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Path: utzoo!dciem!ntt
From: ntt@dciem.UUCP (Mark Brader)
Newsgroups: net.politics,can.politics
Subject: Re: Canadian and American systems
Message-ID: <754@dciem.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 2-Mar-84 13:00:28 EST
Article-I.D.: dciem.754
Posted: Fri Mar  2 13:00:28 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 3-Mar-84 18:26:27 EST
References: <3411@utcsrgv.UUCP>
Organization: NTT Systems Inc., Toronto, Canada
Lines: 43

Dave Sherman (utcsrgv!dave) writes:

    Mark Brader comments on our new Prime Minister being able to take office
    without being elected. Note a couple of things: (1) the new Prime Minister
    must be a member of Parliament before becoming Prime Minister (i.e., must
    be elected by the voters in one riding)

For the benefit of foreigners, "riding" is colloquial for "electoral district".

Yes, and Parliament also has to "ratify" the choice with a vote of confidence,
doesn't it?  But both of these things are practical certainties; the party in
power can always find one riding where its new PM will be elected if they have
to (it was done for Mackenzie King twice), and as long as the party has a
majority and is not hopelessly divided they will give the vote of confidence.

By the way, could a Senator (appointed) rather than a member of the House of
Commons (elected) be chosen Prime Minister?  Senators can be in the Cabinet...

Anyway, my point is this.  A convention of people that we did not elect will
choose one candidate.  If (s)he's already an MP, (s)he was not elected to be
PM, only to be an MP.  If not, one riding will be asked to vote on whether
this person should be the new PM or whether some other person will be their MP.
Nobody is asked to vote for a PM.

                                             and (2) the Prime Minister is
    not our head of state, only the head of government. In a legal sense
    the Prime Minister has much less power than the President, since acts
    of government are effected by the Governor-General in Council, which in
    practise means the Cabinet. Our head of state is the Queen, represented
    in Canada by the Governor-General.

The head of government is what matters.  If (s)he can't dominate the
Cabinet, (s)he won't get to be PM.  The Queen and G-G are figureheads
with what amounts *in practice* to consultative power only.


Well, I've said my piece.  If the Liberals choose a poor PM, they'll lose
the next election anyway.  In practice, we should worry more about being
presented with a choice of poor candidates in the general election.
But this convention thing... it's just not democratic, and I don't like it.

Mark Brader, Toronto
Speaking for myself.