Canada, like other countries around the world, has been going through some changes in leadership as of late. This comes at a particular time in history when the already established world order seems to be undergoing readjustments. Justin Trudeau, who held onto the prime minister role for almost a decade, stepped down earlier this year to allow Mark Carney to take over the leadership of the liberal party. Carney, who was not a politician at the time of his induction to parliament and held no government position, seemed to have saved the liberal party from losing control of government in Canada, at least in the form of a minority government, after calling for an early election (which took place in April instead of October as scheduled). 

There are numerous factors why Carney may have won back the confidence of the people to vote for the liberal party yet another term, which makes it their fourth in a row. Liberals were well behind in the polls and were expected to lose to the conservatives, particularly if an early election was called. Pierre Poliever, the conservative party leader and House of Commons representative from Alberta, not only lost his significant lead over the liberals, but also lost his seat in parliament. However, he is trying to cling to power and stay on as the leader of the conservative party. This means that someone in his party would have to give up their seat for Poliever to remain party leader and a representative from Alberta, also triggering an unnecessary by-election..

I find politics extremely interesting. To that, you can add international politics and general trends that seem to be affecting or influencing people, and you have won a long, exciting conversation with me. For example, I’d love to talk about the differences that I’ve noticed in political engagement between Russian and Swiss-German Mennonites. In my opinion, these differences are less pronounced in Canada, yet the differences in political engagement between American and Canadian Mennonites also seem to be stark. But rather than speculate about the reasons why Canadians, may or may not have voted a certain way, or whether American or Canadian Mennonites engage more politically; I’d like to focus on sharing with you a bit of how Canadian politics work: its parliamentary system, how the prime minister is elected, the role of the Crown, the multiple party system and why it won’t become the 51st State.

1. The Crown

Canada, like the United Kingdom, is a constitutional monarchy currently under Charles III, who is technically the head of state. “In some countries, such as the United States and Mexico, the Head of State and the Head of Government are the same person.” However, it is different in Canada where “the Head of State has important constitutional responsibilities but no political role. They are strictly non-partisan (not affiliated with any political party or platform)… The Monarch’s powers and responsibilities are established and limited by the Canadian Constitution and several other laws…These responsibilities are carried out by the Governor General (the Monarch’s representative in Canada).” 

2. Parliamentary system

Canada functions under a parliamentary system, just like the British government. The House of Commons, also called the lower house, is elected by whoever gets the majority of votes in their district or “riding.” This is similar to the United States House of Representatives, where people from different districts elect representatives to form a government representation body. However, the Senate, or upper house, has a very different appointment process in Canada versus the United States. In Canada, senators are suggested to the Crown (or the Crown representative), taking into account the necessary balance for the different provinces and territories, under the advice of the prime minister. Lastly, although the two chambers of representatives have similar roles and power structures as in the United States, their functions vary slightly and one also must take into account the fact that the Crown is a third component of power in the equation.

3. Prime minister

In Canada, there is no “president.” Even when federal elections take place, voters elect the representative for their district to the house of commons only. This representative usually is affiliated to one of the major political parties in Canada. The leader of the party with the most representatives elected to the house of commons at a federal election becomes the new prime minister. This person may have already been prime minister and may be continuing in this role if their party maintains control of the house of commons. If the person loses, they may also continue as their party’s leader. However, the party may choose a different leader at any time, but this could trigger a call for a snap election if the leader is the current prime minister. 

4. Multiple Party System

Although there are two major parties that rule the country for the most part, Canada technically has a multiple party system. The two major parties across the country are the Conservatives and the Liberals. These two tend to bounce control of the house of commons back and forth. However, they may often come short of a simple majority and may need to form coalitions with other parties or members of parliament to form government in order to have a controlling majority. Then there are other smaller parties like the New Democratic Party and the Green Party. They tend to side with Liberals to form government, although not always happily. Another significant political party that is represented in the house of commons, yet only has votes in the Province of Quebec, is Bloc Quebecois. The People’s Party of Canada completely lost its representation in the house of commons after only one year of having its first and only ever representative from 2018-2019.

5 Not the 51st State

I think it is easy for people to assume that Canada and the United States can be easily blended together and no one would even notice. However, these two countries have by now developed their own idioms, traditions, politics and cultures. For example, Canadians for the most part tend to show less of a nationalistic pride than Americans as a general culture. However, Canadians also tend to become more unified when faced with collective challenges. Although there are exceptions, one can point to the way Canadians have rallied to boycott American products and consume local, Canadian or products from a “friendly” trading partner. 

Even though there may not be consensus among Canadians, the majority does not wish to be absorbed into the United States and become the 51st State. As threats of annexation and tariffs continue, Canadians have made their voices clear that they do not wish to follow in the United States’ footsteps.