Chapter 1 Flashcards
1
Q
What the role of the constitution/?
A
- It sets out the role of the governor general,
- It describes how the three branches of government work together to exercise the decision-making authority of government and their roles
- It also sets out the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
2
Q
What is the highest law of the land?
A
the constitution
3
Q
govern:
A
to make decisions as a government and put decisions into action
4
Q
governance:
A
the process of governing
5
Q
government:
A
the body with power to make decisions for a society
6
Q
What are the three levels of government?
A
local government
provincial government,
federal government.
7
Q
How many colonies in British North America is Canada made up of?
A
4 british colonies
8
Q
How has Canada’s government changed since 1867?
A
The government is more diverse in race and gender
9
Q
What is Canada’s constitution?
A
Canada’s constitution is the law that describes governance in Canada.
10
Q
Who is the monarch of Britain represented by?
A
represented in Canada by the governor general
11
Q
Who is the head of state in Canada and what is their role in the government?
A
Britain’s queen or king is the formal head of state in Canada, but does not play an active role in Canada’s government.
12
Q
What is the role of the governor general?
A
The governor general represents Britain’s monarch in Canada,
13
Q
Which types of governments is the governor general apart of?
A
part of both the executive and legislative branches of government.
14
Q
What are the three branches of the government?
A
The Executive Branch
The Legislative Branch
The Judicial Branch
15
Q
What is the role of the Executive branch?
A
- proposes most laws
- puts laws into action
- runs the day-to-day business of government
16
Q
What is the role of the Legislative branch?
A
- makes laws
* represents the interests and rights of Canada’s regions
17
Q
What is the role of the Judicial branch?
A
• applies and interprets laws
18
Q
What is the Executive branch?
A
the part of government responsible for putting laws into action
19
Q
Who does the executive branch include?
A
the prime minister (PM) and
the cabinet.
20
Q
Who is Head of the Government?
A
The prime minister is the head of Canada’s government.
21
Q
What are the steps for becoming Prime Minister?
A
- you must be elected as the leader of a political party.
- you must be elected as a member of parliament,
- and the party you lead must win the most seats in the House of Commons.
22
Q
Who is the current Prime Minister?
A
Justin Trudeau
23
Q
When did Justin Trudeau become Prime Minister?
A
October 19, 2015
24
Q
Which political party does the prime minister represent?
A
The Liberal Party of
Canada
25
Which federal riding does the current
| Prime Minister represent?
Papineau (Montreal, Quebec).
26
How many prime ministers has Canada had?
23 (as of October 2015).
27
Who was Canada’s first Prime Minister?
Sir John A. Macdonald
28
What party did the first Prime Minister belong to? How many terms did he serve as Prime Minister?
Conservative Party of Canada. Six terms.
29
The cabinet includes who?
The cabinet includes the people with responsibility for different government departments and agencies — or portfolios — such as health, finance and environment.
30
What are the different positions of the cabinet members?
The members of cabinet belong to the leading political party in the House of Commons, and are
members of parliament (MPs) or senators.
31
What are the members of the cabinet called?
The members of cabinet are called cabinet ministers.
32
What is the role of the cabinet?
The cabinet proposes most of the ideas that become laws.
The PM and the cabinet run the day-to-day business of
government. For example, the Minister of Environment runs the department of the environment, which has staff and equipment to, among other things, keep track of air pollution.
33
Who decides the cabinet ministers and their portfolios?
The PM decides what portfolios to include in the cabinet and chooses cabinet ministers.
34
WHAT’S A POLITICAL PARTY?
A political party is a group of people who have similar
ideas about how government should respond to issues facing society.
Political parties are formally recognized as
organizations.
35
What do political parties do?
They put forward candidates in elections and seek to form the government.
Each party develops policies, based on the shared values of its members, to respond to issues.
36
Can grade niners also be in a political party?
Anyone, including Grade 9 students,
| can join a political party and have a voice.
37
TYPE OF PORTFOLIOES IN THE CABINET?
```
Agriculture
Canadian Heritage
Citizenship and Immigration
Defence
Democratic Reform
Environment
```
ETC
38
What is a legislative branch?
the part of government that makes laws
39
What is the legislative branch also called?
The legislative branch includes the House of Commons, the Senate and the governor general.
40
What is the House of Commons?
The House of Commons is the major law-making body in Canada’s federal political system.
41
What is the role of the House of Commons?
The members of the House of Commons debate, study and vote on laws proposed for Canada, called bills.
42
Who are the members of the House of Commons?
Members of parliament, or MPs, are the members of the House of Commons.
43
How are members of parliament chosen?
Voters elect them.
44
What does each member of parliament represent?
Each MP represents the voters of one riding, or district.
45
Where do most MP's belong to?
Most MPs belong to political parties.
46
Which party would make the government?
The party with the most MPs usually forms the government.
| The other parties form the opposition.
47
How is representation in the House of Commons?
Representation in the House of Commons is by population
48
All proceedings of the legislative branch are in Canada’s two
official languages:
French and English.
49
What happens during the question period in the house of commons?
Members from the opposition parties question the prime minister and cabinet ministers on government decisions.
50
What is the role of the opposition party?
The role of the opposition in the House of Commons is to create debate, act as a watchdog, and speak for the different views and perspectives of Canadians.
51
What happens if the political party wins the most seats in the House of Commons but not the majority?
-it usually forms the government.
-To stay in power, however, this party would need to negotiate for the support of at least one other party in the House of Commons, to ensure that more than 50
percent of MPs in the House would vote for the government’s proposals.
52
What does it take for a party to become the government?
If a political party wins the majority of seats in the House of Commons, it always forms the government.
53
What is a constituent:?
someone who lives in a riding and is represented by an elected official from that riding
54
MPs have two key responsibilities:
- to represent their constituents
| - to create legislation for the peace, order and good government of all Canadians.
55
How are MPs elected?
To become elected, a candidate must win the most votes, but not necessarily more than 50 percent of the votes.
56
How are MPs elected?
To become elected, a candidate must win the most votes, but not necessarily more than 50 percent of the votes.
The structure of Canada’s electoral system partly determines who represents Canadians in government.
57
popular vote: (2)
the total votes cast in an election, as different from the total seats won in an election
means the total support political parties win during an
election, regardless of whether they win ridings.
58
The members of Canada’s Senate are called.......
senators.
59
How are the senators chosen?
Senators are not elected.
The prime minister appoints them.
Senators are appointed by “division,” or region.
60
What age can the senators be in the office until?
They can remain in office until age 75.
61
Who would the Prime Minister most likely choose to be the senator?
Prime ministers tend to appoint people who support the PM’s political party.
Senate seats become vacant at a time, however, the Senate includes people from a variety of political parties.
62
What do senators represent?
Senators represent the interests and rights of Canada’s regions, and especially Canada’s minorities.
63
minorities:
groups in society who do not form the majority of the population
64
At Confederation in 1867, the constitution identified three regions:
the Maritimes, Ontario and Québec.
As provinces and territories joined Canada, new regions were added to the divisions for appointing senators.
65
What was the idea of the Confederation at 1867?
The idea was to ensure that these three regions had an equal voice in the Senate,
and to ensure that Québec’s Francophone population — a minority within Canada — had a strong voice within Canada.
66
All proceedings of the Senate are in which languages?
French and English.
67
What is the role of the senators?
- The Senate can propose laws, but usually only considers bills passed first by the House of Commons.
- The Senate gives “sober second thought” — careful reconsideration — to all legislation proposed for Canada.
68
What "sober of second thoughts" that the Senate does?
This means senators provide a second round
| of study, debate and voting on laws proposed for Canada.
69
Why does the Senate give a sober of second thought?
Because the Senate provides a voice for regions in Canada, it brings a different perspective to issues that concern everyone.
70
What is something that the Senate cannot do?
The Senate cannot propose laws that create or spend taxes.
71
A bill cannot become a law if.....
A bill cannot become law until both the House of Commons and Senate pass it.
72
The Senate also has the power to?
The Senate has the power to reject bills from the House of Commons, but rarely uses this power.
73
What is Speech from the Throne?
The Speech from the Throne is written by the government each year and outlines the government’s plans for the coming year.
74
Who delivers the Speech from the Throne?
The governor general delivers the speech as Canada’s head of state.
75
Who have more seats in the House of Commons?
Regions with higher populations have more
| seats in the House of Commons.
76
What have guaranteed a number of seats in the Senate?
These divisions have a guaranteed number of seats in the Senate.
Canada’s constitution defines “divisions” — or regions — for appointing senators
77
What process does it take for the Bill to become a law?
1. Executive Branch: the cabinet needs to be persuaded.
2. Legislative Branch: The House of Commons and then the Senate have to vote for the Bill.
3. Then it needs to get Royal Assent
78
What is Canada's highest court?
The Supreme Court of Canada
79
What does the Judicial branch include?
The judicial branch includes Canada’s courts of law.
80
What is the Judicial Branch?
the part of government that interprets and applies the law by making legal judgements
81
Where do all members of the judicial branch come from?
All members
| of the judicial branch come from the legal profession.
82
What is the significant thing of the Supreme Court of Canada?
Canada’s final court of appeal.
83
Role of the Judicial Branch?
-acts as a check on their powers.
-The courts in Canada interpret the law and applies laws by making legal judgements (This means that the
judicial branch has the main responsibility for making sure the rights of Canadians are respected.)
-They can also strike down laws that violate Canada's Constitution.
84
the supreme court has how many judges and from where?
The Supreme Court has nine judges from four regions
| of Canada.
85
How were the Supreme Court judges chosen?
| BEFORE
the PM and cabinet have appointed Supreme Court judges when positions became vacant — when a judge retired, for example.
86
How are the Supreme Court judges chosen now?
| PRESENT
-In February 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper changed the appointment process.
The PM and cabinet now nominate judges, who then go through a review by a committee of MPs.
In 2007, the PM still had the power to appoint the judge of his choice.
87
Accountable meaning?
answerable to someone for your actions; observable, transparent
88
What are civil service:
the people who serve Canadians as employees of government
89
What were the issues that made Canada’s government pass the Federal Accountability Act in December 2006:
* Responsible and accountable spending by government.
* Protection for government employees who “blow the whistle” on wrongdoing within Canada’s civil service.
* More information about the activities of lobbyists.
90
What are lobbyists?
Lobbyists are people paid to represent the interests of particular groups in society.
A lobbyist is someone hired by a group to influence MPs and government officials.
91
What is the auditor general?
The auditor general is the “watchdog” on government spending for parliament and the people of Canada.
92
LAW-MAKING STEPS IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AND THE SENATE
SEE PAGE 40
HOUSE OF COMMONS:
First Reading:
-Printed copies of the bill are made available for the first time.
Second Reading:
- Debate and vote on the principle of the bill.
- Bill can either go for further study or get rejected
SENATE:
Committee Stage
-A committee of MPs or senators reviews the bill with
the help of witnesses, including experts and citizens.
Report Stage:
-Debate and vote on amendments (changes) to the bill.
Third Reading:
-Debate and vote on the final form of the bill.
93
The usual, basic path of law making in Canada is:
House of Commons + Senate + Royal Assent
94
What was the FAA:
Federal Accountability Act
95
The committee studying the FAA:
* Held 28 meetings.
* Heard 129 witnesses,
* Recommended 116 amendments
96
Examples of ways to voice views and perspectives?
Contact you MP, senator or cabinet minister
97
Examples of ways to voice views and perspectives?
Contact you MP, senator or cabinet minister
campaign for a candidate during the elections
Organize a petition that concerns you
98
What are other roles for MP's
- attending the proceedings of the House of Commons, -they work on committees
- they answer questions from their constituents.
99
assimilation:
the process of becoming part of a different cultural group (not your own)
100
What was the British North America Act (BNA) 1867?
The British North America Act (BNA Act) — which
| was Canada’s original constitution and established Canada’s system of government
101
What did the BNA act do?
- It did not acknowledge First Nations as independent, sovereign peoples with their own forms of government. -or their rights
- Did not mention the Inuit or Métis at all.
102
participation of First Nations in Canada’s federal political system:
- Difficult for FN to represent themselves since they make up 10% of Canada and are dispersed
- Some choose not to vote because Canada does not recognize their traditions and values
- Some assossiate voting with assimilation
103
slogan:
a phrase repeatedly used by politicians or marketers to present an idea
104
What’s the Parliamentary Press Gallery?
an association of reporters who cover the decisions and actions of Canada’s government. The Press Gallery includes about 350 reporters from media outlets across Canada.
105
bias:
an opinion based on unchallenged assumptions
Bias is a type of thinking rooted in a person’s point of view.
106
The Federal Accountability Act introduced rules that require lobbyists to?
document which MPs and government officials
| they meet with.
107
What type of democracy is Canada?
Canada is a parliamentary democracy.
108
What is the most important feature
| of a democracy?
Citizens of a democracy choose their elected representives to govern in their place.
109
What form of government is Canada?
A constitutional monarchy
110
How many
| countries belong to the British Commonwealth today?
53 (as of May, 2014)
111
What are responsibilites of the federal government?
the responsibilities of the federal government were set out in the Constitution Act (1867) and generally affect the whole country.
Some of the responsibilities include defence, agricultural, and the postal system.
112
What are the responsibilities of the provincial government?
Canada has ten provinces whose responsibilities were
assigned at the time of Confederation in 1867. These include education and health care.
Some responsibilities are shared with the federal
government.
113
Responsibilities of the territorial government?
Canada has three territories, each having a small population with their own government and responsibilities defined by the federal government.
114
Responsibilities of the municipal government?
at a local level (cities, towns, townships, districts, etc.),
governments are usually headed by a mayor. Local governments are elected and responsible for certain areas such as librairies, parks, sanitation, local roads, etc.
The responsibilities are defined by the provincial
government.
115
What is the process for becoming the
| Governor General?
The Prime Minister decides who he/she would like to appoint as Governor General but must have the agreement of the Sovereign, who makes the formal appointment.
The Governor General is appointed by the Queen on
the advice of the Prime Minister.
116
How long can a governor general be in position?
usually lasts five years, but this term may be extended.
117
Canada has a political system based on the British system?
Canada was a British colony in 1867 and we inherited and adapted the British sytem of government.
118
How is Canadian government system different from the American one?
The American system is a republic without ties to any other country.
Their Executive does not sit in an elected assembly as our PM does
but functions as a separate entity with his/her own responsibilities.
119
When did the Charter become official?
April 17, 1982.
120
What Act is the Charter part of?
The Constitution Act, 1982.
121
What is meant when it is said our constitution was
| “repatriated”?
It was removed from the control of the British Parliament and the power given to Canada’s Parliament.
122
Who signed the documents that made the Charter law?
Queen Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
123
How are federal Canadian laws made?
They are made by the legislative branch
of the Canadian Parliament (the House of
Commons) and receive final reading and
approval in the Senate.
124
How are Canadian laws enforced?
Laws are enforced by police agencies
whose powers are entrenched by federal,
provincial, and municipal law.
125
How are legal disputes handled (e.g.
| someone is arrested for stealing money)?
Legal disputes are settled through the
| courts of which there are various levels.
126
Role of supreme court?
It has the final word on all legal questions in the country, including questions about the rules for making and applying laws.
It serves Canadians by deciding legal issues of public importance, thereby contributing to the development of all branches of law applicable within Canada.”
127
What is the upper house of the two houses of Parliament?
Senate
128
What is the lower house of the two houses of Parliament?
House of Commons
129
What were the number of senators in 1867 compared to now?
At that point, it had 72 seats.
Current number of senators: 105
130
The main difference between the Sen-
| ate and the House of Commons:
Senate members are appointed, not elected.
131
What are the 4 requirements to become
| a senator?
A senator must be a Canadian citizen,
at least 30 years old, live and own property
(worth at least $4000) in the area they represent.
132
Who are the senators appointed by?
Senators are appointed by the Governor General on recommendation by the Prime Minister.
133
How many Members of
Parliament currently sit in
the House of Commons?
338 (October 2015).
134
Describe the physical organization of
| the House of Commons.
The Speaker presides at one end of the House, with
the party in power and the Prime Minister to his right. To his left sits the Opposition leaders with their sitting members. Behind the Speaker is the press gallery and the public gallery.
135
Role of the speaker?
The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker whose job it is to make sure parliamentary rules are followed and order prevails.
136
Role of the House of Commons?
The House of Commons’
role is to pass legislation
which becomes federal law.
137
Which political party currently has the most seats in the House?
The Liberal Party (October 19, 2015).
138
Which parties are currently represented in the House and who leads each
party?
```
Liberal- Justin Trudeau
Conservative- Erin O'Toole
NDP- Jagmeet Singh
Bloc Quebecois - Yves-François Blanchet
Green- Annamie Paul
```
139
Prime Minister:
Justin Trudeau
140
The politcal party PM leads:
The Liberal Party of
| Canada
141
WHen did Trudeau first become pm?
October 19, 2015
142
Define “Cabinet” as it relates to Canada’s
| federal political system:
The Cabinet is chosen by the elected Prime
Minister, and although not all of them must
be Members of Parliament, they generally
are. One member of the Cabinet is usually a
Senator appointed as the leader of the
Government in the Senate. By custom,
every province has at least one Cabinet
member, although PEI has often gone without
representation. The Cabinet members have
more access to the PM than MPs who do
not sit in the Cabinet, and Cabinet members
head up departments of varying importance.
The PM may change the Cabinet when he/
she deems it necessary. This is referred to as
a “Cabinet Shuffle”.
143
What are opposition parties?
```
Political parties in Canada are not
entrenched in law, but have been
created by Canadians to bring people
together with common goals about
governing the country. Opposition
parties in the House of Commons sit
opposite the majority party. They hold
varying numbers of seats, depending
on how many electoral districts
they won in the previous election.
By custom, the largest Opposition
party usually has a “critic” for each
important governmental party. The
critic’s job is to stay on top of what
the governing party is doing and
challenge them during Question
Period in the House of Commons.
```
144
What is meant by a minority government?
A minority government holds less than half of the seats in the House of Commons.
The Commons has 338
seats, therefore anything less than 170 is a minority government.
145
How many seats does the house of commons have?
The Commons has 338
| seats,
146
What is meant by a majority government?
A majority government’s party
| has won more than half the seats in the House of Commons.
147
What is a coalition government? How many has Canada had?
A coaltion
government is made up of members of different parties in order to make up
a majority. Canada’s federal government has only had one (1917).
148
Write a brief definition
| for Member of Parliament:
```
A Member of Parliament, or an
MP, is an elected individual that
represents a specific Canadian
riding or electoral district. An
MP must be 18 and a citizen of
Canada.
```
149
How many Members of Parliament
| currently sit in the House of Commons?
308 (as of August, 2015); 30 seats have been
| added for the October 2015 election.
150
How are the residents of Canada (in terms
| of population) represented by MPs?
Roughly, there is one MP for every 110,000
Canadians. (This population number changes
from the time electoral boundaries are drawn up
so boundaries can be periodically changed or
new ridings created.)
151
Describe the role of a
| Member of Parliament:
```
An MP represents his or her
electoral district (riding) in the
House of Commons. An MP
can also be a Cabinet Minister.
A Member of Parliament
traditionally supports his or her
party but at the same time must
be aware of what his or his
constituents deem important
to them. An MP votes on bills,
generally in line with how his or
her party wishes its members to
vote.
```
152
Federal Responsibilities
Federal responsibilities refer to the powers that the federal government
has that are entrenched in law. Money that the federal government
controls is to be invested in their areas of responsibility (e.g. defence).
The federal government does not have the right to take away provincial
or territorial rights and responsibilities which are also entrenched in law.
153
How a Bill Becomes Law
1. A bill is usually introduced by a government Minister. All are read and printed (Private
Members’ bills are allowed - only 1.5% become law);
2. Later, sometimes in just a few days, it is requested that a second reading take place in
the Commons.
3. If it passes second reading it goes to a committee to be considered clause by clause
(each clause must be passed). The committees are made up of all parties, in proportion
to their representation in the Commons.
4. A report is made to the House of Commons and amendments can be added. These
are passed or rejected.
5. After the third reading - if it passes, the bill goes to the Senate, where it follows the same
steps (bills can also come from the Senate to the Commons and these follow the same
process).
6. In the Senate, the bill is passed or rejected (however, no bill from the Commons has
ever been rejected since Confederation). It then receives Royal Assent, and becomes
law.
154
Why are elections important in a
| democratic society?
representation of
the people in government they must elect
those representatives by vote.
155
Describe the federal election
| process in Canada:
```
An election is called by the
sitting government (or it is
```
brought down by a non-
confidence vote) and the
```
Governor General dissolves
Parliament. An election
date is set, generally about
six weeks from the time an
election is called. MPs then
generally return to their ridings
```
and campaign to be re-
elected. The logistics of an
```
election are carried out by
Elections Canada which has a
process of distributing material
needed to each electoral
district, conducting the polls on
election day, and tallying the
vote afterward.
```
156
Who has the right to vote in Canadian
| federal elections?
Canadian citizens who are 18 years of
age or older and are on the voters’ list (if
not on the list they can be added).
157
What government agency conducts
| federal elections?
Elections Canada.
158
AN ELECTION CAMPAIGN: Define what an election campaign is. What are
some things candidates do to convince voters to vote for them or their party?
After a government is dissolved and an election called, candidates for ridings
(chosen by their parties) may campaign. In Canada, there are limits of
time and money that can be used for a campaign. Answers will vary to the
second questions but might include going door to door, giving speeches,
talking to the press, using social media, meeting with individuals and groups.
159
What are the three ways someone is considered to be
| a citizen of Canada?
By being born in Canada; by acquiring citizenship (becoming naturalized);
or after April 17, 2009 by being born outside Canada to at least one
Canadian parent.
160
If a person is not already a citizen, what is taken into account to be
eligible to become a Canadian citizen? Briefly describe each condtion:
a. Age - you must be 18 (a parent or legal guardian may apply for a child’s
citizenship - the child must be a permanent resident and if the parent is not
a citizen, must be planning to become one at the same time).
b. Permanent resident - you must be a permanent resident of Canada,
without your status being under review.
c. How much time you have lived in Canada - adults applying for citizenship
must have lived in Canada for three of the previous four years.
d. Language ability - You must have a certain level of knowledge of either
English or French. If neither is your mother tongue, testing (possibly after free
language lessons provided by the federal government) will determine if your
level of either language is adequate. A citizenship judge makes the final
decision on your language ability.
e. Criminal history - you are restricted from citizenship if you have had
certain criminal convictions.
f. You must take and past a citizenship test that assesses how well you know
Canada’s society, system of government, and history*.
