Unit 3 Flashcards
Types of democracy: Direct democracy
Citizens could all meet together at the same time to vote on matters that were debated together
(all men, only a couple thousand)
(Directly representing community.)
Types of democracy: Representative Democracy
- Maintains the principle of political equality
(one person = one vote) - Citizens vote to elect people to represent their interests and concerns
- In order to achieve political equality, the country is divided into political units.
Canada & US = First past the post / winner takes all for representatives
Types of democracy: Federal
Three levels of government national, provincial, and municipal.
Made so that power is divided and no crazy decisions can be passed.
Types of democracy: Unitary system
Has only one national government. Uno = Uni
National government has the power to reject laws passed by lower government which get some tasks but not a lot of power.
Types of democracy: Parliamentary
- Emphasis the role of parliament to make government decisions and policy
- Prime ministers are the leaders of the political party that has been elected into office.
Types of democracy: Presidential
President is directly elected instead of the political party leader being put into power through the polictal party elected.
Conditions for democracy ( how not to be considered a dictatorship) (x9)
1) Periodic elections (elections happen often)
2) Secret ballot
3) Universal suffrage (everyone eligible can vote)
4) independent Judiciary
5) Rule of Law
6) Power of the Purse ( Raising an dspending of money)
7) Political parties
8) Interest groups (try to influence the government)
9) Free press
Problems with democracy: Voter Apathy
Many voters do not participate in elections because of …
A) Lack of understanding
B) Feel they can’t make a difference
C) Politicians are corrupt
D) Lack of resources
E) Don’t speak english
Problems with democracy: Tyranny of the Majority
When one group gets what they want at the expense of the minority.
To Protect the rights of minority govt must make laws to accommodate them
Canadian = Charter of rights and freedoms
US = Bill of rights
Problems with democracy: Lobby groups
Have more, time, money and expertise to influence the government.
Problems with democracy: Power of the Bureaucracy
Permanent employees who have expertise in the department they run. They provide advice to the cabinet minister in charge and often control the flow of information.
(think how in brave the mom/bear whos the ruler of the kingdom gives advice to her daughter)
Problems with democracy: Party Discipline
Majority of house of commons voted against the government.
gov’t looses an important vote the govt must resign and an election will be held.
executive Governor General
King is formal head of state of Canada and he is represented by the Governor General. Starts every parliamentary session with a speech.
Royal assent
= Kings approval
Cabinet
- Canada’s key decision-making forum
- The prime minister is the leader of the cabinet and decides who’s in the cabinet from the HC
- Different departments including finacene
Responsible government
= MAintain the confidence of the house of commons.
- Maintain support and majority
Vote of non-confidence
If the PM/cabinet member lose the support of the majority over a bill they must resign to governor general
- Meant to keep majority of the support in the house of commons.
Senate vs House of commons
House of commons = Major law making body made up of elected representatives
Senate = Protects the interests of the different regions of canada and provides a “sober second thought” to bills passed though house of commons.
Judiciary ( Structure of canada’s supreme court)
The supreme court is the last resort.
members appointed by the prime minister.
Types of dictatorships: Autocracy
Government that is ruled by one individual with absolute authority.
Types of dictatorships: Oligarchy
Rule/ power is concentrated in small numbers
Pay attention to the interests of the elite group at the expense of the majority.
Small group of ogers (think shreks family) that only want to pass laws that will benefit the ogers.
Types of dictatorships: Totalitarianism
All encompassing and high degree of control
Types of dictatorships: Junta
Rule is conducted by a military leader often replace a normal functional civilian government.
Parasitic relationship - applied to dictatorship
Dictator has a great quality of life while civilians suffer under the conditions provided.
Techniques of a dictatorship (x5)
1) propaganda
2) Indoctrination (instilling beliefs)
3) Direction of popular discontentment ( Someone else to blame could be a race, another country, or group)
4) Use force
5) Controlled participation
Illiberalism
(not a rejection of liberalism just a temporary suspension)
- Act of when a liberal democracies contradict their liberal beliefs. May be for a period of time to deal with an nation emergency.
War measures act (what did it allow the government to do)
- Created to prepare citizens for WW1
- Limited the rights of canadians
- Allowed government
1) detain without cause,
2) use the military
3) place limits on freedom of press.
War measures act during the first and second world war
Not good for individuals who were the same ethnicity of an eneimy group
- Made enemy allies wear identification
-Limited mobility
- Internment camps
- Slave labour
War measures act: October crisis of 1970
- Francophone quebecois wanted protection for their language.
- Canadian forces sent in
—> more than 500 people were arrested without warrant
The two components of Canada’s Emergency Legislation
1) Emergency act (allows some suspension of rights and freedoms)
2) Anti- terrorism act (aimed at disabling and dismantling terrorists groups)
The US Patriot Act
- Designed to allow enhanced investigative powers.
- Significant limits on civil liberties and freedoms (search and seizure)
- Allowed government to bypass and obtain information.
Royal Proclamation
Recognized indigenous land claims and their contributions to the 7 year war.
Enfranchisement
Giving non-aboriginal rights to first nations if they decide to give up their status. Many choose not to.
They can join the franchise of which is modern western society
White paper
-Pierre Trudeau wanted to have equality for all. Which meant bringing the First Nation peoples into the mainstream.
White Paper = Proposed to abolish treaties, the department of indian affairs and anything else that kept first nations seperate.
Red Paper
-Legislative and constitutional basis of Indian status and rights should be maintained.
- Made as a counter act to “white paper”
Why can liberalism fail - bringing it to a new country
1) Liberalism takes time to develop
2) Does not do well in unstable conditions
3) If the conditions for success aren’t there it’s hard to incorporate into
Kyoto protocol
= International treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions based on the premise that man-made CO2 emissions caused it so we should be the ones to fix it.
Paris Climate Agreement
1) Limit temperature rises
2) First universal gov’t agreement
3) Helping poorer nations
4) publishing greenhouse gases reduction targets for all involved
5) The hope to be carbon neutral by 2050
Climate challenges to liberalism: Politically
-unpopular to impose additional costs to goods and services in times of economic hardship.
- Taxes are usually not welcomed
Climate challenges to liberalism: Economic
- Too many taxes can be a burden and can create obstacles to efficiently reducing climate change.
- Concerns around how economic burdens would slow down the motivation to help reduce emissions.
Specific climate change challenges to liberalism
1) Carbon tax
2) Transportation
3) Industry
4) Food production
Climate challenges to liberalism: Socially
Not everyone agrees on the severity of climate change which creates divides in cooperation and climate movements.
Coalition
Two parties coming together on common ground
Plebiscite
A vote by which the people or majority of people have strongly expressed an OPINION!!
Referendum
Legally Binding vote on a topic that goes to parliament.
Proportional representation
Leads to minority government ( Where the governing party/the party that one has less than halth the seats but still the most. This is due to how many other parties won seats)
Multiple candidates can be “elected” and can receive seats in parliament. If a candidate receives 10% of the vote then they get 10% of the seats in parliament. So the more support a candidate gets the more of a presence they will have in parliament.
FLQ
Quebec independence movement which used terrorism to try and gain independe.
Extremism
Ideas that are outside the mainstream system of beliefs.
Extermisim counteracts the peaceful nature of liberalism.
Post- Moderism
There is no political right or wrong, questions the basics of democratic liberalism.
Skepticism about the modern liberal idea that society can be improved.
Minority vs Majority government
Minority = Where the governing party/the party that one still has the most but less than half the seats. This is due to how many other parties won seats
Majority government = Where the governing party / the party that one has the majority of the seats in the HC
