United states president vs canadian prime minister

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The US president wields a lot of power both domestically and in the international scene. These powers are granted by a number of statutes, amendments, the Constitution, congressional acts, and numerous influences and soft power by virtue of his position as the leader. On the other hand, Canada does not have a president and is instead led by a prime minister. Although the two countries are almost equal in size, their leaders exhibit vast differences in the amount of power they hold domestically (Dickerson et al., 2009: 47). General knowledge alone appears to affirm that the US president is the most powerful person among the world’s democratically ruled nations as he is the commander-in-chief of the world’s most modern and most powerful military by any standards and heads the world’s largest economy. However, does he exert the same level of power domestically? The Canadian Prime Minister, on the other hand, is not easily recognizable due to the little role Canada plays in international affairs. Even though the role of the PM is not explained by any legislation or legal document, it is easily the most influential position in Canada’s political system. The President of the US makes several appointments by virtue of his position (Charlton 1998: 22). Prior to being sworn in, the elected president is mandated with making more than 6,000 appointments ranging from top officials at national agencies, senior employees at the White House, and top-level ambassadors. In a number of these appointments, he consults with the US Senate. The President is also accorded the power to nominate judges at all levels of the judiciary system. However, the nominees must first be confirmed by Senate, and this can be an obstacle if the Presidents wants to w... ... middle of paper ... ...an politics. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Charlton, Paul Barker. 1998. In Mark Charlton and Paul Barker, eds. Contemporary Political Issues, 6th ed. Toronto: Thompson- Nelson. Dahl, Robert Allan. 2005. Who governs?: Democracy and power in an American city, Connecticut: Yale University Press. Dickerson, Mark O., Flanagan, Thomas, and O‘Neill, Brenda. 2009. An Introduction to Government and Politics: A Conceptual Approach, 8th ed. Toronto: Thompson- Nelson. Neustadt, Richard E. 1991. Presidential power and the modern presidents: the politics of leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan, NY: Free Press. Savoie, Donald. 1999. Governing from the Centre: The Concentration of Power in Canadian Politics, Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Zernike, Kate. 2012. “In Act of Defiance, Democrat Stalls Obama Choice for Court.” The New York Times, January 5, 2012. Web.

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