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===תיקון החוקה===
עד חקיקת חוק החוקה, תיקונים לחוקת קנדה היו בסמכות הפרלמנט הבריטי בלבד. העברת הסמכויות לפרלמנט הקנדי שינתה זאת, וכיום תיקון החוקה מתאפשר לפי התנאים המפורטים בפרק 5 של חוק החוקה, 1982, הקובע חמש אפשרויות תיקון:
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# תיקון יכול להיות מוצע, בהתאם לסעיף 46, על ידי כל פרוביציה או על ידי הממשל הפדרלי. סעיף 38 קובע את נוסחת 7/50 - היינו נדרשת הן הסכמת [[בית הנבחרים הקנדי|הבית התחתון]] של [[פרלמנט קנדה]] והן הסכמת [[הסנאט הקנדי]], וכן הסכמת לפחות שני שלישים מבתי המחוקקים הפרובינציאלים (הסכמת 7 מתוך הפרובינציות) המייצגים לפחות 50% מאוכלוסיית קנדה (היינו מבין 7 הפרובינציות נדרשת הסכמת פרובינציית [[אונטריו]] או [[קוויבק]] בשל אוכלוסייתן הרבה).
{{seealso|Amendments to the Constitution of Canada}}
# תיקון הנוגע לסמכויות [[המלוכה הקנדית]], השפות הרשמיות של קנדה, מספר הסנטורים או תיקון נסחת השינוי עצמה - דורש הסכמה פה אחד של כל הפרובינציות (סעיף 41 לחוקה).
With the Constitution Act, 1982, amendments to the constitution must be done in accordance with Part V of the Constitution Act, 1982 which provides for five different amending formulas. Amendments can be brought forward under section 46(1) by any province or either level of the federal government. The general formula is set out in section 38(1), known as the "7/50 formula", requires: (a) assent from both the House of Commons and the Senate; (b) the approval of two-thirds of the provincial legislatures (at least seven provinces), representing at least 50% of the population (effectively, this would include at least Quebec or Ontario, as they are the most populous provinces). This formula specifically applies to amendments related to the proportionate representation in Parliament, powers, selection, and composition of the Senate, the Supreme Court and the addition of provinces or territories.
# תיקון הנוגע לשינוי גבולות פרובינציה או שפות רשמיות של פרובינציה - דורש הסכמה של בית המחוקקים של הפרובינציה הנוגעת בדבר (סעיף 43 לחוקה).
The other amendment formulas are for exceptional cases as provided by in the Act:
# תיקון המשפיע על סמכויות הממשל הפדרלי - דורש הסכמה של הפרלמנט הקנדי (ולא של הפרובינציות) (סעיף 44 לחוקה).
*In the case of an amendment related to the [[Monarchy in Canada|Office of the Queen]], the number of senators, the use of either official language (subject to section 43), the amending formula, or the composition of the Supreme Court, the amendment must be adopted by unanimous consent of all the provinces in accordance with section 41.
# תיקון המשפיע על סמכויות ממשל פרובינציאלי בלבד - דורש הסכמה של הפרובינציות הנוגעות בדבר (סעיף 45 לחוקה).
*However, in the case of an amendment related to provincial boundaries or the use of an official language within a province alone, the amendment must be passed by the legislatures affected by the amendment (section 43).
*In the case of an amendment that affects the federal government alone, the amendment does not need approval of the provinces (section 44). The same applies to amendments affecting the provincial government alone (section 45).
== Sources of the Constitution ==
There are three general methods of constitutional entrenchment:
* 1. Specific mention as a constitutional document in section 52(2) of the Constitution Act, 1982, such as the Constitution Act, 1867.
* 2. Constitutional entrenchment of an otherwise statutory English, British, or Canadian document because of subject matter provisions in the amending formula of the Constitution Act, 1982, such as provisions with regard to the monarchy in the English [[Bill of Rights 1689]] or the [[Act of Settlement 1701]]. English and British statutes are part of Canadian law because of the Colonial Laws Validity Act, 1865, section 129 of the Constitution Act, 1867, and the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]]. Those laws then became entrenched when the amending formula was made part of the constitution.
* 3. Reference by an entrenched document, such as the Preamble of the Constitution Act, 1867's entrenchment of written and unwritten principles from the constitution of the United Kingdom or the [[Constitution Act, 1982]]'s reference of the [[Proclamation of 1763]].
=== Unwritten sources ===
The existence of an unwritten constitution was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court in ''[[Reference re Secession of Quebec]]''.
<blockquote>
''The Constitution is more than a written text. It embraces the entire global system of rules and principles which govern the exercise of constitutional authority. A superficial reading of selected provisions of the written constitutional enactment, without more, may be misleading.''
</blockquote>
In practice, there have been three sources of unwritten constitutional law:
'''Conventions:''' [[Constitutional convention (political custom)|Constitutional convention]]s form part of the Constitution, but they are not legally enforceable. They include the existence of the Prime Minister and Parliamentary Cabinet, the fact that the Governor General is required to give assent to Bills, and the requirement that the Prime Minister call an election upon losing a vote of non-confidence.
'''Royal Prerogative:''' Reserve powers of the [[Monarchy in Canada|Canadian Crown]]; being remnants of the powers once held by the British Crown, reduced over time by the Parliamentary system. Primarily, these are the [[Order-in-Council|Orders-in-Council]] which give the Government the authority to declare war, conclude treaties, issue passports, make appointments, make regulations, incorporate, and receive lands that escheat to the Crown.
'''Unwritten Principles:''' Principles that are incorporated into the Canadian Constitution by reference from the preamble of the ''Constitution Act, 1867''. Unlike conventions, they are legally binding. Amongst the recognized Constitutional principles are federalism, democracy, constitutionalism and the [[rule of law]], and respect for minorities.<ref>these were identified in [[Reference re Secession of Quebec]] [1998] 2 S.C.R. 217</ref> Other principles include [[responsible government]], [[judicial independence]] and an [[Implied Bill of Rights]]. In one case, the ''[[Provincial Judges Reference]]'' (1997), it was found a law can be held invalid for contradicting unwritten principles, in this case judicial independence.
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==ראו גם==
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