Government Key Terms Flashcards
1
Q
direct democracy
A
- when citizens decide on all government decisions independently (no representatives)
2
Q
coalition government
A
- government made of up more than one party
3
Q
cabinet minister
A
- member of the cabinet, each have different specialties (ex. environment, immigration)
4
Q
civil servant
A
- someone who works for the government
5
Q
constitution
A
- a set of principles and laws set by the government. Includes duties of the government and rights and freedoms.
6
Q
constitutional monarchy
A
- a government where political power is shared between the monarch and an organized government. (ex. british parliament)
7
Q
constituency
A
- a body of voters in a specific area who elect a representative
8
Q
representative democracy
A
-a democracy where voters elect an official to reflect their values/views in parliament
9
Q
dictatorship
A
- a government where one leader has complete control
10
Q
electorate
A
- all the people in a country who are entitled to vote in an election
11
Q
entrenched
A
- firmly established (like rights and freedoms, they can’t just go away)
12
Q
executive branch
A
- decisions makers, implement laws. Includes the monarch (governor general), PM, and Cabinet.
13
Q
federal system
A
- separate levels of government
14
Q
first past the post
A
- “winner takes all”,
15
Q
fixed date elections
A
- elections every 4 years in canada
16
Q
government
A
- a political body that enforces laws
17
Q
head of state
A
- representative of a country, like PM or monarch, may also be head of government
18
Q
head of government
A
- chief officer of executive branch of gvnt (PM)
19
Q
house of commons
A
- made up of members of parliament, they discuss bills
20
Q
independent courts
A
- courts are separate from other branches of government so they aren’t corrupted in any way
21
Q
individualist
A
-right wing, want less government control but more when related to personal choice (abortion, drugs)
22
Q
interventionist
A
- left wing, want more gvnt control but less related to personal choice (drugs, abortion)
23
Q
judicial branch
A
- judges, interpret and apply laws in court
24
Q
left wing
A
- support equality, everyone has similar status and power
25
Q
legislation
A
- the making and enforcement of laws by a legislative body
26
Q
legislative branch
A
- makes laws, includes the monarch (governor general), senate. house of commons
27
Q
lobby group
A
- a group that tries to influence decisions made by the government (ex. environment, pipeline supports)
28
Q
MLA
A
- member of the legislative assembly, a representative elected by the voters in a constituency.
29
Q
MP
A
- member of parliament, elected by voters to represent concerns & interests in the House of commons.
30
Q
majority government
A
- party that wins the most seats in the house of commons, their leader becomes the PM
31
Q
minority government
A
- when no party has a majority of seats, then they form a coalition gvnt
32
Q
municipal
A
- a city/town’s governing body. Libraries, water, sewage, roads, parks, garbage
33
Q
opposition party
A
-party with different beliefs than the one in power
