democracy Flashcards
responsible government
the government must have the support of a majority of members of Parliament (MPs) to stay in power
unitary system
a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government, in contrast to a federal state
federal system
includes executive, legislative, and judicial branches
checks and balances
usually ensure that no one person or department has absolute control over decisions, clearly define the assigned duties, and force cooperation in completing tasks
triple E senate
proposed reform of the senate:
effective; be accounatable
elected (instead of appointed); in order to learn who the people are
equal; equal representation between provinces
representative by population/first pass the post
each memeber represents approximately the same amount of people from each province (80000-100000 people)
winner in riding ins candidate that recieves the most votes
constitutional monarchy
the Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected parliament
executive branch
part of government which enforces the law, and has overall responsibility for the governance of a state
prime minister and cabinet
legislative branch
he federal institution with the power to make laws, to raise taxes, and to authorize government spending
house of commons and senate
judicial branch
appointed judges
highest court in the land
hear disputes between provinces and territories, issues between provinces and government, copyright issues, citizenship appeals, human rights issues, etc.
governor general
Mary Simons
representation of crown; also nown as head of state
more of ceremonial/honorary position
cabinet
chosen from the elected member of parliament who is given a particular department (finance, education, foreign affaires, etc.)
representative democracy
we vote people to represent us
federal (members of parliament)
provincial (members of legislative assembly)
municipal ( city council)
constitution
supreme law of Canada
upper chamber and lower chamber
upper (senate); lower (house of commons)
parliament
federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons
direct democracy
peopel decide everything; voteres vote on every issue
effective for small groups
referendum/plebiscite
public vote to change consititution; general vote on specific issue
referendum is binding; whatever is voted happens
plebiscite is an inquiry; wants to know what everyone else wants
dissident
a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state
block voting/cabinet solidarity/caucus solidarity/party solidarity/ministerial solidarity
party is told how to vote on every bill
meetng of only party memebers
makes them look like a unit and united
doesn’t represent the people
caucus
a meeting a meeting or grouping of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement
tyranny of the majority
nothing stops hem from passing any bills they wish
minority government/coalition government
less than half the seats but still the most seats
they must get help from other parties (it’s hard to pass legislation)
universal sufferage
ensures the right to vote for as many people who are bound by a government’s laws as possible, as supported by the “one person, one vote” principle
prime minister
leader of the party that won most seats in elections
house of commons
338 seats/elected members elected by representation by population/first past the ost electorial system
vote of non-confidence
lost of confidence in prime minister’s ability to do job
(in america it is called impeachement)
canadian senate
appointed by prime minister
provide second thought/screening (make sure that house of commons are making the correct decisions)
criticism of senate
costs too much for little return
not highly visible; not impactful to the government
not equal representation
riding/constituency
areas of voters who vote one representative
don’t cross borders of provinces
rule of law
all democracy have consititution
laws and criminal code nation wide
everyone is suseptable to law
human rights/freedoms
freedom of religious association
free vote by secret ballot
mobility
constitution that protects rights and freedoms
accountability/responsibility
individual; vote, protest
political; represent the people
media; open, honest, transparent
voting with choice
free choice by seccret ballot
multiple choices with different ideologies
division of power
multiple branches
cons of fptp
leads to voter apathy
votes don’t matter
leads to 2 parties
voters are voting for the next best thing
proportional representative electoral system
percent of vote you get equal percent of seat you recieve
pros and cons of pres
pro: all votes count
higher voter turnout
more parties/voices in parliament
con: lead to coalition (2 parties merge because of minority government)
volatile and unstable
difficult to pass legislation
presidential/congressional democracy
system in USA
republic
the usa; all representatives are elected, no monarchy
legislative branch (usa)
drafts purposed laws
representative from each state ensures the regions have a strong voice in the legislature of the Federal government
includese houses of congress
houses of congress
senate
house of representatives
senate (usa)
powerful and effective
six years in office
house of representatives
435 members
congressmen elected for 2 years
laws must be approved by both houses
exectutive branch (usa)
not a part of the legislative branch
includes: president, cabinet
president/ chief executive officer of USA/ head of state/ head of government
born in usa
not a memeber of congress
4 year term (max 2 terms)
cabinet (usa)
appointed by president
not memeber of congress
propose legisation to president, carry out laws passed by congress
judicial
interprets government law
jusdge cases based on laws of nation/state
made up of supreme court
supreme court of the united states
9 judges appointed by president and confirmed by the senate for life
principals of collectivism
economic equality, cooperation, public property, collective interest, collective responsibility, adherence to collective norms
principals of individualism
rule of law, individual rights and freedoms, private property, economic freedom, self-interest/competition
economic equality
people with larger income pay higher taxes
all people should earn equal pay for similar work
guarenteed annual income
share wealth
cooperation
members in group/collectives achieve their common goals
public property
land, buildings, vehicles (not privately owned)
maintained with public money/taxes and can be uses by all members
collective interest
set of interests that members of a group have in common
goals better adressed by making common set of interests
ex. labour unions
collective responsibility
holding whole group responsible for actions of individuals
adherence to collective norms
impose norms and standards of membership in group
rule of law
every individual is equal before the law and all citizens are subject to the law
individual rights and freedoms
freedom of religion, speech, security, liberty
may be limited (ex. legal voting age, freedom of speech v.s. promotion of speech)
private property
real-estate: land, water, air corridors
physical possessions: stereos, cars
intellectual property: writing, artwork, music
economic freedom
freedom to buy/sell whatever you want to whoever you like
free of government intervention; free market
self-interest/competition
competition with each other benefits all of society (contributes to the oome good of everyone
“invisible hand” guides individuals
electorate
all the people in a country or area who are entitled to vote in an election
rupublican democracy
representative form of government that is ruled according to a charter, or constitution, and a democracy is a government that is ruled according to the will of the majority
executive accountability
executives are accountable for ensuring they identify, monitor and operate in accordance with legal obligations relevant to their functional area, including seeking advice as necessary
pressure/lobby groups
groups that seek to influence or change government legislation and policies
civil service
collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership
ombundsman
an official appointed to investigate individuals’ complaints against maladministration, especially that of public authorities
unicameral
having a single legislative chamber
bicameral
having two chambers in legislature
johhn stuart mill
government should be limited to providing the conditions necessary for people to achieve their individuality
believed women should be able to vote
montesqiue
idea of 3 branches of government
universal suffrage
everyone should be able to vote
