That meant responsible government, with a Cabinet responsible to the House of Commons, and the House of Commons answerable to the people. All of the powers of the Queen are now exercised by her representative, the Governor General, except when she is in Canada. Canada is not only an independent sovereign democracy, but is also a federal state, with 10 largely self-governing provinces and two territories controlled by the central government. The answer is important to every citizen. We cannot marry or educate our children, cannot be sick, born or buried without the hand of government somewhere intervening.
Government is held responsible for social problems, and for pollution and sick environments.
Government is our creature. We make it, we are ultimately responsible for it, and, taking the broad view, in Canada we have considerable reason to be proud of it. The closer we are to government, and the more we know about it, the more we can do to help meet these challenges. This publication takes a look at our system of government and how it operates.