CANADA’S &

AMERICA’S POWER
STRUCTURE
AIMEN ZULQARNAIN
AMINA RASHID
PALWASHA BANGASH
SABEELA KANWAL
INTRODUCTION OF CANADA
 Located in northern half of North America.
Ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the
Pacific.
World's second largest country by total area.
Border with the US is the world's longest land border.
Severely cold winter climate, but southerly areas are warm in
summer.
 Sparsely populated, the majority of its land territory being
dominated by forest and Rocky mountains.
Four-fifths of the country's population is urbanized.
Ottawa - capital, Toronto – largest metropolis; other major urban
areas include Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Quebec
city.
16th century, British and French claims were made, with the
colony of Canada first established by the French in 1537.
Various conflicts caused the UK’s gain and loss of territories within
BNA, and in the late 18th century, which now geographically
comprises Canada.
BNA Act of 1st July, 1867, the colonies of Canada, New
Brunswick and Nova Scotia joined to form the Federal Dominion
of Canada.
In 1931, Canada achieved near total independence from the
United Kingdom.
Full sovereignty attained through Canada Act 1982.
DESCRIPTIONS OF CANADA'S
GOVERNMENT
It is a complex system that can be described in four ways;
i. Constitutional Monarchy
ii. Federal System
iii. Party System
iv. Representative Democracy
CANADIAN GOVERNANCE
SYSTEM
Parliament consists of the Crown and an upper and lower
legislative Chamber;
Legislative power is vested in “Parliament”; to become law,
legislation must be assented to by each of Parliament’s three
constituent parts;
Members of the House of Commons are individually elected to
represent their constituents;
CONTD.
Most Members of Parliament belong to a particular political
party;
The leader of the party having the support of the majority of the
Members of the House of Commons is asked by the Governor
General to form a government and become the Prime Minister;
The party opposing the government is called the opposition;
CONTD.
Executive powers are formally vested in the Crown, but
effectively exercised by the Prime Minister and Cabinet;
The Prime Minister and Cabinet are responsible to the House of
Commons;
The Prime Minister and Cabinet must enjoy the confidence of the
House of Commons to remain in office.
3 LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
i. Federal government - Responsible for things that affect the
whole country, such as citizenship, immigration, national defence
and trade.
ii. Provincial and territorial governments - Responsible for things
such as education, health care and highways.
iii. Municipal (local) governments - Responsible for firefighting,
city streets and local matters. If there is no local government, the
province provides services.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
At the federal level, there are 3 parts of government:
i. Executive - Queen – Prime minister – Cabinet
ii. Legislative - House of commons - Senate
iii. Judiciary - Supreme Court of Canada
Elizabeth II, is Canada's formal head of state. The Governor
General represents the Queen in Canada and carries out the duties of
head of state.
House of Commons makes Canada's laws.
Members of Parliament (MPs)
The prime minister chooses MPs to serve as ministers in
the cabinet.
The Senate reviews laws that are proposed by the House of
Commons. Senators come from across Canada. The prime minister
chooses the senators.
PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT
The Lieutenant Governor represents the Queen.
The Legislative Assembly makes law and elected representatives
are called Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs).
The political party that has the largest number of MPPs forms the
government, and its leader becomes Premier.
The premier leads the government and chooses MPPs to serve as
ministers in the cabinet.
MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT
Defines the structure, finances, and management of the local
governments of cities, towns and villages.
Residents of the municipality elect the mayor and council members
to lead the local government.
Committees of councilors discuss budget, service and
administrative issues.
CONSTITUTION OF CANADA
The country's constitution is an amalgamation of codified acts and
uncodified traditions and conventions.
It is one of the oldest working constitutions in the world.
The Canadian Constitution is composed of written and unwritten
statutes, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions.
WRITTEN ELEMENTS OF THE
CONSTITUTION
A rule book for government
Not a single document
14 Acts of British Parliament
4 British Orders-in-Council
7 Canadian Acts
KEY ELEMENTS OF WRITTEN
CONSTITUTION
Constitution Act, 1867
Constitution Act, 1982
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which provided for:
Freedom of religion, of thought, of expression, of the press and of
peaceful assembly
The right to participate in political activities and the right to a
democratic government
The freedom to move around and live within Canada, and to leave
Canada
Legal rights such as the right to life, liberty and security
Equality rights
Language rights
UNWRITTEN PART OF
CONSTITUTION

Prime Minister
Political Parties
Cabinet
Responsible government
CONSTITUTION ACT 1867
British North America Act (BNA ACT )
BNA act was the law passed by the British parliament.
It provided for the union of three colonies into a federal state with a
parliamentary system
CONSTITUTION ACT 1982
Was a land mark in Canadian history .
It enshrined the chapter of rights and freedom in the constitution .
Because of this constitution Canadian were fully independent to
amend their own constitution without acquiring the approval of
Britain
ELECTIONS IN CANADA
Right to vote: every Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old
on election day.
First-past-the-post electoral system.
308 ridings (electoral districts).
Election campaigns: minimum 36 days.
Canada has had 41 general elections since Confederation.
VOTING SYSTEM OF CANADA
ELECTORAL METHOD
First-Past-the-Post System.
Also known as single member plurality.
The candidate with the most votes is elected.
The winning party is the one with the most elected candidates. Its
leader becomes the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister chooses the members of the Cabinet.
The party with the second highest number of candidates elected
forms the official opposition in Parliament.
3 STEP PROCESS
STEP 1 : REGISTER
To vote your name must appear on the voters list for the polling
division where you live.
National Register of Electors: permanent list (Updated
continuously by Elections Canada)
When your 18, you most likely to be already registered but if not
the elections Canada will send a form which you can fill and return
for free
You can check your registration online at elections.ca
STEP 2 : FIND OUT WHEN AND WHERE TO VOTE
Voter information card: sent to every registered elector.
The VIC tells you where and when to vote.
Addresses (polling station and the local Elections Canada office)
Dates (election day, advance polls, voting by mail)
Phone numbers for more info
STEP 3 : GO AND VOTE!
In Canada you have four options to vote;
1. On election day ,vote at your assigned polls.
2. You can vote at advance polls ,they are always held one week
before elections.
3. You can also vote early at any local Elections Canada office using
a special ballot.
4. You can vote by mail . Elections Canada send you a voting kit in
mail you just fill it and send it back
INTRODUCTION OF AMERICA
 Located in north America, the country is bordered on the west by
the pacific ocean and to the east by the Atlantic ocean. along the
northern border is Canada and the southern border is Mexico.
The country is a federal constitutional republic therefore the
constitution is the supreme law of the land.
The country's capital is Washington, D.C. and its largest city is New
York City
The other major metropolitan areas, all with around five million or
more inhabitants, are Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Boston,
Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami, and Atlanta.
CONTD.
The United States of America (USA) is a federal republic composed
of 50 states.
 The United States is the world's fourth-largest country by total area.
By size of electorate - the second largest democracy on the globe.
 The third-most populous
 It is one of the world's most ethnically diverse and multicultural
nations, and is home to the world's largest immigrant population.
AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
War of Independence from Britain.
The election of the president was placed in the hands of an Electoral
College, rather than the subject of direct election.
 The Constitution is built on a 'Great Compromise' between the
Virginia plan (representation by population) and the New Jersey plan
(equal representation for all states)
 This resulted in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
CONTD.
THE CONSTITUTION
The Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the Constitution of
1789 form the foundations of the United States federal government.
The United States Constitution is the shortest written constitution in
the world with just seven articles and 27 amendments.
'SEPARATION OF POWERS‘
 Power is spread between three institutions of the state - the
executive (President & Cabinet), the legislature (House of
Representatives & Senate) and the judiciary (Supreme Court &
federal circuits)
CONTD.
 The members of those branches are deliberately granted by the
Constitution different terms of office
There are very different approaches to the interpretation of the
Constitution with the two main strands of thought being known as
Originalism and the Living Constitution
THE PRESIDENCY
The President is the head of the executive branch of the federal
government of the United States.
 Both the head of state and the head of government, as well as the
military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat.
The President presides over the executive branch of the
government, a vast organisation numbering about four million people,
including one million active-duty military personnel.
CONTD.
THE PRESIDENCY
The President is the head of the executive branch of the federal
government of the United States.
 Both the head of state and the head of government, as well as the
military commander-in-chief and chief diplomat.
The President presides over the executive branch of the
government, a vast organisation numbering about four million people,
including one million active-duty military personnel.
CONTD.
HOW IS A PRESIDENT CHOSEN?
The President is elected for a fixed term of four years and may serve
a maximum of two terms.
The President is not elected directly by the voters but by an
Electoral College representing each state on the basis of a
combination of the number of members in the Senate (two for each
state regardless of size) and the number of members in the House of
Representatives (roughly proportional to population)
The total Electoral College vote is 538. This means that, to become
President, a candidate has to win at least 270 electoral votes.
This system of election means that a candidate can win the largest
number of votes nationwide but fail to win the largest number of
votes in the Electoral College and therefore fail to become President.
What happens In the event that the Electoral College is evenly
divided between two candidates or no candidate secures a majority of
the votes?
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
At the federal level, there are 3 parts of government
i. Executive -President – Vice President
ii. Legislative – The Congress – Senate
iii. Judiciary - Supreme Court of America
THE FEDERAL SYSTEM
Today the powers of the federal government remain strictly limited
by the Constitution
Great deal of authority to the individual states
Each state has an executive, a legislature and a judiciary
The head of the executive is the Governor who is directly elected
With the President at federal level, state Governors can issue
Executive Orders
CONTD.
The legislature consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives
The judiciary consists of a state system of courts.
The 50 states are divided into counties. Each county has its court
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
THE CONGRESS
The House of Representatives is the lower chamber in the bicameral
legislature known collectively as Congress
The founders of the United States intended the House to be the
politically dominant entity in the federal system
The House consists of 435 members (set in 1911), each of whom
represents a congressional district and serves for a two-year term
House seats are apportioned among the states by population
according to each decennial (every 10 years) census
THE SENATE
The Senate is the upper chamber in the bicameral legislature
 The original intention of the authors of the US Constitution was
that the Senate should be a regulatory group, less politically dominant
than the House
The Senate consists of 100 members, each of whom represents a
state and serves for a six-year term (one third of the Senate stands for
election every two years).
Each state has two Senators, regardless of population, and, since
there are 50 states, then there are 100 senators.
 The legislative branch makes federal law
Declares war
 Approves treaties
Has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting
members of the government
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
The president
the vice president
 The President is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto
legislative bills before they become law
 Appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval)
and other officers, who administer and enforce federal laws and
policies
JUDICIAL BRANCH
THE SUPREME COURT
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the land
 Originally it had five members but over time this number has
increased
Since 1869, it has consisted of nine Justices: the Chief Justice of the
United States and eight Associate Justices
They have equal weight when voting on a case and the Chief Justice
has no casting vote or power to instruct colleagues.
Below the Supreme Court, there is a system of
i. Courts of Appeal
ii. District Courts.
Judges are appointed by the President with Senate approval
 Interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional
 Together, these three levels of courts represent the federal judicial
system.
A DIVIDED DEMOCRACY
It is divided horizontally through the 'separation of powers.
It is divided vertically through the federal system of government
with the division of powers between the federal government and the
state governments
It is divided politically through the sharp differences of view on
many economic issues like tackling the recession and reforming
health care and social issues ranging from gun control to gay rights
It is divided racially through the growth of the non-white electorate.
 Failure to agree a federal budget before the start of the new
financial period
This results in what is known as federal 'shutdown' when most
federal employees are sent home because they cannot be paid and
many federal institutions therefore close down.
It has happened 18 times since 1976 (the last one was in 2013).