Coal

Coalition Government and Prorogation of Parliament

• What does “prorogation of parliament” mean?
• Why is “prorogation of parliament” possible – as opposed to the Governor General calling an election or asking someone else among the Ministers of Parliament to be the Prime Minister?
• Does this mean that Canada currently has no government?
• Is the coalition “legal” and does it fit within the Canadian concept of “democracy”?
• What exactly is a coalition government and how is it different from a majority government?
• Is this current coalition a coalition between the Liberal and the NDP or the Liberals the NDP and the Bloc Québecois?
• In the Canadian parliamentary context, what would it mean for a particular political party to have a “veto”?
• Under the coalition, does the Bloc Québecois now have a veto on every vote and all legislation?

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See also: Constitution of Canada FAQs

Updated December 2008

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