The Executive

The executive branch of Canada is composed of three elements - the symbolic, political, and permanent - that work together as the government. On the Internet, you will find resources that explain the structure and work of the executive branches of government, at both the federal and provincial levels. You will also find links to commissions of inquiry, as well as the latest federal and provincial budgets.

SYMBOLIC EXECUTIVE

The symbolic executive is composed of the Queen, who is the legal head of state of Canada, and her representatives, who fulfill the monarch's daily duties in Canada. For more information about the royal family, visit Monarchy in Britain. For almost all purposes, the Queen's functions are fulfilled in Canada by Canadian officials. 

The level of support for the monarchy has eroded in Canada in the 1990s. Note that there are quite different levels of support in the various regions of the country. Two sites that promote the monarchy in Canada are: 

The Governor General acts as Canada's de facto head of state and has several functions in Canada's system of government. You can read a biography of the current governor general. Michaëlle Jean became Canada's 27th governor general in September 2005, replacing Adrienne Clarkson.  Clarkson was appointed governor general on October 7, 1999.  Lieutenant Governors play a similar role for provincial governments. (See the Ontario government's description of the role of the Lieutenant Governor.) 

The governor general's position is constituted through the 1947 Letters Patent, although many of the powers of that position (and those of the lieutenant governors) are to be found in the Constitution Act, 1867. See Governors General of Canada since 1867. 

While the governor general usually acts on the "advice" (instructions, really) of the prime minister, there are occasions when the governor general can refuse to act on this advice. One constitutional crisis occurred in 1926 when Governor General Lord Byng refused Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for a general election. 

A contemporary scenario, in which the governor general or lieutenant governor might use his or her discretion to refuse to act on the government's advice is in Quebec. The lieutenant governor could, or even should, refuse to grant royal assent to any bill that would be aimed at making Quebec an independent country. 

POLITICAL EXECUTIVE

The political executive is the leading element of the executive branch. The Prime Minister is the head of government. See Canadian Prime Ministers since 1867. 

Although formally appointed by the governor general, the other members of Cabinet and the Ministry are chosen by the prime minister. Most of the cabinet's work is done in specialized committees. See Cabinet committees. 

You can e-mail the Prime Minister of Canada if you want to voice your views on political issues of the day. 

In late September 1999, Saskatchewan made history with the first coalition government in Canada for about 50 years.  After the provincial election left no party with an overall majority, Roy Romanow of the NDP invited Liberals Jim Melenchuk and Jack Hillson to become members of the cabinet.  Canadians have experienced numerous minority governments, where one party forms the cabinet, but relies on one or more opposition parties to pass legislation; but the Saskatchewan government is a coalition, where two parties are in the cabinet together. 

 

PERMANENT EXECUTIVE

  The permanent executive is the body of professional civil servants who manage and administer the government's policies. See departments and agencies of the Government of Canada. Access information on individual civil servants and a searchable directory for documents from many agencies and departments in the federal government. 

Two key central departments are the Department of Finance and the Treasury Board. 

The Privy Council Office has a special role in the Canadian government: to support the cabinet. The Clerk of the Privy Council, Mel Cappe, is effectively the most senior civil servant in Canada.  The Clerk's Annual Reports to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada provide interesting discussions of the role of government and ways to strengthen the public service. The Privy Council Office has published a number of research reports on the Canadian system of government. 

The Public Service Commission of Canada is an agency that oversees the hiring and professional development of federal civil servants. 

The Canada School of Public Service was created by the federal government in 2004 to provide information and research for improving the public service. A wide variety of interesting publications on public administration are found at the site, including:



An important aspect of parliamentary government is the ability of members of the legislature to hold the executive branch accountable for their actions.

The Privy Council Office has prepared several guidelines to help executive officials in their dealings with the legislature:

To explore issues relating to public policy and government reform, visit Policy.ca. 

PROVINCES AND TERRITORIES

Connect to the Web sites maintained by the provincial and territorial governments. At each government's site, you will be able to find information on, and links to, the premier and cabinet, as well as links to various departments and agencies. 

 

COMMISSIONS OF INQUIRY

  Canadian governments frequently set up commissions of inquiry to aid in the policy process. Some commissions are intended to determine the facts of a specific event or policy issue. Others examine a policy area and make recommendations for new policies the government should consider implementing. The reports and executive summaries of some recent commissions are available on-line: 

 

ANNUAL BUDGETS

  One of the most important tasks undertaken by a government is the preparation of an annual budget. In fact, this is so important that a constitutional convention requires a government to resign or call an election if the legislature rejects its budget.