social studies chapter 1 Flashcards
government
system that controls a country, state, etc
govern
to make decisions as a government and put decisions into action
3 levels of government
local- provincial - federal
what does the constitution of canada do
they set out important institutions + different roles of government
who is the top of our government
britain’s king or queen
what is the role of the governor general?
represents the queen and is part of both the executive and legislative branch and huge royal assent to bills passed
what is the role of the executive branch
they’re responsible for putting laws into action
who makes up the executive branch
the Prime minister and the cabinet
what 3 things have to happened before a person can become PM (prime minister)
- must be elected as the leader of a party,
- elected as a member of the parliament, and
- must win the most number of seats
what is the cabinet
the cabinet includes the people with responsibilities for different government departments such as health, finance and environment. the PM decides what portfolios to include in the cabinet
how is the cabinet selected
by the Prime Minister
who proposes most of the ideas that become laws in canada
the cabinet
what is a political party?
a group of people who have similar ideas about how government should respond to issues facing society
how many ridings are in alberta?
34
what is the role of the legislative branch
makes laws + debate on them
what are the three parts of the legislative branch
house of commons, the senate and the governor general
what is the house of commons
they’re the major law-making body in canada. they make laws and propose laws
what are MP’s
also known as member of parliament, they represent their constituents and they create peace, order and good government for canadians
how are MPs selected
they’re voted in by their riding (by canadians)
how do MPs help determine the government of canada
the party in power is the party with the most votes.
the candidate with the most votes wins their constituency
what is a constituency
a body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to a legislative body.
what languages does the legislative branch use?
english and french
what is the question period
it seeks information from government and holds you accountable for your actions (questions government)
what is the role of the opposition parties
to create debate, acts as a watch dog and speak for canadians views
what is the difference between a majority government and a minority government
if a political party wins the majority of seats in the HOC, it always forms government. if the party wins the most seats but not the majority, it usually forms government. to stay in power, they would need to negotiate for 50% or more MPs to vote for government proposals
what factors may prevent the PM from working with members of the opposition
they’re a different political party and they may not agree with the PM
what are the two roles of MPs
being a legislator and being a voice for you constituents