Booklet 3 Flashcards
act
a formal decision, law, or the like, by a legislature, ruler, court, or other authority; decree or edict; statute; judgment, resolve, or award: an act of Congress.
appointment
an act of appointing; assigning a job or position to someone.
bicameral legislature
(of a legislative body) having two branches or chambers. (us and canada)
bill
a draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.
Bloc Quebecois
a federal political party in Canada devoted to Quebec nationalism and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty.
cabinet
the committee of senior ministers responsible for controlling government policy. in canada and us.
checks and balances
counterbalancing influences by which an organization or system is regulated, typically those ensuring that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.
coalition government
a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which multiple political parties cooperate, reducing the dominance of any one party within that coalition. The usual reason for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament. canada has this at times.
congress
a national legislative body, especially that of the US. The US Congress, which meets at the Capitol in Washington DC, was established by the Constitution of 1787 and is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. not in canada.
conservative party
right wing main political party in Canada.
constitution
a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. in canada and us.
crown
The English Monarch, where she is the symbolic head of state.
deadlock
a situation, typically one involving opposing parties, in which no progress can be made.
debate
a formal discussion on a particular topic in a public meeting or legislative assembly, in which opposing arguments are put forward.
democratic party
one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. represented by the donkey.
direct democracy
a form of government in which the people participate in deciding issues directly. a direct democracy operates in the belief that every citizens’ voice is important and necessary for the orderly and efficient operation of society.
election
a formal and organized process of electing or being elected, especially of members of a political body.
electoral district
in Canada, also known as a “constituency” or a “riding”, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada’s representative democracy is based
executive branch
(in Canada) proposes and executes laws, Head of the country, includes PM and GG, and cabinet. (in us) carries out and enforces laws. It includes the President, Vice President, the Cabinet
federal
having or relating to a system of government in which several states form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs. in canada and us.
first past the post
the candidate with the plurality of votes is the winner of the congressional seat. The losing party or parties win no representation at all. (in Canada) The candidate with the most votes in a riding wins a seat in the House of Commons and represents that riding as its Member of Parliament (MP).
fixed term
lasts for a specified period. us has fixed term legislature.
free vote
A conscience vote or free vote is a type of vote in a legislative body where legislators are allowed to vote according to their own personal conscience rather than according to an official line set down by their political party.
green party
a federal political party in Canada. core values of social justice, grassroots democracy and non-violence.
head of government
in the United States, the president is both the head of state and the head of government. in Canada, PM.
head of state
the chief public representative of a country, such as a president or monarch, who may also be the head of government. (in Canada) the queen and lowkey justin. (in us) trump.
house of commons
The House of Commons is a democratically elected body whose members are known as Members of Parliament (MPs). is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate.
house of representatives
The United States House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the United States Congress. part of the legislature of the United States. proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.
interest groups
an organization of people who share a common interest and work together to protect and promote that interest by influencing the government.
judicial branch
the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state.
law
the system of rules that a particular country or community recognizes as regulating the actions of its members and may enforce by the imposition of penalties.
legislative branch
in charge of making laws. (canada) senate and house of commons (and GG). (usa) senate and house of commons (make up congress)
legislature
the legislative body of a country or state.
liberal party
espouses the principles of liberalism and generally sits at the centre of the Canadian political spectrum.
lobby group
use various forms of advocacy in order to influence public opinion and/or policy. They have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems.
lower house
the larger of two sections of a bicameral legislature or parliament, typically with elected members and having the primary responsibility for legislation. (canada) House of Commons. (usa) House of Representatives
majority government
a government formed by a governing party that has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature
minority government
the largest party in a legislature only has a plurality (not majority) of seats.
New Democratic Party
a social democratic political party. left on economic spectrum.
parliament
a legislative, elected body of government. in canada is the senate and house of commons,
parliamentary system
a system of democratic governance of a state where the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislative branch, typically a parliament, and is also held accountable to that parliament.
party solidarity
Once a decision is made by the PM and Cabinet every member of the party is expected to publicly support that decision and vote. in canada it is important, in the us its not.
patronage appointment
in Canada it is a broad term covering the granting of favours, money, jobs, government contracts or appointments to individuals or corporations in exchange for political or monetary support.
plebiscite
the direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution. not binding.
policy
a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by a government, party, business, or individual.
political party
a group of people who come together to contest elections and hold power in the government.
prime minister
the head of an elected government
president
the elected head of a republican state.
private memeber’s bill
In Canada, a private member’s bill is a bill introduced in the House of Commons by a member of parliament who is not a cabinet minister.
proportional representation
Proportional representation characterizes electoral systems by which divisions in an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body.
question period
a period of time set aside each day for members of parliament to question government ministers
referendum
a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal. a referendum is binding.
reform party
(us) a moderate, centrist and populist party that sits in the center of the political spectrum. (canada) a right-wing populist federal political party
representation by population
a method by which seats are allocated in the House of Commons in such a way as to vary with population. The higher the population of a province, the larger the number of seats allocated to that province will be. H of C and H of Represntatives (usa) have this
representative democracy
a form of government in which a small group of politicians are elected by a large group of citizens. the people participate in deciding issues through elected officials who represent them and make laws in their interests.
republican party
commonly referred to as the GOP, is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States. in the us, represented by an elephant.
responsible government
in the Canadian system, a form of representative democracy in which the branch of government that proposes laws, the executive branch (PM and cabinet ministers) is dependant on the direct or indirect support of elected memebers of the legislative branch (a majority of MPs in the H of C).
riding
an electoral district of Canada.
senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons and the Monarch. The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, which along with the United States House of Representatives—the lower chamber—composes the legislature of the United States. In Canada its appointed, in US its elected.
separation of powers
Political doctrine of constitutional law under which the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) are kept separate to prevent abuse of power. Also known as the system of checks and balances (usa). not a thing in canada.
single member constituency
an electoral process whereby each constituency sends a single representative to the legislature; also known as the first past the post system; most votes win; winners tend to be over represented
suffragette
a woman seeking the right to vote through organized protest.
supreme court
the highest court within the hierarchy of many legal jurisdictions. in canada work till 75. in us till death.
tyranny of the majority
used to describe one of the potential problems of democracy: that the will of the majority may be imposed on minorities to the detriment of other liberal principles (think of same sex marriage)
unicameral legislature
a legislature which consists of one chamber or house.
unitary
a system of government in which the executive, legislative, and judicial powers of each state in a body of states are vested in a central authority.
upper house
the smaller house in a bicameral legislature or parliament. the senate in us and canada.
variable term
a term liable to change. canada has variable term legislature.
veto
a constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body. Congress can override a veto by passing the act by a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate.
voter apathy
lack of caring among voters in an election
vote of non-confidence
a statement or vote which states that a person in government is no longer deemed fit to hold that position
recall
in a recall election, a majority of voters may choose to remove an elected official or government from power
parliamentary monarchy
a form of government in which the power of the monarch is restrained by parliament
republic
power held by the people and their elected represntatives
residual power goes to…
in canada, federal; in usa, state
is the leader a part of the legislative assembly?
in the us no, in canada yes.
how does the opposition sit?
in canada, they face eachother. in us, they’re together because their state comes first.
a congressional republic is present in….
the us
does the canada or us have unitary federal systems?
no
single member constituency with 2nd ballot
must have majority to win, 2nd election held to find majority winner
preferential voting
voter places candidates in order of preference.
swedish executive goverment
PM not elected by the people but instead the speaker of the parliament chooses the PM who then has to receive majority vote. the needs majority support from the Riksdag and then he can: appoint and dismiss cabinet, appoint judges and determine gov policies
swedish legislative government
Called Riksdag. Unicameral, no senate. has coalition government because parties must come to a consensus.
swedish judicial government
supreme court w/ 5 people until their 65.
citizens in sweden vote for…
the party not the candidate
sweden has proportional rep. also, they have 2 options for voting:
preferntial or personal (choose one person)
does sweden have by elections?
no, if someone leaves their seat, someone else is named as the replacement.
does sweden have fixed voting?
yes, every four years.
all 3 types of rep democracies have:
electorates that select representatives
enfranchise
granting rights to citizens
