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Canadian and American Politics Compared

 * 1) Overview
 * 2) Origin
 * 3) Elections
 * 4) Elected Leaders
 * 5) Women
 * 6) Controversy

Overview
Canadian and American Politics Compared is an analysis of the politics between two North American countries—Canada and the United States. It compares and contrasts on a macro level select elements that make up their political history.

Origin
Both countries can trace their origins to Great Britain in the 18th century. The United States became distrustful of their British government due to the increased taxation without representation. As a result, the United States broke from its mother country, seeking independence. The founding American states were suspicious of each other, however, even as they drafted a new constitution in 1776. The U.S. Constitution implemented two parameters: it provided information about what other government is not supposed to do, and it left the responsibility of government to the state to decide. Canada remained loyal to Great Britain and now functions within a constitutional monarchy. The British North America Act (known informally as the BNA Act) was created in 1867 through active negotiation between the soon to be federal government and the provinces. Negotiations were necessary to create a balance between these two governing bodies. In 1982 the BNA Act was repatriated and became known as the Canada Act, enabling Canada to decide its own legislative future without the approval of Great Britain’s parliament.

Elections
Electorally, both countries are based on a democratic system of fair elections, where the citizens of the country cast a vote to elect their leader. The United States, however, has fixed elections; Canada does not. In the United States, presidential elections are held every four years, which is the length of the president’s term in office. Upon the completion of one term, the president must campaign again if he wishes to be re-elected to maintain office. A president is allowed to serve only two terms in office. Serving a maximum of two terms became the limits in 1951 following the thirty-second United States president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945), who served four terms. Elections in Canada are called by the prime minister; also, the prime minister can dissolve parliament at any time for an election. Canadian prime ministers are not confined to serving four-year terms. As long as they are able and are elected, they can serve as many terms as they—and Canadian citizens—chose.

Elected Leaders Canada and the United States differ in the number of leaders each country has elected—Canada has elected twenty-two prime ministers ; the United States has elected forty-four presidents. In the United States, when campaigning for president, the elected representative of the party must chose a running mate, who will serve as the vice president. In Canadian politics, the prime minister does not have a running mate or “vice prime minister” to serve with him. Because Canada is a constitutional monarchy, the head of state is the queen of England, who does not reside in Canada. In the United States, the commander in chief—the president—resides in the country. In order to become a United States president, the candidate must have been born in the United States; in Canada, to become prime minister, the candidate simply needs to become a Canadian citizen.

Women
During the first quarter of the 19th century, North American (Canadian and United States) women slowly gained the right to participate in politics. The suffrage movement, which gave women the right to vote, became the first major step to their engaging in politics. In 1918 in Canada, under Canada’s eighth prime minister, Sir Robert Borden, women were granted the right to vote. The following year, after many setbacks and debates, Woodrow Wilson amended the 19th amendment which enabled women in the United States of America the right to vote. Since the women’s suffrage movement, both countries have made advancements toward demonstrating their equality with male politicians. In Canada, Kim Campbell (1920–2002) served a brief term as the nineteenth prime minister, from June to November 1993. In the United States, two women participated in the 2008 presidential campaign: Hillary Rodham Clinton came close to representing the Democratic Party in final election, and Sarah Palin was chosen as the vice presidential candidate for the Republican party as John McCain’s running mate. Had either of these politicians obtained their position, history would have been made for women in politics in the United States of America.

Controversy The United States has been known to be egocentric in that they are not familiar with political events in Canada. Media in the United States seems to not focus on events that take place outside of the country if the United States is not involved. Canadians are culturally assimilated, in that they have more television stations that are broadcast from the United States. This simultaneously enables Canadians to keep abreast of current political events in the United States, while disabling Canadians from being focused on their own political news stations, like the United States.