The people
Elect members of the House of Commons under the constitutional and statutory election system.
← Back to Canada
🇨🇦 Formal national power · source bounded
Who selects whom in Canada?
The elected House sustains the government, while the Governor General performs constitutional acts and courts review legality.
Dots are institutions · arrows are sourced powers
Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Canada's formal and conventional system connects election of the House of Commons, House confidence in the Prime Minister and Cabinet, advice to and constitutional acts by the Governor General, appointment of senators, royal assent, and judicial review by an independent judiciary headed by the Supreme Court.
Explore the whole systemHow offices are filled
Appointments3 paths
The dots
Institutions represented on this map.
Each institution below has an attached source. Being listed does not imply an unshown formal relationship.
House of Commons
The elected chamber whose support and confidence the Prime Minister and Cabinet must retain to govern.
Senate
The appointed upper chamber of the Parliament of Canada.
Governor General
The King's representative who performs specified constitutional duties, generally on ministerial advice, while retaining limited reserve powers.
Prime Minister and Cabinet
Exercise executive government in practice and must retain House of Commons confidence.
Supreme Court of Canada
Canada's final court of appeal, hearing constitutional questions and references within an independent judiciary.
Evidence and limits
Every line has a source. Every missing layer stays visible.
The map describes formal national relationships only. It does not measure democratic quality, legitimacy, actual compliance, or informal influence.
Official or constitutional source
The Constitution Acts, 1867 to 1982
Department of Justice Canada
- executive and legislative structure
- Senate appointment
- House election
- dissolution
- Royal Assent
- constitutional supremacy
Constitutional Duties
Governor General of Canada
- Prime Minister and Cabinet swearing-in
- dissolution
- Royal Assent
- ministerial advice
- reserve powers
The Canadian Parliamentary System
House of Commons of Canada
- parliamentary framework
- confidence convention
- resignation or dissolution after loss of confidence
The Supreme Court's Mandate
Supreme Court of Canada
- three branches
- constitutional adjudication
- review of laws and executive action
- final court of appeal