The United States and Canada share many similarities and differences. Both countries were colonized by Europeans at roughly the same time, but now have citizens from not only Europe but all other parts of the world, including native people. Our governments also share many similarities and differences. The United States and Canada are countries with a shared history that both began under British rule. They are both democracies, but each has its own form of government. The U.S is a Republic; their elected representatives create most of the laws. Canada however, is a constitutional monarchy with a prime minister and a parliament. This very closely matches the British government. The constitutional monarch of Canada who is the head of state is in fact the British monarch. The British monarch is represented in Canada by an official called the Governor General. This Governor General chooses key people in the Canadian government, such as the Prime Minister.
In contrast to the American President, the Prime Minister is selected by the governor general. The Prime Minister may be elected, but this is not required by Canadian constitution. The Prime Minister has no term limits and may remain in power as long as the Governor General remains in power. The Governor General remains in his power if his political party remains
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In the United States there are three equally empowered branches, Judicial, Legislative, and Executive. They serve as checks on each other’s power. In contrast, the Canadian system is based on the consolidation of power. The Prime Minister has the ability to override majority opinion and can personally decide government policy, and can require members of parliament to resign at any time. In this way, the office of the prime minister of Canada has gained strength in recent years which has led many to argue that it is as powerful as the