Making Laws

Prime ministers have had a very important role in writing and changing the Constitution. Sir John A. Macdonald was one of the men who wrote Canada's Constitution, and then became Canada's first prime minister. The power to change it stayed in England until Pierre Trudeau brought the Constitution home to Canada.

The signing of the Constitution, 1982: Pierre Trudeau and Her Majesty the Queen. Copyright/Source

Canada has changed a lot since the country first came into being. It has grown from four provinces to ten, with three territories. When Macdonald was prime minister, Canada was mainly farms and forests. Now Canada has big cities and factories as well, and is one of the most advanced countries in the world.

Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent starting to add Newfoundland's coat of arms to the Parliament buildings, 1949.  Copyright/Source

Newfoundland was the last province to join Canada in 1949. Nunavut became the newest territory in 1999.

Key Words

• the Constitution:
  • This is the most important document in Canadian law, because it has the basic rules on how the country should be run.

• territories:
  • The territories make up large parts of Canada's northern lands. They are: Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.