/her political party, and the public.The Premier leads the Executive Council, and is also the leader of BC's Government. Other important responsibilities the Premier has is, advising the Lieutenant Governor on decisions, communicating between their own government, other provincial/territorial governments, the federal government, and international governments, and leading the execution of the Governments policies.
The Executive Branch of Canada is made up of the Queen, represented by the Governor General, the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and the public services. Its main functions are to enforce and apply the laws made by the legislative branch. This branch is responsible for proposing legislation, presenting budgets to the legislative branch and enacting and implementing laws. Although the makeup of Canada’s executive branch has stayed the same since the BNA act, other changes have occurred. For example, during these past few decades, the power of the Prime Minister has been increasing as the Cabinets influence has been declining. Power in the Executive Branch today depends on the Prime Ministers priorities. The Executive Branch works with the Legislative Branch to keep Canadian Government running smoothly.
In 1867, only a tiny section of people were qualified to vote. The right to vote in federal elections was determined by each province and not set by federal law. This resulted with people of certain races withheld of their voting rights. During the first federal election, only men over the age of 21 who met the many qualifications could vote and be a part of the federal election. women and many ethnicitities were denied a vote. Today, a Canadian citizen, temporary or permanent, who is over the age of 18 can vote in their electoral district or run themselves. As you can tell, many changes had to happen for this to occur, and they didn't all happen at once. In 1867, First Nation men who denied their heritage and disowned their right to be considered a part of their communities were enfranchised (allowed to vote). By 1885, this changed to all Aboriginal people depending on the province. In 1900, Black-Canadian men were enfranchised under the condition that they met the income and property requirements as well as being 21 years old. During 1914, First Nations in the military gained suffrage and in 1915, military electors were allowed to vote by mail while in service. In 1917, voting rights were extended to the military members who were overseas where their votes were transferred to the ridings decided by the Canadian Government. Also in 1917, Women who were British subjects were given suffrage if they had a close relative in the military and men who didn't meet property requirements, but had a son or grandson in the military were temporarily enfranchised. By 1918, women gained a vote if they were not part of one of the excluded ethnic groups and in 1920, suffrage rights were determined by federal law rather than provincial law. In 1920, some citizens who were born foreign were still not allowed to vote. During the year of 1929, the Privy Council of England overruled Canadian Government and declared women legal persons. In 1948, it was established that race is no longer allowed as a valid reason for denying a person suffrage, but it took until 1950 before the Inuit were allowed their vote. In 1955, Doukhgobor, Mennonites, and Hutterites were enfranchised and in 1960 all first nations gained the right to vote. By 1993, even some prisoners gained a vote. Many years and changes later, we have got to where we are today.
The main responsibilities of a Municipal Government can vary, but are generally, water, sewage, waste collection, public transit, land use planning, libraries, emergency services, animal control, and economic development. A lower-tier Municipal Government is led by a Mayor or Reeve and include Cities, Towns, Townships, and Municipalities. Upper tier Municipal Governments are lead by a Chair or Warden and include Districts, Counties, and Regions. Provincial/territorial Governments can create modify, eliminate, and control the powers of Municipal Governments.
Canada's Legislative Branch is made up of the House of Commons, the Senate, the Governor General, the Speaker of the House, and the political parties who are represented in the houses. This branch is made up by those who make laws, vote on taxes and money matters, and help citizens make laws as well. It provides a place to debate political issues and is the branch that has the responsibility of making laws. The public can represent itself in this branch through the members who have been elected to represent their area. No bill can pass into a law unless it has been through this branch. One of this branches other responsibilities is to give the executive branch the opinion of the public. The Legislative Branch has always had these responsibilities since 1867 and has been carrying out its functions to make the Canadian Government work well and function as a whole.
Canada's territorial expansion was pushed by fear that the US would try and connect its northern and southern land through BC. It was also to ensure that the English language spread across Canada. Although provincial and territorial governments have many similar responsibilities, like, property and civil rights, administration of justice, natural resources and the environment, education, health, and welfare, they are in fact quite different. Both have a representation of the Queen, but in provincial government it’s called the Lieutenant Governor and in territorial Government, its called the Commissioner. A province exists in its own right, a creation of the Constitution Acts, 1867 - 1982. A territory, however, is created through federal law. Crown lands in the territories are retained by the federal government, where as provinces own provincial lands in the Crown. When changes are proposed in the Government, provincial Governments get a vote and a say, the territorial Governments do not. The Constitutional amending formula doesn't include territorial Governments, and Federal Parliament can take part in any of the Provincial type affairs of a territorial Government, but in a provincial Government, it can't.
Since the Senate’s first sitting on November 16th, 1867, it has changed in quite a few ways. The Senate used to contain 72 members, but as the
country grew in size demographically and physically, the amount of Senators increased with it. The provinces and Territories were given more seats in the Senate as it grew larger. Parties and amounts of senators in each party has changed. Many committees were created throughout the years to focus on different things. Some committees were also restructured as well. The first big confrontation that the senate had with the House of Commons was in 1875 when the Senate rejected a bill for a railway. The Constitution act of 1915 allowed the Western division to be created, giving the Western provinces from Manitoba to BC six seats each in the Senate. This act also gave Newfoundland six seats when it joined the Confederation in 1949. In 1918, the Senate was allowed to amend common money bills. In 1930, Cairine MacKay Wilson, became Canada’s first woman Senator and was the start of allowing women into the Senate. In 1972, it was ruled that the Parliament is not allowed to fundamentally alter the Senate, honoring section 91 of the BNA act. When the Constitution Act of 1982 was passed, the parliament got the authority to amend provisions related to the Senate in the Constitution of Canada. It also gave the Senate a suspensive veto of 180 days. In 1987, a proposed new procedure made sure a person couldn’t be appointed a seat in the senate if they weren’t acceptable to both levels of the Government. The Senate made major changes to procedural practices and rules in 1991, one of its most important revisions. In 1992, seats were added to the senate to represent the Aboriginal peoples. Other changes and rules were made, one giving the Senate the ability to act within 30 days to force supply bills to be re passed by the House of Commons. The modal for how the Canadian senate is today was taken from some of the British North American colonies that had bicameral legislatures. In the constitution, it states that Senators are appointed to their position by the Governor General and that the legislature must be filled with an equality of regional divisions. Senators must be Canadian citizens, hold a property in the province they were appointed to, and be at least thirty years old. Senators were appointed to their position for life before 1965, but the constitution act changed it to what it is today. All Senators must retire at the age of 75. The Constitution also states that there cannot be more than 113 senators and we have always stuck to that la. Because of the appointment system in place to pick Senators, it is different that the House of Commons whose members are elected. Senators are appointed by the Governor General who makes the decision with the Prime Ministers advice. The Senators usually have more political experience and are generally older. The role of the Canadian Senate is to study and examine bills passed by the House of Commons, pick up on any of the bill's flaws that may have been missed, and question the bill's effectiveness. They do this by studying the bill over three sittings, as well as during a committee sitting. They also participate in chamber sessions, represent a specific regions interests, hold business meetings, manage offices, regularly travel to their regions, and take part in committees. During committee work Senators study social, legal, and economic issues. No bill can become a law unless it has been passed by the Senate and has been approved rather than rejected. For a bill to be approved, it must have the majority support in the Senate. If the vote is tied, the bill is to be defeated. Although the Senate can introduce bills, any bill about spending public money or imposing taxes can only be introduced in the House of Commons. Most Senators are part of the opposition and they all have designated seats in the chamber, Senators can sit as part of a party or as an individual. In Canada, the Senate is only one of our two legislative bodies, making it part of a bicameral system. Seats in the Senate are specifically distributed to give regions a just representation based on their population. Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and British Columbia all have six seats in the Senate, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia both have ten, Quebec and Ontario both have twenty-four, the Yukon, Nunavut, and the North West Territories each have one, and Prince Edward Island has four making a total of one hundred and five seats in the Senate.
Since 1867, there have been MP's voting on bills and making our government what it is. Although things about the MP's have changed, their main duties have not. An MP in Canada's main role is to debate and vote on bills. In the chamber MP's must represent the views of their constituents, discuss issues that affect Canada nationally, and make the Government account for its actions. MP's get their position by running in a federal election. The provinces/territories that have larger populations have more MP's in the House of Commons. MP's sit on committees and study bills thoroughly. MP's also study issues that are important to Canada, like health and finances. They determine strategies and policies in caucus meetings with their parties. In these meetings they express the views of their constituents and ask any questions they have for their leader. The MP's also have the responsibility of answering any questions their constituents have that is related to the federal Government, like visas, or income tax. These main responsibilities of an MP can be summarized into four main categories, law-making activity (presenting and creating laws, examining bills), constituency service activity (assisting constituents and providing them with info and advice on Government programs), party responsibilities (represent party positions, sit with party in chamber, and carry out responsibilities needed), and surveillance activity (scrutinize Government activity and find issues/concerns in Governments work). A whip is the person who makes sure that members of a party are carrying out their responsibilities and being a part of the team.
Although the House of Commons has stayed similar since 1867, it has also changed in many ways. Since 1867, the House of Commons has
expanded a large amount. There were 181 members of the House of Commons when it started, now there are 301. When the BNA act was signed, the amount of seats in the House of Commons were filled using the representation by population method as explained in the constitution, but soon after, that concept was considered negotiable when provinces were seeking admittance. Although there have been instances in the past where this rule was not used, and some controversies were born because of it, now we use the rule when filling the seats in the House of Commons. In 1915, an amendment to the constitution was adopted and is still in effect today. It is called the “senatorial clause” and was made to protect the smaller provinces from losing more seats due to a decline in their population. The clause states that a province cannot have less seats in the House of Commons than in the Senate. It didn’t help like it was meant to and in 1974, a new idea was proposed into the Representation Act of 1974. It was another way to make sure that none of the provinces would lose more seats. Other acts were made delivering new formulas to calculate representation by population, in fact, every decade since the 60’s, a new legislation to suspend or amend the redistribution process has been adopted by the parliament. In 1985, the Representation Act of 1985 created another new way to calculate the Senates representation, commencing with 282 seats. The number of seats each province was given was obtained by dividing the provinces population by the electoral quotient. Any necessary adjustments are then made once the number is obtained. After the 1997 election, the Senate grew to 301 seats. Today, the House of Commons contains 308 seats. Newfoundland and Labrador have seven, New Brunswick has ten, Nova Scotia has eleven, Manitoba has fourteen, PEI has four, Alberta has twenty-eight, Quebec has seventy-five, Saskatchewan has fourteen, The Yukon, Nunavut, and the Northwest Territories each have one, BC has thirty-six, and Ontario has one hundred and six. The electoral district boundaries are constantly changing as the populations in the provinces are changing. In the beginning, the Government would describe the boundaries of the electoral districts in the form of a bill, but it was criticized for being biased towards the governing party’s success. This had to be altered, but remained in place until the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act passed in 1964 which assigned the creating of electoral boundaries to non-partisan commissions. In 1994, The electoral Boundaries Readjustment Suspension Act was passed to suspend the readjustment process until a new boundary readjustment legislation was passed. After a new electoral boundary readjustment legislation was not passed, the reports of the electoral boundaries commissions were tabled by the speaker and the boundaries were adjusted. Now, each province is appointed its own electoral boundary commission. Members of the Senate, House of Commons, and provincial/territorial legislature can be a part of these commissions. The population of each constituency must be as close to the product from dividing the provincial population by their amount of seats as possible. Many Canadian laws started as bills in the House of Commons. Members of the House of Commons mostly spend time on debating and voting for or against bills. In the chamber they must represent the views of their constituents and discuss national issues. They make the Government explain and account for its actions. Members of the House of Commons have to run in a federal election held around every four years in order to be a member. The candidates who get the most votes in their riding are elected into the house. Each Province and/or Territory has to have at least the same amount of members in the House of Commons as it has in the Senate. The seats in the House of Commons are distributed to represent each province/territory's population in proportion. The larger the population, the more seats it has in the house.
British Columbia’s first Legislative Assembly was elected in 1871. It started off with 25 members and now there are 85 members. The Lieutenant General has always been the one to call on the head of Government. By 1876, all men who had been a resident of BC for a year and had been in the electoral district for two months could vote. As time passed, more people were allowed to vote members into the Legislative Assembly and more people were allowed to be voted in. For example, as of 1917, women were allowed to be voted into the assembly, and in 1949 the first Aboriginal was elected into the Assembly. The parliament moved into the new parliament buildings in 1897. A period of instability in our Legislature lasted from 1898 to 1903. Candidates ran as individuals around this time instead of the party system that we use today. The intern program was established in 1976. In BC, the Legislative Assembly is made up of the Lieutenant Governor and 85 MLAs who have been elected into the Assembly. MLAs are male and female and come from a diversity of ethnicities in order to reflect the diversity in the population of BC. In the Legislative Assembly, MLAs can be independent, although they are usually part of parties. Just like at the federal level, there is a governing party and an opposition. Important political, economic, and social issues are discussed in the Legislative Assembly. Also like at the federal level, bills that pass through the Assembly must be read three times and are debated, voted on, and then either passed or rejected. The Legislative Assembly's three main responsibilities are, making laws, approving finances, and scrutinizing the Government.
Canada’s cabinet, like the rest of our parliamentary system was formed after the British
Government. The Cabinet is one of Britain’s unwritten customs in its system and specifically takes after Britain’s Privy Council which is the equivalent to our Cabinet. Right away in 1867, the Cabinet of Canada was given powers to govern day to day affairs and was responsible to the legislature. It still holds the same responsibilities today. Our Cabinet consists of Cabinet Ministers who have the responsibilities of overseeing specific areas of public policy, including the Prime Minister who is the head of the Cabinet and Canadian Government. The Prime Minister is the Cabinet's most important member and can dominate the deliberations of the Cabinet and ultimately control the direction of the Canadian Government. Junior Cabinet officials, called Ministers of State, can also be a part of our Governments Cabinet. Their job is generally to help the senior Cabinet Ministers as they don't have their own departments. The Cabinet is made of political officials who make decisions on the directions and policies of Canada and administer the Canadian Government's daily operations. The Cabinet isn't mentioned in the constitution, only the authority that the monarchy has is mentioned, but the Cabinet is what exercises the powers and basically guides the Governor General in what to do, making the role of the Governor General more of a ceremonial role rather than a role with power. Some examples of powers that the Cabinet directs the Governor General in doing are, submitting money bills to Parliament, summoning and dissolving Parliament, appointing key state officials, and others as well. Powers that the Cabinet can create and submit legislation to the parliament to be approved by the legislative houses, and can also shorten or lengthen the time the houses spent deliberating it.The Cabinet is also responsible for acting as a court of appeal for many of these regulatory bodies that oversee the operation of important sectors of the Canadian economy and society. The Cabinet Ministers must set departmental priorities and work out the bureaucratic organization of their departments as well. They also have to be a part of the firing and hiring in their department's key personnel.
The Lieutenant Governor has always been the one to call up the leader of the government. Now he calls the leader of the party with the most votes, but when there were no parties, they would call the leader who had confidence from the most members of the Legislative Assembly. The Lieutenant Governor has had relatively the same duties since 1867 and has always been in BC to represent the queen. As time has passed, there has been more diversity in the people who get the role of Lieutenant Governor. In 2001, BC’s first Woman Lieutenant Governor was appointed, and in 2007, BC’s first Aboriginal Lieutenant Governor was appointed. The Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen at a provincial level and fulfills the Queens daily duties in a province. In the modern day, the role of the Lieutenant Governor is mainly ceremonial as he/she will generally act on the advice of the Premier. Political decisions that fall into the Lieutenant Governors responsibilities are usually made by the Cabinet. There have been instances in our past where the Lieutenant Governor has refused to act on the Premiers advice, but it is rare. Some of the Lieutenant Governors main responsibilities are, signing off on bills so that they can pass into laws, opening and closing sessions in the Legislative Assembly, dissolving the assembly before provincial elections, appointing judges to provincial courts, and inviting the leader of the party with the most votes to form the Government of BC.
Canada first became a country in the year of 1867 when the British North America (BNA) act was passed. The purpose of the BNA act was to pull Canada's provinces together and set the basic rules of our legal Government. Its other purpose was to set the powers that the Provincial and Federal Governments have. The Federal Government can’t make laws that have to do with matters of the provincial jurisdiction and the same goes for the Provincial Government. If one does make a law that intrudes on the other, the courts will strike it down. The BNA act sets the foundation of which our Government today is based upon. After the BNA act was passed, Sir John A. Macdonald won the election against George Brown, becoming Canada's first Prime Minister. He opened the first Canadian Parliament in Ottawa November of that year.
Premier - Christy Clark
Lieutenant Governor - Judith Guichon
MLA for my Riding - Hon. Norm Letnick
Leader of the Opposition - John Horgan
Although our MLA’s have had a similar role, the process of their selection has changed quite a bit. In the early days after the signing of the BNA act, there were no parties. People ran for seats as individuals and formed alliances with each other, usually not based on political principals. In 1903, the first election that involved parties occurred, containing the Conservative, Liberal, Labor and Socialist Parties. As mentioned earlier, Mary Ellen Smith was BC’s first MLA who was elected as an independent in 1918 and then became part of the liberals. In 1983, Bill Bennett was the first MLA to be forcibly removed from the house for disregarding the Speakers authority. MLAs are elected into their position in the Legislative Assembly. They represent their constituents during sessions, when participating in debates, when raising questions and issues that might concern them, when presenting petitions on their behalf, and during the processes of introducing public and private bills. When MLAs are not sitting in the house or in a committee, they are usually at their offices in their constituency so that they can provide their constituents with advice guidance, and hands-on assistance with anything Government related. MLAs meet with local businesses, individuals, and community groups in their constituency as well so they can stay on top of their constituent’s wants and needs. The committees MLAs sit on, meet throughout the year and talk about economic and social issues that affect the residents of BC. The committees are put together by the house and can be permanent committees that are created to investigate and report on specific issues for the legislative session, or a special committee put together to take a closer look at a single particular issue that is disassembled after its investigation and presentation. During sessions in the house, MLAs study, debate, and vote on bills. They come up with arguments for and against each bill and consider the people in their constituencies before finally deciding to support or reject the bill. Once the MLAs have done the required three readings and voted, the bill can become a law if it was supported by the majority. Any MLA may introduce a bill as well. The MLAs are also responsible for approving the budgets of each ministry granting supply and approving taxes. MLAs must debate and vote on the money requested by the Minister of Finance each spring on behalf of government ministries to fund programs and pay staff.This legislation is passed in a form called a supply bill. If the bill is passed, the government then has the authorization to withdraw from the Consolidated Revenue Fund as long as the amount doesn't exceed the approved budget of the Legislative Assembly. Another responsibility that an MLA has is to hold the Cabinet responsible for whatever they do. The MLAs in opposing parties especially keep a close eye on the Government. MLAs are allowed to ask questions every Monday to Thursday during Question Period, this is the time for them to question the Premier and cabinet ministers about government activities and plans. During Private Members’ Time on Monday mornings, MLAs who aren't part of the Cabinet can discuss matters that they deem important.