POSC 110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Energistics, Responsible Government, Werneck
Document Summary
Canadians elect people to represent them in parliament the legislative branch of government but the political process is driven by the executive branch of government. Under the rules of the constitution, all executive authority is invested with the. The duties of the queen are normally handled by the governor general. They constitute the formal executive at the apex of canada"s political system. Prerogative (or reserve) powers of the governor general: By convention, the power to make political decisions lies with the political executive: the prime minister and the other ministers in the cabinet. The prime minister is the head of government. Cabinet ministers are responsible for the specific departments and agencies of the government. Cabinet is the buckle that fastens the departments and agencies of the government to parliament. Guidelines for cabinet formation: linguistic balance, each province must be represented according to population, at least to the extent possible, equitable non-territorial representation, ensure internal party harmony, merit.
