Ottawa Courthouse

You are now standing in front of the Ottawa courthouse, located on the same grounds as the City Hall. Now’s the time to explain how the Canadian government is organised! Let’s start by the fact that Canada is part of the Commonwealth, an association of 56 independent and equal countries that are mostly former British territories. They share common language, culture and values, all of which is inscribed in the Commonwealth Charter. These countries have no obligations to one another. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, so it currently recognises as its monarch the King on the British throne. Today, that is King Charles III, he is head of state and is represented here by a Governor General who holds his position when the King is not present.However, it’s not the King who governs, but the Prime Minister, who holds executive power and nominates a candidate for Governor to the Sovereign. He also appoints ministers and Supreme Court judges, and suggests to the Sovereign which individuals should be appointed to the Senate. The government then consists of the King’s Privy Council, which is formed by the Prime Minister, the ministers in office, as well as certain judges, senators, and of course, several members of the royal family. Today, the King’s Privy Council doesn’t really serve much purpose anymore, since its functions are assigned to and carried out by the Governor General. Its members meet very rarely, only when the King visits the country. The Cabinet, on the other hand, represents the Council of Ministers. It is at the heart of Canadian politics as it develops and implements government policy. Ministers are all members of Parliament, along with the Prime Minister. As for the judicial system, it falls under the Ministry of Justice. It is composed of national, provincial and territorial courts, and finally, the Supreme Court of Canada, which oversees them all. The Ministry of Justice was established in 1867, at the same time as the Canadian Confederation. The courthouse before you is Ottawa’s main provincial court. It opened its doors in 1986, and has been used since for most of the region’s legal affairs, thus making it one of the most important buildings in the city.