Essay was written on the question:

Choose and defend one of the following forms of government as being superior:

the liberal form of government of the American presidential system, or

the responsible form of government of the Canadian parliamentary system.

I believe that the Canadian system of responsible, parliamentary democracy is more effective than the American system of liberal, presidential democracy. The Canadian system is better suited to allow the people to express their wishes. The American system is highly convoluted with its system of checks and balances of power. The biggest difference between the American and Canadian governments is the way in which the executive governs. Although the theory of the American system seems well structured to express the will of the people, the wide distribution of power in the United States Government means that there is not enough power held by any one branch of government to ensure that political deadlocks do not occur. In Canada, the executive has much more power to legislate. This power is effectively balanced by the executive's responsibility to the Canadian people, through the House of Commons, and the power the people retain to execute a change in government if that power is used abusively or in a way that disagrees with a majority of Canadian citizens. Thus, it is wise for democracies to emphasize the principles of responsible government.

In Canada, the Governor General is technically the head of state while the prime minister is the head of government. However, the Governor General is merely symbolic; the prime minister directs the government and the country. To quote the assignment booklet, "The Canadian system is more effective in expressing the will of the people by allowing government (especially majority government) to govern with relatively fewer checks or hindrance from balancing power." In Canada, the executive branch of the government participa...

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