Questions: do we continue to have collective government? Has the power of
shifted from cabinet to the PM
The cabinet is not a sufficient check on the PM
Mulroney liked one on one contact, Cretienne did not have good designs and
let his ministers alone, Harper was very ambitious and used the PMS office to
exert power
Rely on ambiguity and newspaper articles, but Schultz thinks there is a
centralization of power- PMO and privy council office
Privy council was more important in the past
Starting the 1990s the PMO became more central
The title of the clerk in the privy council is secretary of the cabinet but some
of these men self describe as PMs aide
Collective vs. monocratic
A continuum
Collective cabinets and monocratic prime minister
Powers of th PM
Buttressed by two central agencies- PMO and Privy
Three sources of pm power- command of the majority in the HOC, command
of a political party, command of the executive
Leader centric parties
Thatcher did so poorly in her party caucus that she resigned
Before trudeau J., there were not a lot of full cabinet meetings ut now he says
that he will have them
Trudeau is decreasing his own power by using self caution
Source of prime ministerial power
Known as the boss
Also the master of cabinet
During the deficit, the PM threatened to fire random leakers
Decides who to speak
Sums up the sense of the meeting
The meeting could go one way but the PM could determine otherwise
PM determines cabinet structure
Decides who’s on committees, and who’s on the chairs so they see themselves
as reps of the PM
Sole source of advice on the governor general
Controls the organization of government, ex. When the dept. of
communication was abolished
Becomes the primary person who deals with the media
Pm is the most important person in dealing with the provinces
Things are not finalized until the PM says so
Ambassadors are appointed by the PM
Pm decides deputy ministers, clerk of the privy council, appoints chief
justices for the superior courts, chief of defense, heads of crown corporations
like the CBC, directors of crown appointments
Pm and advisors determine electoral strategy
When the opposition members are weak, this makes the PM stronger
Constraints
Time
Too much time and commands, Pm cannot attend to every issue
Around 1962 we survived a cabinet revolt
Loss of party organization became an issue and martin went around
cretienne and cretienne resigned
Major disasters throw the PM off
Centre of blame
Post 1982- the courts have become very influential check on gov’t
Power of the premiers, they can act as a constraint
The premiers can gang up on the P
Has little in the way of institutional check in order to get his way
All constraints are not intuitional checks- Canadian pm is the most powerful
pm in the world
Nov 7/16
Federalism:
Second Pillar of our system of government is Federalism
