Since Canada is a federal state, responsibility for lawmaking is shared among one federal, ten provincial and three territorial governments.
Parliament consists of the Crown, the Senate, and the House of Commons, and laws are enacted once they are agreed to by all three parts. The government acts in the name of the Crown but derives its authority from the Canadian people.Ĭanada’s parliamentary system stems from the British, or “Westminster”, tradition. Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy, founded on the rule of law and respect for rights and freedoms.