Responsible government is all about the people's control of their government, expressed through the lower house. This system works well because governments are held accountable through elections. .
The Parliament acts as a check on the government through parliamentary questions, debate on legislation and parliamentary committee investigations. Under this system citizens ultimately govern themselves in a way that allows debate on contentious issues, and majority rules.
There are two major differences between the Canadian parliamentary system of executive power and the American congressional system of executive power. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet, who are jointly responsible for government decisions, control the executive power in Canada. In the United States, the executive power is largely in the hands of one person, the president. Personally I believe that the responsibility of one country should not be held under the hands of one individual. The second difference is even more significant. In the parliamentary system, Cabinet ministers are members of parliament, and they retain their office as long a they have the support of the majority of the House of Commons. The executive is therefore responsible to the elected members of parliament. The US president on the other hand is not a member of congress and is not responsible to that body. He or she is elected for a four-year period and holds office for the duration of the term, even if his or her party does not have a majority in congress. This congressional system doesn't seem to be legitimate. While there is no support for a particular party they are continuing to run the country the way they think it should be. .
