ABSTRACT
Canada is a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. There is the Crown and a legislature, composed of the House of Commons and the Senate. Because of the history and practice of responsible government (what is sometimes called the Westminster model), attention has generally been paid to the elected House of Commons, where the government sits. The Senate, like the Crown, has been ignored or criticised as inconsequential, even though Canada would not have come into existence in 1867 absent these two parts of the three-part Parliament. Although federalism remains a predominant feature of Canadian politics, in 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada pronounced bicameralism a foundational principle of its Constitution. Subsequently, the significance of that ruling was augmented by a change in the process of appointment, whereby partisanship is no longer a determining factor in the selection of senators. Today, the Senate increasingly demonstrates itself an ally of the people.
