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Our parliamentary system requires that governments must be supported by the majority of Members in the House of Commons and Senate. Thus, majority government results from a general election where one party (or a coalition of parties) wins the majority of seats in the House of Commons. A minority government usually occurs when the party which wins the most seats in a general election nonetheless does not hold the majority of seats in the House of Commons. Canada has never been governed by a true coalition of parties.[1] Within each Parliament, party standings can and do fluctuate because of deaths, resignations, by‑elections, floor crossings or other changes in the status of individual Members. As a result, the government’s ability to retain the support of the majority of Members can be increased or diminished. All questions arising in the House are to be decided by a majority vote of those Members present.[2] Even the rules by which the House governs its own proceedings are adopted by simple majority vote. It is therefore obvious that the government’s ability to command the support of a majority of the House allows it to exercise control over the management of the business of the House and, by extension, of its committees. The government’s powers in this regard are counterbalanced by its responsibility to the House to account for its actions. The government’s role in the management of House business is established in several Standing Orders, which refer either to the government or a Minister as the initiator of certain types of proceedings.[3] Likewise, there are many Standing Orders that recognize the House’s role in holding the government to account for its actions.[4] Parliamentary procedure must balance the government’s power to manage the business of the House, against the opposition’s responsibility to hold the government accountable. The crucial test of the government’s power comes in votes of confidence, for in Canada’s parliamentary democracy, a government must enjoy the confidence of the House. [1] Some academics have labelled the first Ministry a coalition. In the years leading to Confederation, Sir J.A. Macdonald helped form the “Great Coalition” of 1864, which united Upper Canada’s Reformers with the Lower Canadian “Parti Bleu”. This led to the formation of the Liberal-Conservative Party (forerunner of today’s Conservative Party). Macdonald’s first Cabinet consisted of an almost equal number of Liberals and Conservatives. (Library and Archives Canada, “Sir John A. Macdonald”, Canadian Confederation, www.collectionscanada.gc.ca, May 2, 2005; and English, J., “Coalition Government”, The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com, 2008). The second instance, often cited as a coalition government, occurred in May of 1917, during the final days of the Twelfth Parliament, when Conservative Prime Minister, Sir Robert Borden, attempted to persuade Liberal Opposition leader, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, to create a coalition government to legislate conscription and to form a united war-time front. Laurier refused, and on October 12, 1917, Borden formed a Ministry known as the Union government, which brought together 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals and independents and 1 Member to represent “Labour” interests, all of whom supported conscription. The Prime Minister then called an election, running as the leader of the “Unionist Party” and defeated Laurier’s Liberals in a landslide victory. See Brown, R.C., Robert Laird Borden: A Biography, Volume II: 1914-1937, Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1980, pp. 84-90, 101-10, 123‑5. [2] Constitution Act, 1867, R.S. 1985, Appendix II, No. 5, s. 49. See also Chapter 12, “The Process of Debate”. [3] For example, the bulk of House time is allocated to government business, which is called in such sequence as the government determines (Standing Orders 30 and 40(2)). Furthermore, to name but a few examples, it is the government that requests a recall of the House when it stands adjourned (Standing Order 28(3) and (4)); that moves the extension of sitting hours in June (Standing Order 27(1)); that causes a special Order Paper to be issued (Standing Order 55(1)); that initiates time allocation (Standing Order 78) and closure (Standing Order 57); that gives notice of and designates Orders of the Day for the consideration of ways and means motions (Standing Order 83(1) and (2)); and that initiates debate on the Standing Orders at the beginning of each Parliament (Standing Order 51(1)). [4] Examples may be found in the rules governing supply (Standing Order 81(3), (4)(a) and (b)); questions (Standing Orders 37, 38 and 39); petitions (Standing Order 36); and the tabling of documents (Standing Order 32). |
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