1. 'Peace, Order and Effective Government:' the governor general's choice of a prime minister under a minority House.
- Author
-
Desserud, Don
- Subjects
- *
REPRESENTATIVE government , *CONSTITUTIONAL law ,CANADIAN politics & government ,CANADIAN prime ministers - Abstract
The rules governing the choice of Canada's prime minister are obscure; it would seem that the prime minister is simply the leader who holds the most seats in the House of Commons. However, the constitutionality of the choice of prime minister is actually much more complicated, and involves principles such as the rule of law, responsible and representative government, and the need for effective government. Although rarely ever called upon to exercise such judgement, ultimately (and theoretically) the choice is made by Canada's governor general. This paper outlines the constitutional rules governing the choice of prime minister, in particular those that apply when no one party holds a majority in the House of Commons. The paper raises several issues as to whether the current configuration of the office of governor general provides the appropriate political authority for choosing a prime minuster were there ever to be a challenge or uncertainty as to who should be chosen. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2007