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A filibuster is a parliamentary delaying tactic. It is typically employed by opposition parties to delay or prevent the passage of a bill they don’t like. A filibuster is brought about when legislators speak at great length in opposition to a bill; propose numerous, often trivial amendments; or raise many parliamentary points of privilege. All of this is designed to keep the bill from coming to a vote. The goal of a filibuster is to either change a bill or stop its passage.

The first European expeditions that came to Canada to explore and trade for furs did not include women.

An opposition party is a political party that does not win enough seats in a general election to form a government. The elected members of that party instead serve in the legislature as the opposition. An opposition party criticizes and challenges the governing party, with the goal of improving legislation and forming the government in the next election. The opposition party with the most seats is called the Official Opposition or His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. This title emphasizes that the party remains loyal to the Crown even as they oppose the governing party. The leader of the opposition party with the most seats is called the leader of the Opposition.

In Canada, the leader of the Opposition is the leader of the largest political party sitting in opposition to the federal government. In other words, it is the party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons. The formal title is “Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.” This title reflects the Westminster system of government found in many Commonwealth countries whose political roots can be traced to the United Kingdom. The current leader of the Opposition is Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre.

The Senate is the Upper House of Canada’s Parliament. Its 105 members are appointed and hold their seats until age 75. The Senate’s purpose is to consider and revise legislation; investigate national issues; and most crucially according to the Constitution, give the regions of Canada an equal voice in Parliament. The Senate is a controversial institution. It has long been regarded by many Canadians as a place of unfair patronage and privilege. An unresolved debate continues about whether it should be reformed into an elected body accountable to the voters, or abolished.

The term Parliament refers to the Crown, the House of Commons and the Senate. Together, these institutions create Canadian laws. Parliament has two branches: the executive (the Crown, prime minister and cabinet) and the legislative (the House of Commons and the Senate). This system is a blend of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. It is based on the Westminster tradition in Britain. Each of the Crown, Senate and Commons must agree with (assent to) a law before it is enacted. The government of the day derives its authority from the people who elected it. It is therefore a representative government, even though it acts in the name of the Crown — a largely symbolic institution. In formal terms, Parliament includes all three bodies. But in common usage, the legislative branch is often equated with Parliament.

This article is from our Toronto Feature series. Features from past programs are not updated.

The following article is an editorial written by The Canadian Encyclopedia staff. Editorials are not usually updated.

Prime Minister Lester Pearson and John Matheson, one of his Liberal Members of Parliament, are widely considered the fathers of the Canadian flag. Their names were front and centre in 2015 during the tributes and celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the flag’s creation. But the role played by George Stanley is often lost in the story of how this iconic symbol came to be.

The King-Byng Affair was a constitutional crisis that happened in 1926. It pitted the powers of a prime minister against the powers of a governor general. It began when Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King asked Governor General Lord Julian Byng to dissolve Parliament and call a new election. Byng refused. It ended with King winning another election. Since then, no governor general has publicly refused the advice of a prime minister.

This article is a plain-language summary of the King-Byng Affair. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see our full-length entry: King-Byng Affair.

The Cabinet is a committee of ministers. It holds executive power in government. This means it has the power to execute, or carry out, the government’s plans. Cabinets are chaired by the prime minister. In the provinces, they are chaired by the premier. Ministers typically come from the party with the most seats. They oversee major departments, such as finance, health, natural resources, etc. Cabinets are usually strong and driven by agreement. But some believe they have grown weaker as the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has grown stronger.

This article is a plain-language summary of Cabinet. If you are interested in reading about this topic in more depth, please see our full-length entry: Cabinet.

King's Counsel (KC) is a title conferred on lawyers by the Crown. It is called Queen's Counsel (QC) when the monarch is a queen. Originally awarded to those considered worthy to argue cases for the Crown, in many provinces it has lost its distinction, being awarded to most practitioners of generally 10 years or more standing who conform politically to the government in office. The title can be conferred by either the provinces or the federal government. Duties no longer attach to the rank, which entitles holders to seniority within the profession and to wear a silk Barrister gown.