POLSCI 1G06 Lecture Notes - Responsible Government, Charlottetown Accord
24 Mar 2014
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Political science 1g06 ii 2013 lecture 3a parliament. Technically speaking, parliament refers to the crown, the house of commons, and the senate. Any law must be approved by all three elements. We made the case last class that under present conditions real political power over legislation lies with the cabinet and in particular with the prime minister. Two reasons: cabinet initiates all major legislation and therefore controls the agenda of the. House: party discipline means that most of the policies that cabinet decides upon will be passed. Viewed as necessary due to the principle of responsible government. The failure to pass a piece of legislation initiated by the cabinet can result in the defeat of the government. Nevertheless, the house of commons does have an important place in the overall political system and a degree of power in turn. In the first place, it determines whether the government will continue to lead or whether it will fall.
