Powers of Prime Minister in Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Powers of Prime Minister in Canada - Essay Example Besides the traditional executive powers that have always been associated with the Prime Ministers of Canada, the same Prime Ministers exert a lot of control over the political party which elects him//her and although the Prime Minister is not necessarily the chairperson of his/her party, there is clear evidence that the Prime Ministers of Canada have always controlled their political parties in a number of ways. For example Right Honourable Stephen Harper, the current Prime Minister is widely respected and feared in his conservative party where he exercises a lot of political influence and is the central force behind all the policies and position adapted by the conservative in regard to all major issues. The Prime Minister of Canada is tasked with very crucial roles something which has led to the current debate on whether the Prime Minister's power are not "too much". As a matter of fact the Prime Minister is the leader of the party with majority of members in House of Commons. This mandates the Prime Minister to form the government, which is responsible for running the government affairs. The fact that the Prime Minister of Canada somehow influences the actions of the governor especially with regard to when elections can be called implies that the Prime Minister is more likely to take decisions, which favors his/her own political party. This has been seen by critics as potential source of abuse of power by the Prime Minister considering the fact that a Prime Minister who desires to extend the term in office may influence election time to his/her advantage. That the Prime Minister can also influence elections although the Prime Minister does not constitutionally have the powers to d o so is evidenced by the fact that the Prime Minister's requests for elections are rarely rejected by the Governor General. The constitutional provision for a Prime Minister to remain in office for as long as the Prime Minister's party has won the elections gives the Prime Minister an easy avenue for remaining at power for unusually longer periods. This is really disadvantageous to the country especially when the Prime Minister's policies and leadership is harming the citizens in any way whether socially or economically but somehow there is nothing, which can be done to do away with the unpopular Prime Minister. Continued stay in power for longer periods pose a threat to the impartiality of the Prime Minister's office in that a Prime Minister who has been in office for a very long time is very likely to abuse office. The other issue facing the Prime Minister's office is the fact that in cases where the Prime Minister has been implicated or accused of gross mismanagement or office abuse, he/she is required to step aside through resignation. Sadly, there are not checks and balances to warrant that the Prime Minister will step aside. Usually most Prime Ministers as history clearly indicates have been unwilling to resign even when conventional wisdom dictates that they resign. This is linked to the lucrativeness of the Prime Minister's office and the considerable powers which the Prime Ministe