United States Government
citation: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/washington-dc/images/s/capitol-building.jpg
President: Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States, and the first African American to hold the office.
1) The United States is the world's oldest surviving federation. It is a constitutional republic and representative democracy, "in which majority rule is tempered by minority rights protected by law"
2) The government is regulated by a system of checks and balances defined by the U.S. Constitution, which serves as the country's supreme legal document.
3) In the American federalist system, citizens are usually subject to three levels of government: federal, state, and local. The local government's duties are commonly split between county and municipal governments.
4) Legislative: The bicameral Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse
5) Executive: The president is the commander-in-chief of the military, can veto legislative bills before they become law (subject to Congressional override), and appoints the members of the Cabinet (subject to Senate approval).
6) Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts, whose judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, interpret laws and overturn those they find unconstitutional.
Canada Government
citation: http://fromehtoz.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/cropped-canada.jpg
Governor: The current, and 22nd, Prime Minister of Canada is the Conservative Party's Stephen Harper, who was appointed on February 6, 2006, by Governor General Michaëlle Jean, following the general election that took place that year.
Judicial Power
1) The Supreme Court of Canada—the country's court of last resort—has nine justices appointed by the governor general on recommendation by the prime minister and led by the Chief Justice of Canada, and hears appeals from decisions rendered by the various appellate courts from the provinces and territories.
Federalism
2) The powers of the parliaments in Canada are limited by the constitution, which divides legislative abilities between the federal and provincial governments; in general, the legislatures of the provinces may only pass laws relating to topics explicitly reserved for them by the constitution, such as education, provincial officers, municipal governments.
Compare and Contrast
1) One key difference is that Americans directly elect their president, while in Canada the Prime Minister is merely the leader of the party that obtains the most votes.
2) Canada has a parliamentary system of government, while America has a presidential system.
3) Canada's government type is a parliamentary democracy, a federation, and a constitutional monarchy
4) The United States have constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
5) As democratic nations, the United States and Canada both have governments that reflect belief that power ultimately resides with the people.
6) By contrast, in the U.S., a separation of powers bars the president and cabinet members from holding seats in Congress.