List of Canadian federal parliaments
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Canadian Parliaments are the legislative bodies of the federal Government of Canada. They are composed of the Canadian House of Commons (lower house), the Canadian Senate (upper house), and the Sovereign, represented by the Governor General. Most major legislation originates from the House, as it is the only body that is directly elected. A new parliament begins after an election of the House of Commons and can sit for up to five years. The number of seats in parliament has varied as new provinces joined the country and as population distribution between the provinces changed; there are currently 308 MPs and 105 Senators (when there are no vacancies).
Canada uses a Westminster-style parliamentary government, in which the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister, even if he or she is not an elected member of parliament. The leader of the party with the second-most seats in the House becomes the Leader of the Opposition, and debate between the parties is presided over by the Speaker of the House. When the party with the most seats has less than half of the total number of seats, it forms a minority government, which can be voted out of power by the other parties. The Canadian Parliament is located at Parliament Hill in the capital city, Ottawa. The current assembly is the 39th Canadian parliament since the confederation of Canada in 1867.
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[edit] Parliaments
[edit] Notes
- ^ The diagrams show the composition of each parliament, colour-coded by party (click on an image to see its key) and arranged as the MPs might sit. The speaker of the house is shown on the left hand side, with the governing party on the speaker's right (the bottom of the diagram) and the opposition on the speaker's left (the top).
- ^ Canada's early conservative governments were a coalition between the Liberal-Conservative Party and the Conservative Party of Canada. In 1873 the "Conservative Party" name became official, but many Members, including the Prime Minister, continued to run as "Liberal-Conservatives". The two parties ran as a coalition until and including the 12th parliament.
- ^ There were two Independent Conservatives in the 2nd Parliament, giving the government an effective majority.
- ^ After the 2nd parliament's Pacific Scandal, the Liberals took power between elections.
- ^ Although the Liberal-Conservatives and the Conservatives had always been running as a coalition, in 1892 the party membership of the Prime Minister changed.
- ^ After the dissolution of the 7th Canadian Parliament, Mackenzie Bowell stepped down and Sir Charles Tupper became Prime Minister on May 1, 1896. Tupper was only Prime Minister during the 1896 election campaign, which he lost, so he was never Prime Minister of a sitting parliament and is therefore not included in this list.
- ^ On October 12, 1916, the last Liberal-Conservative cabinet minister, Sam Hughes, was dismissed, ending the conservative coalition that had existed since the first parliament.
- ^ During the First World War, Borden governed from a united party with a Cabinet of 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and Independents, and 1 "Labour" MP. There were, however still a number of MPs in opposition to him.
- ^ In the 14th Parliament, King’s Liberals won exactly enough seats to form a slim majority government, and due to resignations and floor crossing, they shifted back and forth between majority and minority status. However, the government was in little danger of losing a confidence vote because the Progressive party usually allowed free votes among its members, some of whom would always vote with the government.
- ^ In the 14th parliament, the new Progressive Party led by Thomas Crerar had the second-most seats, yet Arthur Meighen's Conservatives formed official opposition.
- ^ In the 15th parliament, Mackenzie King's Liberals were initially supported by some members of the Progressive Party of Canada until one of King's appointees in the Department of Customs and Excise was revealed to have taken bribes.
- ^ In the 15th parliament, Arthur Meighen's Conservatives had the most seats, but Mackenzie King formed government with the support of the Progressive Party. After the King-Byng Affair, Arthur Meighen's Conservatives took power between elections.
- ^ In the 16th parliament, Mackenzie King's Liberals were supported by some members of the Progressive Party of Canada, which did not enforce strict party discipline.
- ^ In the 1940 election, Hanson's Conservative's ran under the name "National Government".
- ^ In the 26th parliament, Pearson's Liberals were initially supported by Tommy Douglas's New Democratic Party without forming an official coalition.
- ^ In the 27th parliament, Pearson's Liberals relied on the small opposition parties in order to remain in power without forming an official coalition.
- ^ In the 29th parliament, Trudeau's Liberals were initially supported by David Lewis's New Democratic Party without forming an official coalition.
- ^ In 1990, Prime Minister Brian Mulroney used a never-before used clause in the Constitution to fill the Senate above its regular limit, giving his party 54 of 112 seats.
- ^ In the 38th parliament, Martin's Liberals were initially supported by Jack Layton's New Democratic Party without forming an official coalition.
[edit] Sources
- Canada. 27th Ministry. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-01.
- Canada. Duration of Sessions. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Canada. General Elections. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Canada. Guide to Canadian Ministries since Confederation. Privy Council Office. Retrieved on 2006-11-09.
- Canada. Key Dates for each Parliament. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Canada. Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-14.
- Canada (November 27, 2006). Order of Precedence: Current List. The Ministry. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-02.
- Canada. Prime Ministers of Canada. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
- Canada. Senate Standings and Average Age of Senators: 1975 to Date. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
- Canada. Speakers. Library of Parliament. Retrieved on 2006-05-12.
[edit] Related links
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Lists of Canadian parliaments
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| Federal: Canada • Province of Canada (historical) |
| Provincial: British Columbia • Alberta • Saskatchewan • Manitoba Ontario • Quebec • New Brunswick • Prince Edward Island Nova Scotia • Newfoundland and Labrador |
| Territorial: Yukon • Northwest Territories • Nunavut |
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| Federal political parties | Federal electoral districts |
