Canadian and American Political Systems
             Democracy is defined as a form of government for the people by the will of the majority of the people. Many countries have democratic governments however, these governments can be very different in design and function. This is displayed in comparing Canada and the United States. These two countries execute very different ways of achieving this democratic form of government. Some democracies are parliamentary or constitutional monarchies (Canada), while others are republics (United States). It is debatable as to which governmental system is more democratic however, the American system has many aspects which make it appear to be more democratic.
             Canada's governmental system can be classified as parliamentary or constitutional monarchy. Like the United states, Canada has a federal system in which governmental powers are divided between the central government and regional or provincial governments. A major difference between the Canadian and American political system is that Canada has a "responsible government". This means that the prime minister and the cabinet are responsible to the elected representatives and the house of commons and are expected to resign if they lose this support. As a constitutional monarchy, the British monarch is Canada's head of state, and is represented by the governor general. The governor general has little political power and is more symbolic than essential to the Canadian governmental system. He or she is appointed by the government in power and is expected to act on the advice of the cabinet. The governor general can only act on his or her own initiative when the government is deadlo!
             cked over an issue. This is not very supportive of the democratic system as a decision effecting our nation rests entirely in the hands of an un-elected official. The head of the Canadian government is the prime minister. The prime minister is not elec...