How Canadians Govern Themselves

This publication reviews the Canadian system of government and how it operates. It contains chapters on the origins and operation of the parliamentary system; federalism and the Canadian constitution; powers of the national and provincial governments; differences between the Canadian and United States governments; the rule of law and the courts; federal government institutions such as the Queen, Senate, House of Commons, political parties, the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister; a typical session of Parliament; provincial and municipal government; and the evolving nature of Canadian government. Includes lists of governors-general and prime ministers since Confederation.

This publication reviews the Canadian system of government and how it operates. It contains chapters on the origins and operation of the parliamentary system; federalism and the Canadian constitution; powers of the national and provincial governments; differences between the Canadian and United States governments; the rule of law and the courts; federal government institutions such as the Queen, Senate, House of Commons, political parties, the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister; a typical session of Parliament; provincial and municipal government; and the evolving nature of Canadian government. Includes lists of governors-general and prime ministers since Confederation.

This fun- and fact-filled guide to Canada's government gets an update just in time for the Federal Election! In this easy-to-read, information-packed book, a comical duo (a keener student and her offbeat sidekick) guide readers through Canada's electoral and governing process. Nine chapters take the reader through topics like Confederation, federalism, monarchy, elections and voting, minority and majority governments, a day in the House of Commons -- plus updated items on Senate Reform and new legislation like the Fair Election act. Jam-packed with interesting photos and zany sections (like the ones that tell kids how to stump an adult!), Who Runs This Country, Anyway? takes a unique approach to this curriculum subject. It's perfect for teachers and students, future politicians, and anyone studying for the citizenship test!

Canada's centennial anniversary in 1967 coincided with a period of transformative public policymaking. This period saw the establishment of the modern welfare state, as well as significant growth in the area of cultural diversity, including multiculturalism and bilingualism. Meanwhile, the rising commitment to the protection of individual and collective rights was captured in the project of a "just society." Tracing the past, present, and future of Canadian policymaking, Policy Transformation in Canada examines the country's current and most critical challenges: the renewal of the federation, managing diversity, Canada's relations with Indigenous peoples, the environment, intergenerational equity, global economic integration, and Canada's role in the world. Scrutinizing various public policy issues through the prism of Canada’s sesquicentennial, the contributors consider the transformation of policy and present an accessible portrait of how the Canadian view of policymaking has been reshaped, and where it may be heading in the next fifty years.

Canada's machinery of government is out of joint. In Breaking the Bargain, Donald J. Savoie reveals how the traditional deal struck between politicians and career officials that underpins the workings of our national political and administrative process is today being challenged. He argues that the role of bureaucracy within the Canadian political machine has never been properly defined, that the relationship between elected and permanent government officials is increasingly problematic, and that the public service cannot function if it is expected to be both independent of, and subordinate to, elected officials. While the public service attempts to define its own political sphere, the House of Commons is also in flux: the prime minister and his close advisors wield ever more power, and cabinet no longer occupies the policy ground to which it is entitled. Ministers, who have traditionally been able to develop their own roles, have increasingly lost their autonomy. Federal departmental structures are crumbling, giving way to a new model that eschews boundaries in favour of sharing policy and program space with outsiders. The implications of this functional shift are profound, having a deep impact on how public policies are struck, how government operates, and, ultimately, the capacity for accountability.