As stated in section 1.1, collective responsibility is one of the fundamental pillars of the Constitution of Grenada. All members of the Cabinet are collectively responsible for policy decided in the Cabinet and for the individual acts of other Ministers.

This principle is not affected by the assignment of responsibility for separate portfolios to individual Ministers. Decisions made by a Minister about any matter in his or her portfolio, when it is not within policy already decided by the Cabinet, must always be such as could, without doubt, be defended by the Cabinet.

The Cabinet is therefore much more than a forum for Ministers to discuss their individual responsibilities or a convenient way for the Prime Minister to supervise individual Ministers in their general direction and control of their Ministries. Cabinet is the instrument which reconciles Ministers’ individual responsibilities for their portfolios with their collective responsibility for the Government as a whole. Cabinet approves policies and programs and oversees their implementation, and it approves draft legislation to be introduced by the Government into the Parliament for consideration. All Cabinet members share collective responsibility for each of the policies and other decisions agreed by Cabinet and for their implementation by the relevant organs of government.

All major matters of policy, and important matters on which there may be doubt regarding the opinion of other members of the Cabinet, and all subjects on which there is an unresolved difference of opinion between Ministries, should be put before the Cabinet.

Should any Minister disagree with an action taken by a fellow Minister without prior consultation with the Cabinet, the offended Minister should first engage his or her fellow Minister in discussion to secure an amicable settlement of the difference or differences. If no resolution is achieved, he or she is entitled to make representations to the Cabinet and, in that event, the Cabinet will decide whether or not the action should be upheld.

The principle of collective responsibility, common in many Cabinet systems across the world, effectively binds each member of the Cabinet to publicly support and defend the policies of the Government. Once taken, decisions of the Cabinet are binding on all its members. They must take any necessary action to support and facilitate implementation of Cabinet decisions by other Ministers and organizations (see section 2.2 ) and expect the same from their Cabinet colleagues. Thus, it is the responsibility of Ministers to be fully abreast of national policies as well as those specific to their portfolios.

The Government must ‘speak with one voice’ on major issues, to avoid undermining support for the Government’s agenda and to present a united front to citizens, markets and international stakeholders.

The doctrine of collective responsibility thus expects reasonable “unity” within the Government. This means that members support the final consensus decision even if they initially disagreed with it. In a constitutional monarchy, there are three reasons why this is important:

1. presenting united decisions to the Parliament better assists the requirement of maintaining a majority of votes in the Assembly to support the Government in office;
2. presenting united decisions to the public sector enables officials to implement decisions, certain that the policy is supported by all Ministers; and
3. presenting united decisions to the public allows for democratic and political accountability for the government as a whole to the country, rather than an individual Minister making decisions on his or her own.

Ultimately, exactly how collective responsibility applies will depend on the circumstances, including the judgment of the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet. Collective responsibility is fundamental and applies especially when there are different political views represented in the Cabinet. Therefore, there is a need for clear rules about collective responsibility in order to ensure stable government.
Collective responsibility means:

1. An individual Minister has the right and a clear duty to state views at Cabinet meetings for or against any proposal;
2. In general, Cabinet decisions are made by consensus, and once a decision is taken, each Minister is expected to support the decision in public and in the Parliament; for as long as a Minister remains a member of Cabinet, he or she may not speak in public or in private against a decision of the Cabinet or against an individual decision of another Minister;
3. A Minister should not speak or vote on any measure debated in the Legislature otherwise than on the lines agreed to by the Cabinet (unless the Prime Minister or Cabinet has decided that a conscience vote will be allowed to Ministers on a specific matter before the Parliament);
4. A Minister must refrain from making any speech or do any act which may appear to implicate the Government, for what he or she does;
5. No Minister should commit his or her colleagues to a particular policy or course of action without the authority of Cabinet; and a Minister ought to be wary about expressing personal opinions about future policy except after consultation with the Prime Minister;
6. If a Minister in good conscience is unable to support a decision taken by the Cabinet, the Minister should seek advice from the Prime Minister on an appropriate course of action, which may in some circumstances include tendering his or her resignation;
7. Ministers should always respect the confidentiality appropriate to collective decision-making;
8. Effective decisions about applying the principle of collective responsibility rest ultimately with the Prime Minister; and
9. An important exception to the principle of collective responsibility is where the law explicitly allocates decision-making power to a specific Minister. But even here, careful judgment should be exercised so that fellow Ministers are able to support the process, as noted below.

In summary, in practical terms:

1. A Minister must not vote against Government policy;
2. A Minister must not speak against Government policy;
3. A Minister should not take a decision on any matter that has financial, legal or policy implications without first referring it to Cabinet;
4. All Cabinet decisions are decisions of the whole Government;
5. Decisions reached by the Cabinet are binding on all members of the Government; and
6. The internal process by which a decision has been taken should never be disclosed.