POLSCI 1AA3 Lecture 9: Parliament
17 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
Refers to the crown, the house of commons and the senate. Any law must be approved by all three institutions. Only one of these institutions is democratically elected. Under present conditions real political power over legislation lies with the cabinet and in particular with the prime minister. The failure of the commons to pass a piece of legislation initiated by the cabinet can result in the defeat of the government. House of commons has an important place in the overall political system. In the first place, it determines whether the government will continue to lead or whether it will fall. The government must maintain the confidence of the house of commons. The potential ability to expel the executive at any time gives the house a crucial check against prime ministerial power. The house of commons has control over taxing/spending. The house of commons provides continual oversight/challenge to government action in the period between elections.
