legislatures in Canada and the United States

Legislatures in Canada and the United States

Legislature is the branch of government that makes or amends laws (Jackson, 245). Both the Canadian and the American legislatures are formed from two chambers, each with their own respective roles. Certain arguments are made in favour of the American legislature as being equal to or even more powerful than the executive, whereas in Canada, the executive is considered to have more influence in passing legislation (Jackson, 46).

Canada’s legislature is made up of the House of Commons, also called Parliament, which is the lower house and the Senate, which is the upper house. The House of Commons consists of 301 elected members of Parliament (MP’s) from 301 constituencies across Canada. The Senators in the Canadian Senate are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister and selection is based on regional representation (Jackson, 43). Similarly, the United States also has two chambers, the lower H...