Canadian Govt Questions Pt. 1 Flashcards
constitution
outlines the basic principles on which a government is founded, establishes the organization of government, and may outline the rights of citizens
Parliament
consists of 2 separate houses:
• Lower house called the House of Commons, is made up of our elected Members of Parliament
• The Senate, called the upper house, is composed of appointed representatives called senators
• together both houses form the legislative branch of govt
• makes laws and regulations
Constitutional Monarchy
the powers of the monarch are limited by the constitution and laws of the land. The monarch has little power in Canada or Britain- the Queens powers are mostly symbolic and ceremonial
Democracy
individual people have a voice in government through their elected representatives
Cabinet Portfolio
Cabinet: abt 30 members of Parliament from the governing party are selected by the PM. They decide on government policies and make sure those policies are carried out
Portfolio: a department such as defence, finance, fisheries, immigration, or health, that each Cabinet member is put in charge of
“In Camera” meetings
means “behind closed doors”. Topics discussed by the cabinet are secret and may not be discussed outside the meeting
Cabinet Solidarity
once a policy has been decided upon, are expected to publicly support it. If they cannot support it they must resign
Cabinet shuffle
when the PM decides to move or “shuffle” cabinet ministers from one job or portfolio to another. A shuffle sometimes gives the cabinet a new look when a party is not doing well in the public opinion polls
Shadow Cabinet
composed of opposition MPs who follow a specific minister’s portfolio. They make sure the minister is doing the job satisfactorily.
Leader sits opposite the PM and Cabinet
Caucus
consists of all elected members of the party. In caucus meetings, MPs have a chance form the policies and discuss the strategies their party will follow in the House of Commons
Back Benchers
government MPs who are not Cabinet members
Opposition
2nd largest party in the House of Commons. Opposition members sit directly across from the governing party
Pages
sit around the speakers chair, are young people who are responsible for delivering messages and running errands for MPs
Ridings
an electoral district coming in different sizes and population, there are 338 ridings in Canada
Polling Station
citizens go to polling stations on election day to vote. Could be in a school gym or community centre. Pills are open from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm. Polling stations may be divided into individual polls
Majority Govt
when one party wins more seats than all other parties combined
Minority Govt
a govt that has elected fewer than half of the seats in the Commons
Non-Confidence Motion
the motion says that the opposition believes the govt has lost the support of the majority of members in the House of Commons and it therefore has lost the right to govern
Platform
a package of ideas or policies based on the party’s beliefs. the platform tells us what the party would do if it formed the govt
Member of Parliament
Federal
Canada is divided into 338 electoral districts called ridings or constituencies. Each riding sends one representative known as an MP. MPs have a duty to stay in touch with their ridings and be aware of the problems and issues faced by their constituents
Member of Legislative Assembly
Provincial
a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly
a provincial representative of constituencies
