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unit 1 FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM (3 BRANCHES) Flashcards

1
Q

FEDERAL PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM (3 BRANCHES)

A
  1. Judicial (judges)
  2. Executive
  3. Legislative (LAWS)
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2
Q
  1. Judicial Branch:
A

a. Power to interoperate and administer the law
b. They decide who has broken the law and set penalties
c. Government’s do not hold this power directly
d. Separate from legislative and executive branch

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3
Q
  1. Judicial Branch Contains:
A

i. Courts

ii. Judges

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4
Q
  1. Executive Branch includes:
A
  1. prime minister
  2. governor general
  3. cabinet
  4. civil/public servants
  5. backbenchers
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5
Q
  1. Executive Branch:

i. Prime Minister (and cabinet sit on the left side)

A
  1. Head of the government
  2. Political leader of Canada
  3. Governs the country
  4. Represents the country to other nations
  5. Term is limited by support in the House of Commons
  6. Can be voted out by the House of Commons
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6
Q
  1. Executive Branch:

ii. Governor general

A
  1. 5 year term
  2. Represents the Queen
  3. Head of state (no political power)
  4. Symbolic position
  5. Cuts ribbons
  6. Sign bills
  7. Makes sure the government abides the law
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7
Q
  1. Executive Branch:

iii. Cabinet

A
  1. Made up of elected party members chosen by the PM
  2. Supposedly diverse
  3. Speak on behalf of their ministry
    a. Ex: minister of Education
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8
Q
  1. Executive Branch:
    iii. Cabinet
  2. Party Discipline
A
  1. Party Discipline

a. The control of the party leaders over their own MP (members of parliament

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9
Q
  1. Executive Branch:
    iii. Cabinet
  2. Free Vote
A
  1. Free Vote

a. Each member is free to vote according to their consciences and personal opinions

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10
Q
  1. Executive Branch:
    iii. Cabinet
  2. Cabinet solidarity
A
  1. Cabinet solidarity = full support of the leader

a. There are private meetings where they may speak freely

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11
Q
  1. Executive Branch:
    iii. Cabinet
  2. Party whip
A
  1. Party whip
    a. Ensures all members are present in Parliament
    b. Discipline members who are not behaving well
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12
Q
  1. Executive Branch:

iv. Civil/Public Servants

A
  1. Also referred to as Bureaucracy
  2. The permanent employees who perform the ongoing business of government
    a. Ex: gather stats, write details for new laws, collect taxes, mailmen
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13
Q
  1. Executive Branch:

v. Back Benchers

A
  1. Members of the governing party who are not in the cabinet
  2. Sit behind cabinet ministers
  3. Support their party
  4. Keep in mind the wishes of the public
  5. May vote against their party or resign
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14
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:

a. Must meet at least once a year in a “session” where they:

A

i. Pass new Laws
ii. Amend or remove Laws
iii. Debate issues of concern of Canadians

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15
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:

b. House of Commons aka Lower House

A

i. Lower in power than the Senate
ii. Only part of the Legislative branch that has elected members
iii. Debate issues of concern of Canadians, bills and laws
iv. 300+ members (which represent the ridings across Canada)
v. Laws originate in the House of Commons

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16
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Ridings/Constituencies
A

a. Areas that obtain the approx population
b. Increase in population results in the increase of Parliament
c. Voters in each riding elect one candidate to represent them in Parliament

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17
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Caucus
A

a. Private meeting held by each political party
b. Elected party members express opinions freely
c. Party leaders explain their programs, policies and actions

18
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Speaker
A

a. Controls the debate
b. Oversees the impartial operation of the house applying the rules of Parliament
c. Is fair and firm to all members
d. Announces the debate

19
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Pages
A

a. High school or university students
b. Collect and distribute official documents
c. Fetch water
d. Serve House Officials
e. Assistants for the Speaker, Chair Occupant and MPs
f. Guest speakers at high schools
i. Share experiences

20
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Opposition Members
A

a. MP (members of Parliament) from the opposing Political Party in Power
b. Sit on the right of the speaker
c. Job:
i. Scrutinize the actions of government

21
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Official Opposition:
A

a. Second largest party in the house of commons

22
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Leader of the Official Opposition
A

a. Leader of the second largest party in the house of Commons

23
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Clerk and Table Officers
A

a. Sit at the table in front of the speaker
b. Advise the speaker on the procedure when necessary
c. Records decisions made in the House of Commons

24
Q
  1. Legislative Branch:
    b. House of Commons aka Lower House
  2. Mace
A

a. The symbol of authority of the Speaker and the House of Commons
b. Placed by the Sergeant-at-Arms before every sitting
c. Staff

25
3. Legislative Branch: b. House of Commons aka Lower House 10. Sergeant-at-Arms
a. Under the speaker b. Enforces the Speaker’s directives relating to order on the floor or the Commons and in the public galleries c. Responsible for the furnishings in the Chamber d. Holds the mace and leads the daily speaker’s parade i. This is the Ceremonial opening of each sitting day in the assembly
26
3. Legislative Branch: b. House of Commons aka Lower House 11. Galleries
a. Areas in the House set aside for the public, the press and the distinguished visitors who wish to attend a sitting
27
3. Legislative Branch: b. House of Commons aka Lower House 12. Press Gallery
a. A gallery in the House of Commons reserved for members of the accredited media
28
3. Legislative Branch: b. House of Commons aka Lower House 13. Hansard Reporters
a. Official report/transcripts of the proceedings
29
c. Senate aka Upper House 1. function 2. details
i. “Second Sober Thought” ii. Independent from the House of Commons iii. Own speaker and own affairs iv. Governor-General appoints the senate on recommendation of the prime minister v. Provide the final check on legislation proposed by the House of Commons vi. Introduce, debate and pass bills to the Commons
30
c. Senate aka Upper House | 3 rules to be apart of the senate
vii. Must be Canadian viii. ages 30-75 ix. Live in the province they represent x. Own at least $4000 worth of property xi. Provinces with a greater population have more senators xii. Often PMs will fill empty senate seats with supporters of their own party
31
c. Senate aka Upper House | - Why abolish it?
a. Outdated b. Unnecessary c. Undemocratic (appointed by PM not elected) d. Not a regional representative e. Very costly f. Often PMs will fill empty senate seats with supporters of their own party
32
c. Senate aka Upper House | - Why reform the senate
a. Ontario and Quebec get too much power b. Elected representatives due to Canada being democratic c. Effective second sober thought, helping the public by double checking the thoughts of the House of Commons d. Equal if elected they will represent the regions they’ve been elected from
33
c. Senate aka Upper House | - Why do we keep it as is?
a. If they were elected they would end up challenging the House of Commons
34
How a Bill Becomes a Law
1. Needs a lot of support from the house of commons 2. Any member of the House of Commons can introduce a new bill 3. Specialists in the government departments concerned, investigate policies and alternatives then report to the cabinet minister in charge 4. The minister reports to the cabinet where decisions to change the existing law or create a new one may be made 5. After the cabinet decides how to change the law, lawyers draft a bill a. The lawyers add in legal language and details from the government 6. The caucus of the governing party meets and the bill is discusses in private a. Objectives and suggestions by the non cabinet party members are dealt here 7. The bill is ready to be brought to the legislature for debate and ultimately passage into a law
35
federal bill
1st reading is formal and the bill is introduced to be later debated after preparation by the opposing parties 2ed reading is when the principal ideas of the bill are debated Multiparty Committees hold hearings where citizens will suggest improvements and work out the details After final recommendations are made on how to amend the bill 3ed reading is when the House of Commons accepts or rejects the bill without too much debate If accepted the bill is sent to the senate and the 3 reading process again If everything is in order the boll is sent to the governor general to be signed = law
36
Private Member’s Bill
A majority of bills are proposed by members of the cabinet Parliamentary time is set aside for backbenchers to introduce bells Small portion of private bills make it into law Due to lack of time and controversial private members bill can be “talked out”
37
The Citizen and Government | process of the election
dissolving of the parliament campaigning voting tabulation
38
The Citizen and Government | rules of an election
* Elections are held at least every 5 years for federal and provincial parliaments * Municipal elections are held every 2-3 years * Must be 18 to vote * On the advice of the prime minister the governor general dissolves (end) parliament and calls an election
39
First past the post
* Winner of the riding is the person with the most votes | * Not majority of votes but with the most votes
40
two types of government
1. Majority Government a. More than ½ of the votes in the House of Commons 2. Minority Government a. When the other parties are allied/form coalitions
41
Proportional Representation
o First past the post isn’t truly fair and people believe it’s not majority rules o 45% of votes of one party gets 45% of the seats o But this leads to more coalitions and less stability

socials 11 (12 decks)

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