Canadian Politics and government Flashcards
What is a political issue?
involves a decision on part of society to act in a particular way.
What is politics?
- is the practice of attempting to influence collective decisions.
- cannot please everyone at the same time.
- arises out of scarcity
- rival claims are settled by public authorities.
What is a nation?
politically conscious and mobilized group of people. special relationship
What is a citizen?
a formal member of a nation/state.
- has specific rights
What is sovereign?
- highest authority figure
final authority rests on national gov.
independence from Britain
What is Legitimacy?
Government’s powers to make binding decisions (raising taxes, legal system) authority
What are policies?
broad-based patterns of gov. actions (lower taxes)
What are institutions?
established orgs. that are public in nature (courts, police…)
Difference between politicians and bureaucrats?
Politicians: determine the direction government goes. make policies decisions
Bureaucrats: implement policy decisions. works for government
What is the government?
- set of institutions that make and enforce collective, public decisions for a society.
- authority to make decisions.
Difference between state and government?
Government: more focused on elected bodies (prime minister)
State: larger political community (courts, police, armed forces…)
Private Sector?
functions separately than government (best buy) profit businesses.
- hire people and sell things
- salesperson, factory worker… for profit
Public Sector?
- government steps in to help us
- police, universities, public schools, hospitals, service Canada
- work for government
What is power?
ability of one actor to impose will on other
- government imposes taxes and have enforcement mechanism
What is authority?
have right to make decisions (police can arrest)
What is jurisdiction?
Ultimate authority to make decisions
What is legislative power?
use legislature to make laws
What is executive power?
enforce laws
What is judicial power?
power to interpret law (final say by judge)
Public service values? (How government should work)
- public interest ( goal of gov)
- Political neutrality: not political. motivated by best decision
- efficiency, cannot be override concern (greater good)
- responsiveness: reactive to what is going on.
- fair and equitable manner
- integrity (honesty)
What is Politics-Administration Dichotomy?
separate lengths.
- politicians come up with the big picture and bureaucracy makes the work
- politicians have so much more involvement today
Anonymity vs. Ministerial Responsibility?
people who work in bureaucrats work anonymously
What is a Regime?
form of government and underlying political principles that provide the basis for that form of government.
who rules and why group of rulers
What is democracy?
ruled by the people
What is direct democracy?
people have direct say in matters of state
What is representative democracy?
people appoint representatives to speak for them in matters of state.
What is parliamentary democracy?
variation of representative democracy
What is liberal democracy?
small ideologically liberal. democratic values. needs of individuals with needs of society= balance.
What is ideology?
worldview. ideas about politics
what we want/expect from government
Left, Right, Centre Ideology spectrum?
Left: change, collectivist. more faith in government, participation. wants the government to be big to look out for people.
Right: individualistic, conservative. what happens to individuals is because of their efforts. government is too expensive and screws things up. government to be smaller.
Centre: goes for what is right (Liberals)
What is liberalism ideology?
- liberty
- individualism
- equality
- reason
- competition
What is conservatism ideology?
- order
-community
-hierarchy - tradition
- cooperation
Authoritarian vs Libertarian?
Authoritarian: more control less freedom
Libertarian: more freedom less control.
What is divisions or cleavages?
deep, persistent division in society that has significant implications for political system
- Quebec vs rest of Canada, West vs East, Rural vs. Urban vs. Suburban, Indigenous vs non-Indigenous.
What is Regionalism?
- Mackenzie King: some countries have too much history, too much geography
- increase the political power
- through provinces
- geographic approach
- imagined communities
- dependency theory
What is Populism?
- theory that extends notion of democracy beyond election
- work from bottom up
- major political decisions should be made by people
- can be left or right wing (mostly right wing)
What is Western alienation?
disconnection many Canadians in Wester provinces feel to the rest of Canada
Urban Canada?
Canada is one of the most urbanized countries in the world.
75% of us live in cities.
Urban Canada–> liberal ideology.
- economy relies more on financial, health, education
Rural Canada?
- over-represented in parliament.
- economy depends more on mining, forestry
Canadian Political Culture?
- sum total of political beliefs in a country
attitudes, beliefs, and values that underpin system - safer countries, better police, fairer courts than other countries.
- Democratic values
- Popular sovereignty (vote for people to represent us)
- political equality
- political freedom
- traditionally: conservative, collective
- now: change, less confident in gov.
balance between individualism and collectivism?
- everyone should be free to do as they choose
- society–> benefited as a whole by collective actions
Formative events theory? Seymour Martin Lipset
- US develops out of a revolution while Canada out of a counter-revolution
- maintain ties with Great Britain and monarchy.
class consciousness.
Staples Theory? Harold Innis
- develop as a country that exports natural resources
raw material to products/
Fragment Theory? Louis Hartz
Canada founded by European immigrants, representing European civilization.
- congealment which leads to tolerant. political community which allowed other ideas.
Canada vs US?
Canada: less individualistic, community, freedom, equality, attitudes towards state.
