The House of Commons is a legislative body in the UK and Canada, with the UK operating with the House of Lords and Canada having a Senate. It was established in the 14th century to include citizens in government. The modern UK House of Commons has 650 MPs, while Canada has 308. The lower house has more power than the upper house in both systems, with MPs responsible for choosing government ministers. Various characteristics define the actions of representatives, including early day motions, adjourn debates, and President Denison’s rule.
The House of Commons is one of the legislative bodies in the bicameral parliaments of both the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada. In the case of the UK, it operates with the House of Lords, while Canada has a Senate. The name comes from the legislative practice of allowing ordinary citizens to have a say in government. The House of Commons became the basis for the lower house of other bicameral legislative bodies such as the United States House of Representatives.
In the United Kingdom, the House of Commons was established in the 14th century as a way for political power to include the subjects of the realm rather than the lords and clergy, who had already secured a position with the House of Lords. Most of the selected representatives belonged to the upper middle class of the business sector. These were democratically elected but had a significant lack of power compared to the House of Lords for many years. With the Parliament Act of 14, the House of Commons was given more power regarding bills. The ability of the House of Lords to overrule the provisions has been severely curtailed as a result of this Act.
The modern House of Commons of the United Kingdom consists of 650 representatives, known as Members of Parliament (MPs). They are elected by a constituency for no more than five years, although the Prime Minister can call an election at any time. All government ministers, who are responsible for specific departments called ministries, are chosen by the lower house.
In Canada, the House of Commons derives from the Constitution Act of 1867 when the country was established. There are 308 members spread across the country, based on population count. It is elected by the voters similar to the British system with a four-year limit. Like the British system, elections can be called before the end of the mandate.
Canada’s Senate has far less power than the House of Commons, largely because the Prime Minister only serves as long as he can maintain support in the lower house. The Senate can reject bills, although it rarely does. In essence, this gives the lower house almost complete control over the government.
In both the British and Canadian systems, there are various characteristics that define the actions of the representatives. MPs can pass an early day motion in which legislation or debate is tabled, meaning it is set aside for a later day. An adjourn debate is the process by which the House can hold a debate without a motion to pass a law or resolution. There is also President Denison’s rule where the Speaker of the House can cast one vote in the event of a tie.
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