Canada’s Federal Political System (C1+Intro) Flashcards
Issue
A topic that relates to citizenship, identity and quality of life, and on which well-informed people have different views upon
Perspective
A values and ideas shared by people with a common language, history and culture (Can be directed towards certain issues)
Point of view
Opinions and preferences of an individual (based on personal experiences)
Quality of Life
A measure of collective and individual/personal well-being (Standard of comfort)
Rights
What individuals and groups are allowed to do in society, usually established in law
Society
A social system where a group of people share:
- The same geographic region (same place)
- A common identity and culture/history (E.g. “I identify as a member of this group”)
- Participate in shared political/economical institutions for communal benefit/purpose/interest (E.g. I work for the government (political subsystem/institution))
What is governance and how does it connect to citizenship and identity?
The process of governing/The way nations govern themselves;
G-C: Governance defines citizenship (who is in or out)
C-I: Citizenship influences identity (Shared history/culture/experiences as a whole)
I-G: Identity affects how people engage with governance (protest/support/participation/etc.)
Political system
The structure of the government
What is an economic system and how does Economics connect to citizenship and identity?
- Economic system: How a society organizes/distributes its resources (goods and services) and their productions/consumptions
- E-I: Economics define each individual’s quality of life (Based on income), and the type of work done to produce that income is a part of your identity (E.g. farmer, artist, entrepreneur, engineer, etc.)
- E-C: Economics is the basis of how the welfare and rights of citizenship are implemented through the constitution and other legal documents (e.g. social security needs to be funded by taxes)
What are some factors that affect your quality of life, citizenship, and identity?
- Income, happiness, sense of safety/security, national history, diplomatic relations, etc.
How do issues affect the quality of life, identity and citizenship of Canadians?
Different peoples have different opinions towards different issues, and in turn make different decisions. These decisions affect an individual’s QoL, Id. and Cit.
Opinion
Personal reaction to an issue
Criteria
Standards of Evaluation
What makes something an issue (criteria)?
- Unbiased question
- Receives wide range of responses from different people (Generally has important impact on Q,I,C)
- Needs an informed response with logically sufficient critical thinking+previous (Serious) background knowledge (Real examples)
- Appreciation for the variation in responses
What is an example of an issue and how could we respond to it formally?
- Gun control;
1. Identify topic
2. Identify central issue/question
3. Form initial response
4. Form informed secondary response
5. Take action
(Note that gun control is only a topic and real - - issues may consist of who can use the guns) - E.g. yes/no for group A because of reason X in the topic of M (e.g. should gun ownership be restricted in Canada)
Govern, Governance, Government
Govern: To make decisions as a government and put them into action
Governance: The process of governing
Government: The body with power to make decisions in society
Constitution
A set of laws that govern citizens and their rights/freedoms
- Acts as a framework of governance (special set of laws)
- Highest law (all other laws must be consistent with it)
Autonomy
The ability to govern without consulting another political system or being externally interfered with (E.g. Canada able to make laws independently after the Statute of Westminster, 1931)
Justice
The institutions/processes of applying laws in society (e.g. court)
Bias
An opinion based on unchallenged assumptions (Usually one-sided and a “feeling” rather than a “response”)
Equity vs Equality
- Equity: Governing by rules that apply to everyone, but take into personal circumstances - - (some people may not need that much support in a certain area but others do)
- (e.g. you don’t need to give a white cane to someone who isn’t blind)
- Equality: Governing everyone the same way
Constituent
Being a voting member of a society with the (partial/indirect mostly) to appoint/elect
Popular vote
The total votes cast into an election (x votes vs y votes)
Lobby groups
A group of persons working behalf a specific cause in an attempt to persuade/influence the government into making certain laws (provides different perspectives)
What must lobbyists do to ensure transparency?
They must register with a Commissioner of Lobbyists and must document which authorities (e.g. MPs) they are talking to.
What are some examples of lobby groups?
Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, Mining Association of Canada, Canadian Labour Congress, etc.
Civil Service
People who work in the government but aren’t elected (Normal employees who do daily work)
Official Opposition Party
The party that got the second most votes (Oppose/challenge/question government (elected party) in power)
What are the main components of Canada’s federal political system?
Monarchy, 3 Branches (Legislative, Executive, Judicial)
Monarchy
1: Monarch (King/Queen of England) (Charles III)
- Birthright (Inherited role)
- Responsibilities: No formal authority
2: Governor General (Current: Mary Simon)
- Selection: Appointed by Prime Minister
- Represents monarch in government, represents Canada abroad, gives Royal Assent (approves bill to become a law)
What is the Executive Branch and its components?
Branch that puts laws into action; Prime Minister + Cabinet
Prime Minister
- Selection: Leader of elected Party (Must also be elected MP)
- Appoints: Cabinet ministers, Governor General, Senators
- Responsibilities: Head of govt (Does not draft bills), give portfolios to cabinet ministers
Cabinet
- Selection: Appointed by PM
- Member of Cabinet = Cabinet Minister
- 30 or so people, every one of them is a minister of a certain department/portfolio (e.g. Education, Foreign Affairs)
- Responsibilities: Propose bills and run day-to-day processes in govt with assistance of civil service
What is a political party?
A group of people with similar ideas towards how the government should deal with issues; They are recognized as official organizations, put forth candidates for elections, and develop policies based on shared values.
What is the Legislative Branch and its components?
Branch of government that makes laws; Senate + House of Commons (Upper + Lower Houses)
Senate (Upper House)
- 105 seats
- Selection: Appointed (Can stay until 75) by PM
- Responsibilities: Represent minority/regional groups’ interests, review bills
- Less politically aligned and used as a “chamber of second thought”
- Cannot propose bills that create/spend taxes
House of Commons (Lower House)
- 338 seats
- Selection: Elected by constituents in their ridings; become MPs (Members of Parliament)
- Responsibilities (of MPs): Represent riding, follow political party, review bills
- # of MPs per region based on population
- All proceedings in English or French
Judicial Branch
The branch of government that interprets and applies laws by making legal judgments
(More independent of other branches, contains all courts)
- Appeals go to the court on the next level
Supreme Court:
- 9 Justices (highest judges) vote on issue (Appointed by PM)
- Final word on legal issues
- Check on the power of other branches
What is a Charter Challenge?
When someone feels that their rights/freedoms are violated by any legal condition under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms; Judicial branch stays more independent to prevent Charter Challenges being affected by govt.
What is the ratio of the Justices in the Supreme Court, and their respective regions?
3 Quebec : 3 Ontario : 2 Western Canada : 1 Maritimes
When was the Constitution created?
BNA Act of 1867
When did Canada receive legal autonomy?
1931, Statute of Westminster
What is responsible government?
A form of government where elected MPs are accountable for their actions as they represent the needs and interests of their constituents
How does Canada’s Electoral System work and how does it work?
- A political party >=170 seats majority, <170 seats minority (work with other parties)
- First Past The Post (FPTP) system, whoever has the most votes in a riding wins the whole seat; Whichever party has most seats wins
- Can be disproportionate to actual votes
What is popular vote/proportional representation?
Counting all the votes no matter the riding then comparing
What is Senate Reform and its proposal?
The idea of making the Senate more (Triple E’s) Effective, Equal, and Elected
Entrenched
Firmly established so that change is difficult
What are the stages of how a bill becomes a law?
- F(x)=First Reading, Second Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage, Third Reading
- Proposal/creation, F(HoC), F(S), H-Debate, S-Debate, Royal Assent
What does the auditor general do? Who was the auditor general during the 2004 scandal?
Examines government finances/operations to ensure efficiency and transparency; If not, then they can report to parliament/The Leg; Sheila Fraser
What issues did the Federal Accountability Act (FAA) respond to and what did it do?
Issues: Responsible govt spending, protection for people who report, more info on the activity of lobbyists
FAA: Established 2006, basically more transparency and more auditor general power
First Reading
First consideration and printed bills (No debate/vote)
Second Reading
Debate and vote the principle of a bill, does it serve Canadians’ interests? (Can vote to reject as a whole, more general review)
Committee Stage
MPs/Senators form committees with experts, witnesses and citizens to review the bill, then issue a report to the House (More specific amends), and cast a vote to either: Amend/Accept/Reject the bill
Report Stage
Debate and vote whether to further amend or not amend the bill
Third Reading
Debate and vote the final form of the bill
What are the last 3 stages after both Senate and House of Commons initial stages?
- HoC debates on Senate amends
- Senate debates+votes on HoC decision
- Royal Assent from Governor General
What is the House of Commons Page Program and who are Parliamentary Pages?
A program that gives about 40 students every year in Canada a chance to understand the functions of the House of Commons and MPs by allowing them to assist MPs in daily tasks. The students who participate in this program are called Parliamentary Pages.
Assimilation
The process of becoming part of a different cultural group, usually by force, and results in a reduction of the original cultural identity
How did the BNA Act of 1867 exclude First Nations from the political system?
- Listed them as “responsibilities of govt”
- Did not invite them in Confederation to discuss
- Did not mention Inuit or Metis at all
- Did not acknowledge First Nations sovereignty (First Nations feel that they are excluded from political processes or it is hard to participate)
What is the role of the media?
To present information and news to the public (Supports transparency), scrutinizes authorities to fight corruption
Slogan
A phrase repeatedly used by politicians/marketers to present an idea
Where does the news in the media come from?
Journalists interpret events and choose certain ways to tell the story (choose perspectives). Politicians can affect this selection by using slogans and use the media as a medium to communicate with the public.
What is the Parliamentary Press Gallery and what are some media outlets that they include?
A collection of reporters who cover the decisions and actions of the Canadian govt. Outlets include: CBC/Radio-Canada, Le Devoir, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Ming Pao News, Omni TV, etc.
What is a stereotype and how do we detect media bias?
Stereotype: An oversimplified description of a group of people
Some ways to detect media bias:
- Identify speaker and context
- Facts or Fiction?
- Ignorance/Prejudice?
- Does it include stereotypes?
