What is the Cabinet?
- Advisors elected by the Senate
- The Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers, who run the federal government departments
- The judges of the Supreme Court
- The opposition party leaders
Answer: The Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers, who run the federal government departments
The Prime Minister chooses the Cabinet ministers, mostly from among MPs, and they run the federal government departments. Together, the Prime Minister and the ministers form the Cabinet, which prepares the budget and proposes most new laws.
Learn more: Parliamentary democracy
- Elected representatives pass laws, approve and monitor expenditures, and keep the government accountable.
- Parliament has three parts: the Sovereign (King or Queen), the Senate and the House of Commons.
- The House of Commons is the representative chamber of Members of Parliament (MPs), elected by the people, traditionally every four years.
- Senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and serve until age 75.
- The Prime Minister is Head of Government, selects the Cabinet ministers and is responsible for the operations and policy of the government.
- Cabinet ministers run federal government departments; the Cabinet prepares the budget and proposes most new laws. All MPs can question its decisions.
- Cabinet must keep the “confidence of the House” and must resign if defeated in a non-confidence vote. A vote on the budget is a matter of confidence.
- The federal government and Parliament sit in Ottawa, chosen as the capital by Queen Victoria in 1857.