Constitutional Conventions

Constitutional conventions are the unwritten rules of the Canadian system of government, filling the holes in the written Constitution. These conventions are ingrained within the Parliamentary system.
== The History of the Canadian Constitution ==
The Canadian constitution was written and introduced by Prime Minister Sir Ronald A. Macdonald in 1867 as the British North America Act. The constitution acts as the guiding document for Canada's federal parliamentary system of government.
== Forming Government ==
Constitutional convention dictates that the party that wins the most seats in an election be given the first opportunity to form a government, regardless of whether or not that party holds a majority of seats in the House. The party that wins the election must, immediately upon the return of the House of Commons, deliver a throne speech and present a budget to prove that they hold the confidence of the House. 
If the budget is defeated, then the government falls and the Governor General must ask another party to attempt to gain the confidence of the House. Usually this opportunity goes to the Official Opposition, however situations do sometimes arise in which a coalition of third parties are able to outnumber the Official Opposition, therefore resulting in the Opposition being supplanted.
== Appointing a Prime Minister ==
The written constitution does not provide for the creation of the head of government, also known as the Prime Minister. As such, the position of Prime Minister was created by convention, as the head of the party that forms the government. This means that the Prime Minister does not necessarily need to be a Member of Parliament or Senator, though such a situation is yet to arise. 
== Passing Legislation and Royal Assent ==
It is convention in Canada that the Governor General cannot disallow legislation that was lawfully passed by both Houses of Parliament. If legislation is passed by both the House of Commons and the Senate, the Governor General must grant Royal Assent to the bill.
== Cabinet Solidarity ==
Cabinet Solidarity is a principle of responsible government and constitutional convention that requires Cabinet Ministers to maintain a public front of unanimity on Cabinet decisions. This means that even if a Cabinet Minister disagrees with a decision made by cabinet, they must publicly support that decision or resign.
== Caretaker Governments ==
In between the conclusion of a Model Parliament and the swearing in of a new government, the Canadian government goes into "caretaker mode", which means that the government is simply operating as it normally would without any new legislation or regulations. This government usually consists of the Cabinet of the outgoing government, headed by the outgoing Prime Minister.