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Political Science part 2 > p.416-433 The Political Executive > Flashcards

p.416-433 The Political Executive Flashcards

1
Q

The formal name given to cabinet in order to cloak its decisions with constitutional authority.

A

Governor in Council

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2
Q

What does the name Governor in Council mean:

A

Governor General is acting on the advice of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, the active part of which is the cabinet

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3
Q

Categories of Office in the Ministry:

A

Prime Minister
Ministers
Ministers of State/Secretaries of State

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4
Q

Assigned to assist ministers in specific areas of their portfolios

A

Ministers of State/ Secretaries of State

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5
Q

prime minister is the most powerful of the ministers by virtue of …

A

…method of appointment, electoral base, and various prerogatives

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6
Q

What sets out the responsibilities of most ministers

A

Interpretation Act

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7
Q

Are parliamentary secretaries members of parliament?

A

Nope, they are members of the government party.

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8
Q

Ministers of state are members of parliament who are elected by the people, but they are appointed as…

A

support staff for ministers

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9
Q

Decision makers are the

A

prime ministers and ministers

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10
Q

maintains that the cabinet needs the continued support of the majority of the elected house to stay in office. A test of this is through…

A
  • Responsible Government

- Confidence Votes

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11
Q

A non confidence vote demonstrates…

Why is this important

A

the government has lost support from the house

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12
Q

The party whip becomes important when

A

it comes to ensuring members vote along party lines

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13
Q

chosen by the prime minister to assist a minister, or occasionally more than one minister.

A

Parliamentary Secretaries

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14
Q

major function is to act as intermediaries among the ministers, the commons, the Caucus, and the general public.

A

Parliamentary Secretaries

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15
Q

central convention of Canadian Government

A

Responsible Govt

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16
Q

to stay in office, the cabinet needs the continued support of the …
This is also known as…

A
  • majority of the elected House to stay in office

- collective responsibility

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17
Q

Responsible Govt involves two related aspects:

A
  1. individual ministerial responsibility

2. collective responsibility

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18
Q

Individual ministerial responsibility:

The responsibility of the individual cabinet ministers to the House of Commons for the…

A

decisions and actions of the department they administer

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19
Q

Collective responsibility:

The convention that the___________as a group is responsible to the HOC for the…

A

The convention that the CABINET as a group is responsible to the HOC for the…decisions and actions of the govt

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20
Q 
individual ministerial responsibilities include
1.
2.
3.
examples of each
A
  1. Submit,: budgets/plans to the House
  2. Defend : these budgets and plans in the house and answer questions about department’s budgets
  3. Resign if necessary
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21
Q

True or False:

Members of the house may direct questions towards ministers but the minister does not have to answer.

A

True

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22
Q

One problem with ministerial culpability which states a minister is culpable for everything that happens in their department

A

enormous job of monitoring increasingly large and complex bureaucracies has led to questioning of the doctrine

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23
Q

why was defence minister Bernier forced to resign?

Who ultimately decides the fate of a minister?

A
  • left NATO docs at his mistresses house who was tied to motorcycle gangs (SMRTEE)
  • The prime minister
24
Q

Three interrelated aspects of Collective Responsibility:

Hint: HIM (backwards)

A
  1. Cabinet to the Monarch
  2. Cabinet to the Itself
  3. Cabinet to House
25
Q

Cabinet solidarity is an important fact of life for…

A

Westminister-type governments

26
Q

The basic principle that ministers must avoid public disagreements over policy once cabinet decides on it, and that they must vote in unison in the House on government business

A

Cabinet Solidarity

27
Q

What is the ROD?

Who writes it?

A
  • Record of Responsibility

- Privy Council Office

28
Q

Roles of the PM;s office

A
  1. manage the schedule
  2. handle correspondence
  3. manage access to media/communications
  4. regional advisors
29
Q

Roles of the Privy Council

A
  1. Secretariate to the cabinet committees
  2. Alternative source of advice to the executive
  3. Provide civil service leadership
30
Q

Why would the privy council be a good source of alternative advice for the executive?

A

Professional civil servants who have sat through many partisan governments and thus can provide good cost/benefit analysis

31
Q

The constitution is heavily biased towards

A

the formal executive

32
Q

Compared to the 240,000 federal public servant positions Parliament amounts to…

33
Q

Executive dominance is supported by ___________ and ______________ factors

A

constitution and organizational factors

34
Q

what kind of position might allow Parliament to turn the tables and set the agenda for govt. How might govt respond?

A
  • minority govt situations.
  • may request an election to regain majority, or under the threat of non-confidence, adopt some policies offered by the opposition.
35
Q

Example of weekend executive dominanceL:

The ______________ minority govt was coaxed into developing medicare by it’s dependence on the NDP govt.

A

The PEARSON minority govt was coaxed into developing medicare by it’s dependence on the NDP govt.

36
Q

What are the 5 P’s of power?

A
  • parliamentary leader
  • party leader
  • patronage
  • policy maker
  • public face
37
Q

The PM’s patronage power refers to

A

ability to reward or thwart ambition due to control over ‘levers of patronage’- (hands out non-public service jobs (what in the hell are those?)

38
Q

How does the ‘public face’ of the PM amount to power?

A

When the PM is popular his party is popular and it costs next to nothing

39
Q

one way the PM can intercede or affect matters of governance

A

Instrument of Advice

40
Q

Examples of Instruments of Advice and what are they:

A

IOA are: letters indicating the PM’s views on matters involving the Royal Prerogative to the Governor General.

  • summoning parliament
  • recommending dissolution of parliament & requesting election
  • nominating cabinet
  • accept resignation of ministers
41
Q

Section 424-428 is really worth reading as it adds to the debate about…

A

“Is the Prime Minister too powerful” quite nicely. Really doesn’t lend itself well to flashcards.

42
Q

True or false:
The Prime minister is the only member of cabinet focused on the overall direction of the govt while ministers tend to be focused on development of “portfolio loyalties”.

43
Q

The horizontal axis of advice to executive refers to:

A

the provision of policy and financial management counsel by central agencies and central departments

44
Q

Cabinet introduces most of the…

A

legislation that Parliament deals with.

45
Q

By virtue of section _____ of the Constitution Act_____ does cabinet introduce all financial legislation, including ways and means bills.

A

Section 54 of the Constitution Act of 1867

46
Q

Who is better placed to address the specifics of policy areas? the executive, legislature or cabinet

47
Q

What is expected to be the main source of policy generation for the entire system?

48
Q

The Cabinet performs certain measures collectively in the name of the _________ __________and usually upon the ….

A

The Cabinet performs certain measures collectively in the name of the GOVERNOR GENERAL and usually upon the INITIATIVE OF THE PM

49
Q

Must provide coordination offer all the activities and decisions of the government

A

Cabinet Executive

50
Q

Who does the PM chose cabinet ministers from

A

governing parties members of parliament

51
Q

Almost all cabinet ministers are usually selected from the…

A

HOC but the leader of govt in senate is usually selected to defend govt policies in chamber

52
Q

Precedent for cabinet selection state the PM should chose one minister from…

A

each province with additional representation for larger populations, and recognition of language.

53
Q

A form of cabinet that emphasizes ministerial autonomy and relies on the prime minister and full cabinet to achieve coordination and was typical of what years

A

departmentalized cabinet (1920-1960)

54
Q

A form of cabinet organization that emphasizes collective decision making and seeks to achieve it by a highly structured system of cabinet committees and central agencies and was typical of what years

A

institutionalized cabinet (1960-1990)

55
Q

Some people have said the days of the institutionalized cabinet have been replaced with …

A

Prime minister entered cabinet

56
Q

Prime minister entered cabinet:
A form of cabinet org in which the first minister is so powerful that the ______ _______ for collective decision making, such as ________ _______ and ________ _________, serve the prime ministers personal agenda

A

Prime minister entered cabinet:
A form of cabinet org in which the first minister is so powerful that the nominal mechanisms for collective decision making such as cabinet committees and central agencies serve the prime ministers personal agenda

Political Science part 2 (6 decks)

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