Governing from the Centre

Canada is a Westminster-style Parliamentary democracy .

It  has 14 parliaments. And, until the 1960s, premiers of Ontario were called “prime ministers”.

But we also have a strong executive, similar to the Presidential system in the US.

The Prime Minister is the leader of the political party with the most seats in Parliament.

In theory, Parliament is supposed to have control of taxation and spending

Parliament was originally set up to collect taxes and provide advice and support to the King

It is also a court in its own right.

By the time Canada’s parliaments were established, the British parliaments had pried most important powers out of the hands of monarchs.

At the same time, bureaucracy grew in London as the British economy and empire expanded.

But, until 1832, it was a stretch to call Britain a democracy, and British politicians regularly denounced the idea. (There were only about 200,000 qualified voters in all of the UK before the Reform Bill of 1832).

But by 1867, the party system as we know it, and the modern cabinet system, was already functioning in Canada.

Still, the vote was limited to land-owning men and people had to vote publicly, so the “bought stayed bought.”

Even though there were parties, individual MPs had a tremendous amount of power, and did not have to follow the party line.

The party needed MPs more than MPs needed parties. Why?

       We had a small government. At Confederation in 1867, nearly all of the employees of the entire federal government, other  than postal workers, soldiers and border guards, worked in the OLD buildings on Parliament Hill.
And, until 1931, Canada did not have control over its military and foreign affairs.
Campaigns were small and local
Parties didn’t do much advertising or help candidates financially at election time
MPs could vote out their own leader during a parliamentary session. (This still happens in Britain).
Local party members could pick anyone they wanted to be their candidate.
A lot of MPs were so well-known and influential in their ridings that they could be elected as Independents and decide whether to support individual bills.

Reasons for the Expansion of the Federal Government 

• Wars
• Transportation (the nationalization -- government take-over --of the Canadian National Railway, a giant company after World War I)
• The new powers under the Statute of Westminster 1931
• The creation of the CBC in 1935
• Depression welfare efforts and the Bank of Canada
• More war
• And, most important, the creation of the post-war welfare state
• Cabinet – the ministers who “run” departments, grew from a handful to up to 40 members.
• But the Prime Minister’s Office and his powers grew.

The Ways Prime Ministers Control the Levers of Power

Can call an election at any time
Candidates need party leader’s signature to run
Strong leaders forced parties to get rid of the ability of MPs to fire their party leader
They control all kinds of perks and promotion: cabinet seats, parliamentary secretaries, committee chairs, patronage appointments.
The party leaders control the party money and messaging
The Prime Minister has control of spending, and can approve or deny grants, contracts, etc.
The Prime Minister usually controls the grass roots of the party and can effectively end the career of someone who causes trouble.

The Prime Minister's Control of the Bureaucracy 

Deputy ministers are hired and fired by the Prime Minister, not by ministers
His “deputy minister”, the Clerk of the Privy Council, is in charge of the entire public serviceThe Prime Minister has thousands of jobs at his disposal


Checks and Balances on the Prime Minister 

Parliament (increasingly weak)The courts
The Prime Minister’s party (quite weak)
Public opinion
The voters
Parliamentarians
Party fundraisersLobbyists“StrategistsThe Media
Corporations
The media
Members of the law societies and bar
Non-government organizations of all kinds
Foreign governments (via contacts, summits, diplomats)


How an Idea Becomes a Law

Policy ideas come from the party, bureaucracy, non-government organizations, lobbyists, the courts, and the public
A bill is drafted, usually in the Privy Council Office
The bill gets First Reading
Later, the bill gets second reading, approving the idea of the bill
The bill goes to a parliamentary committee where witnesses may be called to testify
The committee sends a report back to the House of Commons, with amendments
The bill is debated one last time, with the committee’s recommendations considered and voted on.
The bill gets third reading (no debate)
The bill is introduced in the Senate and gets the same kind of first and second reading, committee scrutiny, debate at “report” stage, and third reading.
The bill is then given Royal Assent. Is it a law now? 
Nope.
It still needs to be “proclaimed” and published in the Canada Gazette
Often, the bill does not have much affect until the Cabinet passes regulations (drawn up by the bureaucracy).
Now, through the entire process, lobbyists, interest groups, bureaucrats and politicians lobby the Prime Minister’s Office and the senior bureaucracy for the amendments and regulations that they want.