[2][3][4][5] Members are elected by simple plurality ("first-past-the-post" system) in each of the country's electoral districts, which are colloquially known as ridings.

Historically, however, terms have ended before their expiry and the sitting government has typically dissolved parliament within four years of an election according to a long-standing convention.

Although the approval of both chambers is necessary for legislation to become law, the Senate only occasionally amends bills passed by the House of Commons and rarely rejects them.

The term derives from the Anglo-Norman word communes, referring to the geographic and collective "communities" of their parliamentary representatives and not the third estate, the commonality.

Another important officer is the sergeant-at-arms, whose duties include the maintenance of order and security on the House's premises and inside the buildings of the parliamentary precinct.

(The Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol Parliament Hill but are not allowed into the buildings unless asked by the speaker).

These committees oversee the relevant government departments, may hold hearings and collect evidence on governmental operations and review departmental spending plans.

To run for a seat in the house, candidates must file nomination papers bearing the signatures of at least 50 or 100 constituents (depending on the size of the electoral district).

Seats are distributed among the provinces in proportion to population, as determined by each decennial census, subject to the following exceptions made by the constitution.

As a result of these clauses, smaller provinces and territories that have experienced a relative decline in population have become over-represented in the House.

Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta are under-represented in proportion to their populations, while Quebec's representation is close to the national average.

The other six provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador) are over-represented.

[5][18] A new redistribution began in October 2021 subsequent to the 2021 census, it is expected to go into effect at the earliest for any federal election called after April 2024.

The government house leader (as they are more commonly known) is a member of Parliament selected by the prime minister and holds cabinet rank.

The leader manages the schedule of the House of Commons and attempts to secure the Opposition's support for the Government's legislative agenda.

The government house leader (as they are more commonly known) is a member of Parliament selected by the prime minister and holds cabinet rank.

The leader manages the schedule of the House of Commons and attempts to secure the Opposition's support for the Government's legislative agenda.

Modern Canadian political parties are so tightly organized that they leave relatively little room for free action by their MPs.

Whatever the reason—the expiry of parliament's term, the choice of the prime minister, or a government defeat in the House of Commons—a dissolution is followed by general elections.

In conformity with the British model, the Lower House alone is authorized to originate bills imposing taxes or appropriating public funds.

[25] A clause in the Constitution Act, 1867 permits the governor general (with the approval of the monarch) to appoint up to eight extra senators to resolve a deadlock between the two houses.

No member may speak more than once on the same question (except that the mover of a motion is entitled to make one speech at the beginning of the debate and another at the end).

The government house leader (as they are more commonly known) is a member of Parliament selected by the prime minister and holds cabinet rank.

The leader manages the schedule of the House of Commons and attempts to secure the Opposition's support for the Government's legislative agenda.

Members of Parliament do not tend to vote against such instructions since those who do so are unlikely to reach higher political ranks in their parties.

The Commons mace is placed upon the table in front of the speaker for the duration of the sitting with the crown pointing towards the prime minister and the other cabinet ministers, who advise the monarch and governor general and are accountable to this chamber (in the Senate chamber, the mace points towards the throne, where the king has the right to sit himself).

Escutcheons of the same original royal arms can be found on each side of the speaker's chair held by a lion and a unicorn.

In response to a campaign by Bruce Hicks for the Canadianization of symbols of royal authority and to advance the identity of parliamentary institutions,[26] a proposal that was supported by speakers of the House of Commons John Fraser and Gilbert Parent, a Commons committee was eventually struck following a motion by MP Derek Lee, before which Hicks and Robert Watt, the first chief herald of Canada, was called as the only two expert witnesses, though Senator Serge Joyal joined the committee on behalf of the Senate.

The leader of the Official Opposition sits directly across from the prime minister and is surrounded by a Shadow Cabinet or critics for the government portfolios.

[33] Parliamentarians have relocated to the courtyard of the 159-year-old West Block which also underwent seven years of renovations and repairs to get ready for the move.