Information On Canada's Political Parties
- Canada is a parliamentary democracy:
The Parliament has three parts: the sovereign(Queen or King), the Senate, and the House of Commons. Provincial legislatures comprise the Lieutenant Govener and the elected assembly.
There are three levels of government:
The three levels of government are: federal(national level), provincial(provincial level), and municipal(city level). The federal government is responsible for defence, foreign policy and foreign relations, the postal service, criminal law, immigration, and citizenship. The provinces and territories are responsible for education and municipal institutions. They also share responsibilities with the federal government for matters such as health and transportation. The municipal government deals with police and fire protection, water and sewer services, recreation, and local public transportation.
The Four main political parties are: The Conservative Party of Canada, The Liberal Party of Canada, The New Democratic Party (NDP), and The Bloc Québécois. There are another fifteen parties or so of lesser importance recognized by Election Canada. For instance, The Communist Party of Canada, The Marijuana Party of Canada, and The Work Less Party of Canada.
The government has three branches:
The government's three branches are: executive, legeslative, and judicial. The executive branch, represented by the Governor General, is the decision-making branch. The legislative branch is made up of the Governor General, the House of Commons, and the Senate and it creates laws. And, the judicial branch administers justice.
Canada holds elections for several levels of government:
Nationally, provincially, and municipally. To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen aged eighteen and older and be on the voters' list. Elections Canada, which ensures that Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate, is an independant, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament.
Elections campains in Canada are definitely shorter than in France:
The minimum length of a camapign is 36 days and the longest campaign lasted 74 days (back in 1926!).