Elections
Please explain how the Prime Minister and cabinet are formed in the Canadian Parliamentary system.
Responses to the question: "Please explain how the Prime Minister and cabinet are formed in the Canadian Parliamentary system."
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14 Candidate Responses (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Jamile Ghaddar | Yes | Canada is a constitutional monarchy, whereby sovereignty is vested in the Queen. The Queen's representative, in the form of the Governor General appoints the Prime Minister who by convention is the leader of the Party with the most seats in the House of Commons. S/he also appoints the Cabinet, based on the selection of the Prime Minister.
The Constitution which vests sovereignty in the Queen absolutely while enshrining the rights of the people on a limited basis (i.e. within reasonable limits) is archaic and no longer capable of meeting the demands of the Canadian people for new and modern arrangements which enshrine rights on the basis of being human. |
| Nancy MacBain | Yes | Canada is a constitutional monarchy. Governor General normally asks the party with the most seats to form a government The leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister selects cabinet ministers from his or her own caucus.
If a minority government looses the confidence of the House, the Governor General can invite another party attempt to form the government. In this case, the Prime Minister would be the leader of the party asked to form the government (not the leader of the party with the most seats). |
| Peter Ormond | Yes | Right now, MPs are elected using a first-past-the-post system. Around the world, many countries have a more democratic system that allows for the proportion of representatives in government to be representative of the diverse range of citizen voices. Of the five Canadian political parties that receive funding, the Green Party was the only one NOT included in the televised leadership debate this year. Imagine how Elizabeth May's presence would have changed the entire tone of that discussion? The existing main political parties, media conglomerates and corporate stakeholders do not want E-May in the debate because her perspective and maternal voice will shake the very foundation of Canada's current old boy's network. During this election, Canadians aren't learning about real solutions to real issues. Instead, the issues aren't being discussed, media soundbites control the electorate, and the system rolls on unchallenged, and unchanged. That's why we need Green Votes now more than ever. |
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Lisa Nussey | Yes | Canada is a constitutional monarchy, whereby sovereignty is vested in the Queen. The Queen's representative, in the form of the Governor General appoints the Prime Minister who by convention is the leader of the Party with the most seats in the House of Commons. S/he also appoints the Cabinet, based on the selection of the Prime Minister.
The Constitution which vests sovereignty in the Queen absolutely while enshrining the rights of the people on a limited basis (i.e. within reasonable limits) is archaic and no longer capable of meeting the demands of the Canadian people for new and modern arrangements which enshrine rights on the basis of being human. |
| Michael James Baldasaro | Yes | Prime Minister is Leader of the Elected Majority and the Prime Minister selects the Cabinet. They all take an oath to obey the Queen. As it stands now http://www.mapleleafweb.com/features/prime-minister-cabinet-canada elected officials are forced to swear allegiance to Her Majesty The Queen, Her Just Laws and Courts. To not agree to those terms one would not able to serve. It's time Canada's Prime Minister and Cabinet were sworn "by the people, for the people and of the people". Canada For Canadians First! |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Bob Green Innes | Yes | Prime Minister Harper was formed from stubborn stone, which was then surrounded by stout sticks, forming an impenetrable Cabinet.
Seriously, the present system of having civil servants write legislation that is rammed down the throats of hapless backbenchers only serves the entrenched money interests. The Canadian Action Party is the only party to address this deplorable situation with a complete program of democratic reform as outlined in my first answer. |
| David Hart Dyke | Yes | The Governor General appoints the Prime Minister, who thereafter heads the Cabinet. By convention, this is the person who has the confidence of the House...typically (though not necessarily) the person leading the party with the most seats. |
| Gord Hill | Yes | The Prime Minister is the Leader of the Party which commands the majority of the seats in the House of Commons. There are other variables concerning coalitions, but the same rule applies The Prime Minister Commands the majority of the seats in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister appoints the Cabinet. |
| Greg Pattinson | Yes | The Governor General (as a representative of the Queen) appoints the Prime Minister based on who is believed to best hold the confidence of the House of Commons. This is often the leader of the party that holds the most seats. Alternatively it could be the minority house leader in the case of a coalition government. The cabinet is then appointed on recommendation by the Prime Minister. |
| Wayne Marston | Yes | Canada is a Westminster style parliamentary democracy, modeled after the United Kingdom. The leader of the political party that wins a majority in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister (to gain a majority a party must win 155 seats). If no party wins a majority then the party that wins the most seats is given the first opportunity to form government. If this minority government cannot maintain the confidence of the House, then other parties have the option of appealing to the Monarch (or in our case, the Monarch's vice-regal representative, the Governor General) to form a coalition government.
The Cabinet is appointed by the Prime Minister from the governing party's caucus. |
| Wendell Fields | Yes | Canada is a constitutional monarchy, whereby sovereignty is vested in the Queen. The Queen's representative, in the form of the Governor General appoints the Prime Minister who by convention is the leader of the Party with the most seats in the House of Commons. S/he also appoints the Cabinet, based on the selection of the Prime Minister.
The Constitution which vests sovereignty in the Queen absolutely while enshrining the rights of the people on a limited basis (i.e. within reasonable limits) is archaic and no longer capable of meeting the demands of the Canadian people for new and modern arrangements which enshrine rights on the basis of being human. |
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Marie Bountrogianni | Yes | Contrary to legally inaccurate statements recently made by Stephen Harper, the government is not necessarily formed in Canadian parliamentary democracy by the party that wins the most seats. Rather, the government is formed by whatever party receives the endorsement (the affirming "confidence vote") of the House of Commons, by a vote by the majority of Members, of all parties.
If the party with the most seats does not receive that endorsement, then the Governor General is empowered by the Constitution to invite the Opposition to try to form a government, with the support of the House. The Prime Minister is simply the leader of the governing party. He or she selects cabinet ministers generally from the MPs of the government, or sometimes from the Senate caucus of the governing party. |
| Stephen E. Brotherston | No | I’m sure your readers can figure this one out for themselves. |
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Candidate | Brief Response | Full Response |
| Stephen Bieda | Yes | The Parliament of Canada is composed of three parts: the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons. Each has a distinct role, but work in conjunction within the legislative process. I would like to see our parliamentary system streamlined by reforming Senate to include a diversity of people including aboriginal representation and other minorities.
The PM is chosen by the Governor General on the basis of who has the confidence of the House of Commons. The party with the most seats gets first crack at this, but if they fail, the Governor General is entitled turn to the other parties without an election. |
Response Summary (top)
| Brief Response | Count | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 13 | 92.9% |
| No | 1 | 7.1% |
| Maybe | 0 | 0.0% |
17 Candidates Have Not Responded (top)
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | ||
|---|---|---|
| Anthony Giles | ||
| Dave Braden | ||
| David Sweet | ||
| Hamilton Centre | ||
| Annie Tennier | ||
| David Christopherson | ||
| James W. Byron | ||
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | ||
| Bob Mann | ||
| Brad Clark | ||
| Michelle Stockwell | ||
| Hamilton Mountain | ||
| Chris Charlton | ||
| Henryk Adamiec | ||
| Jim Enos | ||
| Terry Anderson | ||
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | ||
| Bryan Jongbloed | ||
| David Heatley | ||
| Dean Allison | ||
| Sid Frere | ||
