Many Americans think that the United States and Canada are very similar, but in fact they are very different. While the two countries are similar, they’re also very dynamic in their own ways. Both countries’ government systems are very different, but, as far as I can tell, have nearly the same ideas. Holidays are very important and apart of the culture in both countries, having a few in common. Although their geographical similarities are the most fascinating, they are the most diverse.
The United States’ government is very important to their citizens, and while they are very proud of their government system. Canada’s government is quite similar to that of the United States’. Political parties are very important for both types of government. Nearly the same political parties, but they have their own views for each county’s specific needs. Along with the need for political parties, both governments have a cabinet. Although they both have very different jobs and responsibilities, they are also still very similar. For instance, Canada’s cabinet is for parliament. While the U.S.’s cabinet is for the President. The branches of government for the United States are very different from that of Canada’s,
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Both the U.S. and Canada have important holidays that are celebrated nationally. Of course both countries would celebrate the days that their countries were born, July 1st, 1867 is when Canada’s constitution was signed. And the United States’ Independence was declared on July 4th 1776. They both celebrate the days in similar ways, like barbeques, parades, fireworks, concerts, etc. Another holiday they both celebrate nationally is Christmas. Both countries celebrate it in the same way anyone in the United States would. They share festive meals, exchange gifts, and enjoy each other’s company. Over all the Holidays that are celebrated nationally that we share are celebrated the same, but also in their own unique
The federal government is the national government of Canada. It includes the Prime Minister of Canada and cabinet, the Parliament of Canada, the federal courts and more than a hundred of departments and agencies which administer the day-to-day business of government. The federal government is involved in many aspects of Canadians’ lives. “It has exclusive jurisdictions on peace, order and good government, any form of taxation, international/interprovincial trade and commerce, communications & transportation, banking and currency, foreign affairs, militia and defense, criminal law and penitentiaries, naturalization, weights, measures, copyrights, patents, first nations, “residual powers, declaratory power, disallowance and reservation, and unemployment insurance and old age pensions”.
In Canada there are three branches of government: the executive branch which enforces Canadian laws and carries out government business; the legislative branch which debates and passes laws; and the judicial branch which interprets the laws and dictates how punishment should be carried out. In parliamentary government the executive branch is drawn from the legislative branch and is responsible to it. The responsibility lies in the fact that the government must have the confidence (or majority support) of the House of Commons in order to remain in power and this confidence is assured through party discipline; in other words, the party expects their Members of Parliament (MP’s) to vote the way the party votes.
We celebrate holidays like Victoria day and many people don’t even realize the reason why they don’t have to show up for work on this statutory holiday. Victoria day had begun in 1845 under the reign of Queen Victoria, it was really a celebration of her birthday. During her monarchy she had been the longest ruler to date and when she passed in 1901 the Canadian government officially recognized May 24 as a nation holiday called Victoria Day. During her time ruling people celebrated the day in many of the same ways we do today including camping, fireworks and parades, what really made this special though was the fact that it united Canada between the French and English Canadians. During this time monarchy separated Canadians from Americans and support for a monarchy meant protection of minority rights, so pledging allegiance to the crown through a holiday was a very rare common ground that both French and English citizens could enjoy. It is unfortunate that most people have grown accustomed to the holiday without taking the time to understand and appreciate the actual reason for the celebration. Victoria day is much more than just celebrating the birthday of a famous monarch it was paying respect to the longest running monarch in England of 63 years and uniting a feuding people. Some people may argue that if no one knows what we are commemorating than maybe we should just put an end to it. For me this
Firstly, the bicameral system started in the 17th century and has been set up in many countries since. This system is justified on its standard of checks and balances on the governing party. The members of the two houses are elected or appointed to their positions depending on what method the country decides on. Canada is one of the countries with a bicameral parliamentary democracy, which was modeled off of England’s House of Lords. (Supreme Court 2014, pg. 720) One of the important factors of the bicameral system is the upper house of Parliament called the Senate, which has a long history and distinctive structure within Canada.
It is cold hard fact that Canadian government is not entirely democratic. The question remains of how to deal with this. Canadian government, as effective as it currently is, has major factors in their system that have a negative effect on Canadians. Our current voting system favors the higher-populated provinces and creates a tyranny of the majority. Our Senate is distinctly undemocratic as it is an assigned position. Our head of State, the Prime Minister, holds too much power. Unless we resolve these issues, our government will remain far from a perfect governing system.
Different states have various ways of ruling and governing their political community. The way states rule reflects upon the political community and the extent of positive and negative liberty available to their citizens. Canada has come a long way to establishing successful rights and freedoms and is able to do so due to the consideration of the people. These rights and freedoms are illustrated through negative and positive liberties; negative liberty is “freedom from” and positive liberty is “freedom to”. A democracy, which is the style of governing utilized by Canada is one that is governed more so by the citizens and a state is a political community that is self-governing which establishes rules that are binding.
Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday celebrated in Canada and the United States as a day of giving
Frist, federalism is the division of power between the provinces and the federal government (Cutler 2010, 3). As well, Federal systems tend to be made up of multiple parts, which do not necessarily work together (Brock 2008, 3). There has been an increase on the study of federalism in recent years, which has created a more in-depth look at how federalism impacts the government. (Farfard Rocher 2009, 294). There are two aspects of federalism and both of them put limitations on the influence of the prime minister. The first is called political asymmetry; this encompasses the various attitudes of the different provinces such as the culture, economic, social and political conditions and how it shapes the relationship between the provincial and federal governments (Brock 2008, 4). This can create a problem for the federal government because it means that they may ha...
Canada runs on a democratic model of governing based on the British parliamentary system. Its parliament is thus divided into two chambers: the House of Commons and the Senate. Elected politicians are seated within The House of Commons while the Senate occupies qualified citizens which are appointed by the Prime Minister. Parliament’s purpose is to hold responsibility for passing legislations and the choosing of government, referring to the political party with the largest amount of seats. Depending on the results of the election, Canada has the potential of having either a majority, minority or in the rare case a coalition government. Customarily, an election in Canada usually ends up forming a majority government. The party with more than
The 1920's and into the 1930's was when Canada began to be more indepenant by slowly cutting ties with Britian, but lost its new found indepence by being swayed by America. Canada was influenced with its inventions, cultural trends, and economics. Canada adopted many of America's inventions into their homes, along with their cultural trends through entertainment and way of life. Also, Canada was economically dependent on America. Overall, Canada was influenced throughout the 1920's that by 1929, Canada became very similar to America.
C. What are some interesting things that you have learned about the multicultural Canadian Christmas?
Canada has a central government designed to deal with the country as a whole. Things like national defense, banking, currency, and commerce are controlled by the central government. All other matters are left to the provinces to deal with. Such as education, hospitals, and civil rights are responsibilities of the states. The Canadian Parliament consists of two houses. Their Senate is made up of 104 members who serve until the age of seventy-five.
But today more then even Canadian culture is affected by the American influence. Media, American artists, economic dependence, American propaganda and political pressure from the United States is making Canada too Americanized. All of these factors reflect on the social life of ordinary Canadians threatening the heritage and the traditions that define Canada as independent country. Canada and the United States are the largest trade partners in the world. It is the result of the geographical position of two countries and the free trade between two countries.
The culture of Canada refers to the shared values, attitudes, standards, and beliefs that are a representative of Canada and Canadians. Throughout Canada's history, its culture has been influenced by American culture because of a shared language, proximity, television and migration between the two countries. Over time, Canadian-American relations have helped develop Canada’s identity during the years 1945-1982; thus introducing changing social norms, media and entertainment. In support of this, due to the United States being approximately 9.25 times larger in population and having the dominant cultural and economic influence, it played a vital role in establishing Canada’s identity. With Canada being its neighbour, naturally, the United States would influence their way of life upon Canada.
...n of their cabinet, while others may choose to create a new political path without consulting the views of their party. Mellon thinks that the Canadian government is under dictatorial scrutiny, whereas Barker contradicts this belief. The idea of a prime-ministerial government is certainly an over exaggeration of the current state of Canada. There are too many outside and inside forces that can control the powers the Prime Minister of Canada. Furthermore, there are several outside sources that indicate a good government in Canada. The United Nations annually places Canada at the top, or near the top of the list of the world’s best countries in which to live. These outcomes are not consistent with the idea of a one ruler power. Canada is not ruled by one person’s ideas, suggestions, and decisions, but by government approved and provincially manipulated decisions.