French and English are both official languages of Canada and all government business is conducted in both languages. The prime minister, although not required to speak both languages, is fluent in both as a general rule. In this story, all effort will be made to keep conversations written in English, although commonly understood French words and phrases will be used. Unless specifically noted which language the conversation is taking place in, please note that it could be in either language, but is in English for the ease of the reader.
There may be some dissimilarity in structure with the current Canadian government, but there is no defined structure for the personal staff of the prime minister or the Cabinet. The structure of these two entities is dependent on the personal preference of the individual prime minister. Some prime ministers have had upwards of forty ministers in their Cabinets, some without specific portfolios, and others have had large Cabinets but a small 'war' council which met to do much of the actual decision making. The decision is the prime minister's.
And finally, in order to allow the characters to talk naturally and to keep the story from becoming overburdened by explanation, a glossary is provided. It will contain only the terms that have actually come up in the story and will be updated with every chapter. If there is a better way of dealing with the issue, please let me know.
The terms used in the latest chapter will be in bold to make them easier to locate.
Aide-memoire – A document presented to the Cabinet informing them of some issue.
Backbencher – A member of parliament who is not a cabinet minister, a party leader, or an opposition critic.
Cabinet – The group of people chosen from the House of Commons or the Senate by the prime minister to be responsible for the administration of the government and the formation of its policies.
Cabinet Minister – A Senator or a member of the House of Commons chosen by the prime minister to be responsible for a government department.
Cabinet Solidarity – Once a decision has been reached by the Cabinet, the ministers must publicly stand by the decision, whether they personally agree with it or not. They may voice their opinions during Cabinet meetings, and are expected to, but must either support the final decisions or resign their Cabinet posts.
Centre Block– The main block of the Parliament buildings. It houses many of the main functions of Parliament including the House of Commons and the Senate Chamber.
Clerk – A reference to the Clerk of the Privy Council.
Clerk of the Privy Council – The secretary to the cabinet and the head of public service, they have the responsibilities of deputy minister to the prime minister.
CSE – Acronym for the Communications Security Establishment. CSE is responsible for foreign signals intelligence among other things.
CSIS – Acronym for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. CSIS is responsible for gathering information on national security interests of Canada, with the focus on threats to the security of Canada.
Deputy Minister – A career civil servant appointed to aid cabinet ministers. In most cases, they are free from political affiliations and remain in the service of the government despite changes in the governing party. They are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister and may be reassigned or removed from their positions by the prime minister at any time (although this rarely happens).
Election Call – A request by the prime minister to the governor general for a general election to be called. Only members of the House of Commons are affected.
Governor General – The representative of the King or Queen of England in Canada. They are the head of state.
House of Commons – The lower house of Parliament made up of 301 elected members.
Maritimes – A general reference to the provinces east of Quebec: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland.
MP – A reference to a Member of Parliament.
Member of Parliament – One of the 301 members of the House of Commons.
Parliamentary Secretary – A member of parliament from the government party who is appointed to assist a cabinet minister. They often fill in for the cabinet ministers during Question Period in the House of Commons, in House of Commons committee meetings, and for speaking engagements.
Prime Minister – The leader of the Canadian government, they are the leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Commons. They appoint people to the Cabinet and many other government positions and are responsible for the functioning of the government.
Question Period – A daily 45 minute period in the House of Commons where opposition members and government backbenchers ask oral questions to get the prime minister, cabinet ministers, and House of Commons committee chairs to defend and explain policies.
Secretary of State – A junior ministerial position that is often used to allow reductions in Cabinet size while still maintaining staffing levels and the number of political appointments being made.
Senate – The upper house of Parliament made up of 105 appointed senators.
Senator – A person appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister to the Senate. Senators serve from the time of their appointment until a fixed retirement age of 75.
Star Wars – Specifically, the Reagan missile defence system, but in this case used to refer to a general missile defence system.
Sussex Drive – The official residence of the prime minister is at 24 Sussex Drive.
Thomas D'Arcy McGee – Canada's only political assassination.
Tory – A member or supporter of the Progressive Conservative Party.
West Block – Another block of the Parliament buildings. This block houses offices and other administrative functions.