Many people would like to believe that the president is the most powerful person in the world. However, the structure of America has put restraints on the president that a Prime Minister would not have. There are many differences between the President of the United States and the Prime Minister of Canada. These differences include regulations, term of office, powers, and cultures. Throughout this paper you will learn that just being the leader of their country is about as similar as these two people get.
Here in the United States, we have had many presidents throughout the years. Starting with George Washington, and finishing up with George Bush. Our president is the chief executive, with the legislative and judicial branches to keep …show more content…

The minority government can call a general election at any time, and will usually call one when an opportunity arrives and appears that they may be able to win the majority of seats (http://encarta.msn.com).
Now many people believe that being the leader of your country means you can do whatever you want. Fortunately this is not the case when it comes to the president and the prime minister. Each of these men has restrictions on their powers, though these restrictions are very different. The president has many powers such as war time powers and judicial powers. During war time, the president has the power to control all war related industries, can place limits on wages and prices, can decide ration of food, clothing, and manufactured items, and can even suspend come personal freedom, such as curfew. These suspensions must be restored when the “emergency” has passed. Some of his judicial powers include that he appoints all federal judges and US attorneys, and has the power to pardon. He also is responsible for carrying out court orders and decisions. Though these powers sound like the president can do pretty much anything, he does have restrictions. There are three main limits that the president must follow. These limits are limit of permissibility, limit of available resources, and limits of previous commitments. Limit of permissibility means that it must be legal and acceptable to the public. Limit of