Canada is a parliamentary democraty modelled after the British parliamentary system, both at the Federal and at the Provincial government levels.
Canada is also both a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, reflecting the duality of its English and French heritage.
After a federal general election the leader of the party which wins most seats becomes Prime Minister and chooses the ministers who will join with him to form his cabinet. This cabinet is the Federal Governement. A similar regime prevails for the election of the Provincial Premiers and the establishment of their government.
Governments are not elected for a fixed duration, but cannot last more than 5 years. General elections are usually held between the third and fifth year of a government's life.
The capital of Canada, Ottawa, is where the Canadian governement is located and where Parliament sits. Parliament is constituted of two chambers: one is made up of the members elected during an election (the House of Commons) and the other of members appointed by the Prime Minister (the Senate).
Provinces have legislatures of their own, called Provincial Parliaments, where members elected during a provincial election sit. In Quebec the legislature is called Assemblée Nationale.
