What are Members of Parliament and provincial representatives responsible for?
- Appointing judges and commanding the army
- Choosing the Sovereign
- Passing laws, approving and monitoring expenditures, and keeping the government accountable
- Running municipal transit
Answer: Passing laws, approving and monitoring expenditures, and keeping the government accountable
In Canada’s parliamentary democracy, the people elect members to the House of Commons in Ottawa and to the provincial and territorial legislatures. These representatives pass laws, approve and monitor spending, and keep the government accountable.
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.