The Canadian Prime Minister

There are many countervailing such as the House of Commons, the Senate, the public service, opposition parties are many of the powers and processes that help to limit the powers of the Prime Minister during his mandate and allows for check and balances throughout the government.

The Prime Ministers and his government, must work under the principle of good governance. There are three core principles that allow for good governance, first, the Members of Parliament are elected by the Canadian public. If the public is dissatisfied with their Members of Parliament they “will remove them from office at the next election.” Second, the members of the cabinet who are selected by the Prime Minister. They introduce legislation in Parliament such as taxes,

One of the main responsibilities of the Senate is review bills presented in the House of Commons and to present recommendations to bills and send them back to House of Commons. While reviewing bills, the senate has different committees that are represented by the different political parties in Canada and are from various backgrounds. These Senate reviews and committees help to be “obstructionist and slow down the work of the democratically elected house.” In essence, the Senate was constructed to be “a check on the lower house” and to help the government “reflect carefully on the policies and legislation it is pursuing.” The Senate has also been able to provide detailed investigations through Senate committees that have “produced thoughtful and detailed reports” on many subjects. Like previously mentioned, the Senate is comprised of a larger diversity of Canadians who in turn are able to represent different groups in Canada such as women and first nations peoples “than elected

According to David C. Docherty MP’s have main responsibilities that are essential to limiting the Prime Minister’s power. First is to hold cabinet minister accountable, this is done by the opposition parties arranging “their causes in a manner that tries to facilitate this role” They arrange this by having a least one opposition critic for each Cabinet Minister and each critic is expected to know extensively the department they are critiquing. Second, Members of Parliament “help shape public policies” and are there to represent their constituency in Ottawa. Members of Parliament are able to influence policy that reflects the public in their respective riding through “committee work, private member’s business, questions in the House, or with cabinet ministers’ and government officials.” Third, they are expected to research proposed government legislation thoroughly. Committees are a great way for backbenchers to implement changes in legislation and to “strengthen and modify government initiatives” and they often can be seen as “ unsung heroes of the House of Commons.” Fourth, during committees, Members of Parliament are able to hear from the public on proposed legislation, mostly during the second reading. This is a great tool for MP’s to illustrate “a critical link between the public and the all-too-faceless machinery of