Ministers Of The Crown

Ministers of the Crown provides a detailed and concise description of the legal and political position of Ministers, and of their work within the contemporary British governmental system. It covers the daily work of Ministers in their departments and collectively in government; their benefits and pay; as well as how politicians prepare themselves for office and the legal and other qualifications which are required for appointment. Detailed coverage is given to Ministers as legislators, how Ministers are required to exercise their legal powers, and the position of Ministers as plaintiffs and defendants. Finally, the loss of office, and its consequences, is considered.

Stephen Harper's Conservative government has reversed the trend of its predecessors by giving the Crown a higher profile through royal tours, publications, and symbolic initiatives. Based on papers given at a Diamond Jubilee conference on the Crown held in Regina in 2012, Canada and the Crown assesses the historical and contemporary importance of constitutional monarchy in Canada. Established and emerging scholars consider the Canadian Crown from a variety of viewpoints, including the ways in which the monarch relates to Quebec, First Nations, the media, education, Parliament, the constitution, and the military. They also consider a republican option for Canada. Editors D. Michael Jackson and Philippe Lagassé provide context for the essays, summarize and expand on the issues discussed by the contributors, and offer a perspective on further study of the Crown in Canada. Contributors include Richard Berthelsen, Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Bolt (Office of the Judge Advocate General), James W.J. Bowden, Stephanie Danyluk (Whitecap-Dakota First Nation), Linda Cardinal (University of Ottawa), Phillip Crawley (CEO, The Globe and Mail), John Fraser (Massey College), Carolyn Harris (University of Toronto), Robert E. Hawkins (University of Regina), Ian Holloway (University of Calgary), Senator Serge Joyal, Nicholas A. MacDonald, Christopher McCreery (Office of Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia), J.R. (Jim) Miller (University of Saskatchewan), Peter H. Russell (University of Toronto), David E. Smith (Toronto Metropolitan University), and John D. Whyte (University of Regina).

This reference book is primarily a procedural work which examines the many forms, customs, and practices which have been developed and established for the House of Commons since Confederation in 1867. It provides a distinctive Canadian perspective in describing procedure in the House up to the end of the first session of the 36th Parliament in Sept. 1999. The material is presented with full commentary on the historical circumstances which have shaped the current approach to parliamentary business. Key Speaker's rulings and statements are also documented and the considerable body of practice, interpretation, and precedents unique to the Canadian House of Commons is amply illustrated. Chapters of the book cover the following: parliamentary institutions; parliaments and ministries; privileges and immunities; the House and its Members; parliamentary procedure; the physical & administrative setting; the Speaker & other presiding officers; the parliamentary cycle; sittings of the House; the daily program; oral & written questions; the process of debate; rules of order & decorum; the curtailment of debate; special debates; the legislative process; delegated legislation; financial procedures; committees of the whole House; committees; private Members' business; public petitions; private bills practice; and the parliamentary record. Includes index.

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.

it is the first book on the subject much of the research data provides a unique insight to the development of government policy and is exclusive to this book several of the research results are quite striking and will be of great interest to academics and policy actors alike

As Queen Elizabeth II’s record-breaking reign draws to a close, experts on the Crown explore the future of the monarchy in Canada. Queen Elizabeth II is approaching a record-breaking seven decades as sovereign of the United Kingdom, Canada, and fourteen other Commonwealth realms. In anticipation of the next reign, the essays in this book examine how the monarchy may evolve in Canada. Topics include the historic relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Crown; the offices of the governor general and lieutenant governors; the succession to the throne; the likely shape of the reign of King Charles III; and the Crown’s role in the federal and provincial governments, reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, and civil society. How will the institution of constitutional monarchy adapt to changing circumstances? The contributors to this volume offer informed and challenging opinions on the place of the Crown in Canada’s political and social culture. With contributors National Chief Perry Bellegarde, Brian Lee Crowley, Hon, Judith Guichon, Andrew Heard, Rick W. Hill, David Johnson, Senator Serge Joyal, Warren J. Newman, Dale Smith, and Nathan Tidridge.

This report is concerned exclusively with the Gomery Commission's second mandate: to make recommendations, based on the factual findings of its first report, on a series of issues such as government transparency & accountability, the relationship between public servants and politicians, and the responsibilities that should be assigned to Parliament & parliamentarians. Part one outlines the reforms introduced by the federal government since the Commission was established in February 2004 and the suggestions the Commission heard from Canadians about what they felt should be done about accountability & transparency in government and other issues considered in the first report. Part two has five sections covering accountability issues, including the fundamental bases for the responsibilities & accountabilities of Ministers & senior public servants, the capacity of Parliament to hold the government to account, and the roles of the Prime Minister, Ministers, exempt staff, the Privy Council Office, and the Clerk of the Privy Council. Part three deals with more specific issues such as the future management of advertising & sponsorship activities as well as lobbying. It assesses measures to improve transparency, including legislative initiatives pertaining to information access, whistleblowing, sanctions related to failure to fulfil financial administration obligations, appointments to Crown corporations, and internal audits. Part four contains the Commission's consolidated recommendations which are also found throughout the report. The recommendations are designed to rebalance the relationship between Parliament & government, better assign responsibility, and strengthen accountability in the public interest.