House of Commons is one of the two houses of the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. Canada’s House of Commons is modeled after that of the United Kingdom. So are the lower houses of the national legislatures of some other former British colonies, including Australia’s House of Representatives and India’s Lok Sabha (House of the People).
The term lower house refers to the branch of a lawmaking body considered closer to the people. In the United Kingdom and Canada, the House of Commons, like nearly all other lower houses, consists of representatives elected by the people. In the United Kingdom, the upper house of Parliament is the House of Lords. In Canada, it is the Senate. In both countries, the House of Commons has much more power than the upper house.
Membership and organization.
The United Kingdom’s House of Commons has 650 members. Canada’s has 338. In both countries, each member represents a voting district. The members are chosen to run for their seats by their political party, and they do not need to live in the district that they represent.
In both countries, members of the Commons do not serve fixed terms. They are chosen in a general election, in which the entire country votes. A general election must be held at least once every five years in the United Kingdom. According to Canada’s Constitution, general elections must be held at least every five years, though in practice they are held every four years or more frequently. If a member dies or resigns, a special election called a by-election is held in the district to fill the empty seat.
After each general election, the victorious party or coalition of parties organizes the government. The leader of the dominant party becomes prime minister and chooses other individuals to be ministers (heads) of various government departments. The governing party or coalition proposes most legislation. Before a bill can become law, a majority of the members of the Commons must approve it. Most bills win approval because most members of the Commons belong to the ruling party or coalition.
In the United Kingdom, the House of Lords cannot prevent a bill passed by the Commons from becoming law. After being approved by the Commons, bills that involve the spending of money become law one month after being sent to the House of Lords, whether that house approves them or not. Nonmoney bills passed by the Commons in two consecutive sessions automatically become law, regardless of the vote in the Lords.
In Canada, the Senate cannot kill a constitutional amendment that the Commons has approved. Also, only the Commons may introduce bills that involve the spending of money. However, the Senate occasionally proposes changes in bills and performs other legislative tasks.
History.
Parliament began to develop in the 1200’s in England. Earlier, only a council of nobles and church leaders had advised the king. But needing more revenue, the king began to periodically summon commoners, including citizens, knights, and town officials, to agree to his demands for more tax revenue. After a time, the commoners insisted that the king listen to their complaints and issue decrees—later, laws—that would address the complaints.
In the 1300’s, Parliament was divided into the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The houses had nearly equal power until 1832, when a reform act took away much of the power of the House of Lords. The Parliamentary Acts of 1911 and 1949 further limited the power of the Lords.
The British North America Act created Canada’s House of Commons—and its Senate—in 1867. The Senate has never been as important in Canadian government as the House of Commons.
In the late 1900’s, the power of the United Kingdom’s House of Commons was limited by several developments. In 1993, for example, the United Kingdom became a member of the European Union (EU), an organization of European countries that seeks to promote cooperation among its members. The EU made some laws that were binding in the United Kingdom. These laws pertained to such areas as agriculture, antitrust policy, health and safety, immigration, and transportation. The power of the Commons declined further in the late 1990’s, when the government of the United Kingdom established the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Scottish Parliament, and the National Assembly for Wales. These three bodies were designed to have varying degrees of responsibility in the governing of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, three political divisions within the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom formally left the European Union in January 2020.
See also Canada, Government of (The Parliament) ; Parliament ; United Kingdom, Government of the .
