Government

Basic System of Government & Democratic Ideals
Canada is a liberal parliamentary democracy similar to the models used in the UK, the USA and Australia. It does, however, have its own distinctive features, such as powers set out in the Canadian Constitution divided between the federal and provincial governments. The federal government is responsible for issues such as defense, foreign policy and foreign relations, criminal law, immigration and citizenship, banking and the postal service. Whereas the provincial governments are responsible for areas such as education, sharing responsibility with the federal government for health services, farming, social assistance, transportation and the environment.

Democratic ideals, such as freedom of speech, equality for all regardless of nationality, creed or race, and open access to the justice system, are enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Founding Documents
Canada's Constitution is not a single document; rather, it is made up of acts of both British and Canadian Parliaments, and extends to include legislation, judicial decisions and accords between the federal and provincial governments. Foundational written documents include the Constitution Act 1867, which created a federation of four provinces — Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — under the British Crown, and the Constitution Act 1982, which conveyed formal control over the Constitution from Britain to Canada and entrenched a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and procedures for constitutional amendment.

Voting
Voting is not compulsory in Canada. By 1920, most adults including women had gained the right to vote.

Some interesting facts about Canadian voting history:

• 1921 was the year that Canadian women first exercised their right to vote pursuant to the Dominion Elections Act 1920.

• In Canada, there is a position held by one individual called the ‘Chief Electoral Officer’ (CEO). It is this person’s job to assess the operation of electoral law, a report required under the Canada Elections Act 2000, following each election. The CEO makes recommendations to Parliament which adopts and extends them as necessary.

Legal System
Two legal systems operate in Canada: civil law, as derived from the Romano-European tradition, in French-speaking Quebec and the common law for the rest of Canada. The Aboriginal Justice Strategy (AJS) was also announced by the federal government in 1996 in order to better address aboriginal issues and concerns in relation to aboriginal participation in the justice system.

Like many other Western countries, Canadian law is based on the concept of the ‘rule of law’ i.e. the notion that law applies to everyone regardless of rank. The Constitution Act 1867 gives the Provinces power to create courts at the provincial level as they see fit, however, the Constitution gives the power to appoint judges to the federal government.

The highest court in Canada and the final court for all appeals is the Supreme Court of Canada.