Chapter 8 Flashcards
Democratic Systems
Care about what the people want (usually listen to the will of the people)
- the Canadian parliamentary system is based on the concept of responsible govt (govt must have support of majority of legislators - MLA/MP’s - in order to remain in power
- the executive branch (PM and Cabinet) propose bills to be voted on by legislative branch (elected members of parliament)
- party w/ the most seats forms govt - leader = PM
Democratic Systems (2)
- Parliament is divided into 2 parts - House of Commons & Senate
- House of Commons contains legislative & executive branch
- the senate = unelected body that is meant to review & sign off on bills that come from the house
- once signed by senate, bills are signed into law by Governor General (representing the King - role is mainly ceremonial/procedural
- practically speaking, both senate and Governor General have little influence over laws (they are unelected)
Checks and Balances
Each branch “checks/balances” each others power
- ensures no branch is too powerful (protection against dictatorships)
Direct Democracy
People vote directly on many or all specific issues
- can be very time consuming
- would not be practical in such a complex democracy (3 levels of govt)
- aka referendum/plebiscite (having people vote directly on an issue)
Referendum
Binding, results are law and must be carried through by govt
Plebiscite
Non-binding, govt can choose to ignore results
- both plebiscite & referendums are forms of direct democracy
Representative democracy
When constituents elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf
Representation by Population (rep by pop)
The idea that each person has one vote and each representative speaks for roughly the same amount of people
- each province broken up into ridings
Electoral Systems
In Canada we use an electoral system called “first past the post” = the person with the most votes is first past the post and wins riding/district
Proportional Representation
Refers to an electoral system where representatives are elected in proportion to the votes they receive
- if a party recieves 20% of the popular vote, they get 20% of the seats in the house
- critics suggest it creates more minority/coalition govt’s
- they suggest these gov’ts are less effective than majority govts (easy to get a vote of non-confidence)
Consensus Decision Making
A group of individuals share ideas, solutions, and concerns to find a resolution to an issue that all members can accept
- ex. Territorial gov’ts of Nunavut and Northwest Territories (Nunavut has no political parties, individuals decide for themselves how to vote on bills)
Minority Government
Govt where one party has over 50% of seats in the govt
Majority Government
Govt in which the winning party has more than 50% of seats on gov’ts
Party Solidarity
Party members must vote w/ the party leadership
Tyranny of the Majority
A flaw in democratic systems where the majority pursued its own interests at the expense of minority groups
