Canada is a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy and a federal state.

Canada laws come from:

Laws passed by Parliament
Provincial Legislatures
English common law
Civil code of France
Unwritten constitution inherited from Great Britain

Canadian Citizens Freedoms (from Magna Carta (1215) and emphasized again in Canadian Charter of
Rights and Freedoms)
Freedom of conscience and religion
Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression (including freedom of speech / freedom of the
press)
Freedom of peaceful assembly
Freedom of association

Canadian Citizens rights:

From English common law:
Habeas corpus the right to challenge unlawful detention by the state
From Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982):
Mobility Rights
Live/work anywhere in Canada
Enter/leave Canada freely
Apply for Canadian passport
Aboriginal People's Rights
Official Language Rights and Minority Language Educational Rights
French/English have equal status in Parliament and Government
Multiculturalism (respect pluralism and live in harmony)

Canadian Citizens responsibilities:

Obey Canada's laws (no group or person is above the law)
Take responsibility for oneself and one's family
Get a job
Take care of one's family
Serving on a Jury (obligatory if asked to do so)
Vote
Federal Elections
Provincial or Territorial Elections
Local / Municipal Elections
Help others
Volunteering at food back and other charities
Help people in need
Assist at your child's school
Encourage newcomers to integrate
Protect Canada's heritage and environment
Avoid waste and pollution
Respect rights/freedoms of others.

Other
Men and Woman are equal under the law.
No obligatory military service in Canada, but it's serving in Canadian Forces (Navy, Army and Air
Force) is noble.
Canada institutions commit to Peace, Order and Good Government

Origins
Aboriginal Peoples
Three groups
First Nations (Indians) 65%
 50% live in reserves
Other 50% in urban cities
Inuit 4%
Inuit means the people
Small scattered communities across the Arctic
Metis 30%
Mixed from Europeans (French/English) and Aboriginals.
Majority lives in Prairie provinces.
Speak their own dialect (Michif).
Aboriginal rights are in Canadian Constitution.
From 1800s to 1980s, federal government placed many Aboriginal children in residential schools
Goal to educate them and assimilate them to mainstream Canadian culture.
But, schools poorly funded, inflicted hardship on students
Aboriginal languages were not allowed
In 2008 Government formally apologized
English and French
18 millions Anglophones
7 millions Francophones
Majority in Quebec
1 millioon in Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba
Brunswick only officially bilingual province
French Canadians called Canadiens
Acadians
Descendants of French colonists
Live in Maritime (Atlantic) provinces
> 2/3rd deported from 1755 to 1763 (war between Britain and France) called Great
Upheaval
Quebecers
People of Quebec.
Descendants of 8500 French settlers.
Includes also Anglo-Quebecers (minority).
English Canadians
Origins from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland.
Other Immigrants
Chinese (13% Vancouver, 7% Toronto)
Others
Canada System of Government
Federal State many governments
Federal Government responsible of national and international concern:
Defence, Foreign policy, Interprovincial trade and communication, Currency, Navigation,
Criminal law, Citizenship
Head of Government is the Prime Minister (Stephen Harper).
Provincial Government responsible for
Municipal governments, Education, Health, Natural resources, Property / Civil rights, Highways
Head of the Provincial government is the Premier of that province (Ontario Premier is
McGuinty)
Responsibilities shared between Federal and Provincial governments:
Agriculture, Immigration
Each province has its own elected Legislative Assembly (like House of Commons in Ottawa)
Northern territories also have governments and Assemblies.
Parliament Democracy
Parliament or Legislative Assemblies at different levels
House of Common (National parliament)
Provincial / Territorial Legislative Assemblies
Legislative Assemblies responsible to pass laws proposed by governments (cabinet ministers)
Parliament (Federal) has 3 parts
Sovereign (Queen / King) represented by the Governor General
Governor General appointed for 5 years by Queen on advice of Prime Minister
Governor General on behalf of Queen gives royal assent to a bill to become a law
Senate
Senators appointed by Governor General on advice of Prime Minister.
Senators serve until age of 75.
Senators also review bills (proposed laws by government) and must pass them to become
laws
House of Common
Member of Parliament (MPs) elected by people in their own ridings (i.e. electoral district)
MPs elected every 4 years
MPs review bills and must pass them to become laws
Provincial Legislative Assemblies have 2 parts
Sovereign represented by Lieutenant Governor
Elected Assembly
Constitutional Monarchy
Sovereign (Queen/King) is Head of State. Prime Minister is Head of Government.
Sovereign is part of Parliament
Sovereign is represented in Canada by
Governor General in the Federal case
Lieutenant Governors in each of the 10 provinces
Branches of Government
Executive branch
Includes Prime Minister and it Cabinet Ministers. Premier and his cabinets in the case of a
province
Prime Minister is the leader of the political party with the most seats in the House of Commons.
After wining elections, he forms his government
If his party has >50% of seats in House of Commons Majority Government
If his party has <50% of seats in House of Commons Minority Government
Responsible to write new bills (i.e. proposals for new laws)
Also responsible to prepare budget
Are responsible to the elected representatives (MPs)
They must retain the confidence of the House
Have to resign if they are defeated in a non-confidence vote
Legislative branch
Includes
For Federal case: Governor General (Sovereign), House of Commons (elected MPs) and Senate
For Provincial case: Lieutenant Governor (Sovereign), Legislative Assembly (elected
representatives)
Responsible to pass new laws
Bills go through different steps to become laws
Pass in House of Common (steps: First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report
Stage, Third Reading)
Pass in Senate (same steps as in House of Common)
Receive royal assent
Judiciary branch
Supreme Court of Canada has 9 judges appointed by Governor General
Federal Court of Canada handles federal cases
Provincial Courts handles provincial cases

Local / Municipal governments

Includes Council (Mayor and Councillors) that passes laws (called by-laws). Laws affect only local
community.
Responsible for urban and regional planning, streets, roads, sanitation (garbage removal), snow
removal, firefighting, ambulance, recreation facilities, public transit, some local health and social
services.

Territories
Commissioner represents Federal government
First Nations have band chiefs and councillors