Executive Power In Canada Essay

There is a belief that the President of the United States holds the most powerful office in the world. Indeed, the Constitution of the United States grants executive power to the President. In Canada, the Prime Minister is not a part of the Constitution, rather the Governor General acts as the executive. By convention, however, the Governor General acts only on the advice of the Prime Minister who has the confidence of the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is able to achieve such support from the Members of Parliament, with a majority government, through party discipline – a power not available to the President. Party discipline also gives the Prime Minister immense influence over the priorities and legislative powers of Parliament. This is in direct contrast with the President whose office is strictly separated from Congress, the legislative branch of government. The Prime Minister, conversely, is a member of both the legislative branch, as a Member of Parliament, and the executive branch, as the head of cabinet. Cabinet, like Congress, holds the …show more content…
In term of their ability to implement their political platforms, the Prime Minister has many advantages over the President. The authority to advise the Governor General on cabinet, senate, and judiciary appointments, as well as the prorogation and dissolution of parliament, grant the Prime Minister tremendous tools for party discipline. That party discipline is then used to control the legislative branch of government by providing incentive for keeping within the government’s agenda. Finally, the federal cabinet in Canada, led by the Prime Minister, has the power to pass Orders-in-Council and use government resources to execute the government’s policies. As such, the Prime Minister of Canada has a far greater ability to implement his or her political agenda, than the President of the United