People often ask what is Parliament? The answer is not as complicated as one might expect. The Parliament of Canada includes three parts: the Queen, the House of Commons and the Senate. Every bill must be approved by all three of these parts before it becomes a law in Canada.
We say that the Canadian Parliament is Canada's most important institution of government and politics. It is important not only because it passes the laws that shape the fate of our country. But it is important because Parliament is where the great debates about Canada take shape. It is where people who are elected from every walk of life speak on matters that are important to them and their constituents. The word "parliament"' is derived from the French word "parler"- meaning to talk - and parliament is a special place to speak about national issues and decide how to deal with them.
