How Canadian Parliament Works — Senate, House of Commons, and the Crown

# How Canadian Parliament Works — Senate, House of Commons, and the Crown

The Parliament of Canada is the country's federal legislature — the body that makes federal laws. It is one of the most heavily tested topics on the Canadian citizenship test. This guide breaks down its three parts, how a bill becomes law, and the test-day facts you need.

Canadian Parliament has three parts:

1. The Crown

King Charles III is Canada's head of state. Because the King lives in the United Kingdom, the Governor General represents him in Canada and performs Parliament's Crown duties — opening sessions, giving the Throne Speech, and granting Royal Assent to bills.

2. The Senate

The Senate is the upper house. It has 105 senators appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister. Senators serve until age 75. They represent regions, not population — Ontario and Quebec each have 24 seats, the four western provinces share 24, the Atlantic provinces share 30, plus territorial and at-large seats.

3. The House of Commons

The House of Commons is the lower house and the most powerful part of Parliament. It has 338 elected Members of Parliament (MPs) — one for each riding (electoral district). The House controls government spending. The Prime Minister sits here, as does the official Opposition.

Every federal law follows the same path through Parliament:

1. First reading in either the House or the Senate — the bill is introduced.
2. Second reading — debate on the principle of the bill.
3. Committee stage — clause-by-clause review, witnesses heard.
4. Report stage — committee reports back, amendments debated.
5. Third reading — final vote in that chamber.
6. The bill goes to the other chamber and repeats the process.
7. Royal Assent — the Governor General signs the bill, making it law.

Most bills start in the House of Commons. The Senate sometimes amends them or, rarely, rejects them.

The Prime Minister is the head of government. They are not elected by Canadians directly — they are the leader of the party that wins the most seats in the House of Commons. The PM picks a Cabinet of ministers (usually fellow MPs) to run federal departments. Cabinet ministers must be members of Parliament.

Read more in [How Is the Prime Minister of Canada Chosen?](/blog/how-is-prime-minister-chosen-canada) and [What Is the Cabinet in Canada?](/blog/cabinet-canada-what-is-it).

Parliament Hill is in Ottawa, Ontario. The Centre Block — with the famous Peace Tower — has been closed since 2019 for major restoration. Parliament currently sits in the West Block.

Federal elections in Canada are first-past-the-post. In each of the 338 ridings, voters pick one MP and the candidate with the most votes wins. The party with the most MPs forms government. By law, elections must happen at least every 5 years, but the Prime Minister can call one earlier. See [How Does a Canadian Federal Election Work?](/blog/canadian-federal-election-how-it-works).

Frequently tested questions on Parliament:

• Name the three parts of Parliament. *(Crown, Senate, House of Commons)*
• How many MPs sit in the House of Commons? *(338)*
• How many senators are there? *(105)*
• Who appoints senators? *(The Governor General, on the advice of the Prime Minister)*
• Where does Parliament meet? *(Ottawa)*

For specific facts, see [How Many Senators Are in Canada?](/blog/how-many-senators-canada) and [How Many MPs Are in the House of Commons?](/blog/how-many-mps-canada-house-of-commons).

The fastest way to lock in Parliament facts is to answer real test-style questions. Try our [free practice test](/practice-test) — it covers all three parts of Parliament, the legislative process, and the role of the Prime Minister.