Unit 8 Flashcards
Define assistant deputy minister
second highest ranking public servant in a government department
Define cabinet minister
member of the Privy Council assigned responsibility for the supervision of a government department
Define caucus
parliamentary grouping of all MPs and Senators from one political party
Define consultation
deliberation and discussion between two or more parties
Cooperative (administrative) federalism
the per 1960 era of intergovernmental relations when management and resolution of conflict was primarily an administrative concern
Coordination
when one government adjusts its decisions to avoid or outweigh the adverse consequences of another government
Electoral system
method by which votes are cast for a candidate
Executive federalism
relations between elected and appointed officials of Ottawa and the provinces - typically the heads, hence the “executive” part
First Ministers
political leaders of the 11 governments in the federation
Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs
assigned responsibility for research into constitutional policy issues touching on provincial-federal relations, first established in Quebec in 1960
Proliferation
Uncontrolled growth
What are systemic causes of federal-provincial conflict?
1 - local chauvinism 2 - desire to distract from internal problems 3 - class conflict 4 - regionalized economy 5 - size of the provinces (large)
Why have politicians found it difficult to eliminate the cases of federal-provincial conflict?
an inevitable consequence of federalism
How can federal provincial conflict adversely affect the operation of the system?
tendency to erode power and legitimacy of parliament at both levels
Cite an example of an interstate federalism institution
Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment
What is the difference between cooperative federalism and collaborative federalism?
Both advocate governments working together, however collaborative sees each level as equal while cooperative offers the federal government a leadership role
What is the difference between a FM Conference and a FM Meeting?
Conferences are more formal, meetings more flexible and ad hoc
Define accountability
the inclination and capacity of government officials to respond to the needs and demands of political institutions and the public
Define competitive model
A view of federalism that emphasizes public choice theory
Smiley’s 6 criticisms of executive federalism
1 - contributes to undue secrecy
2 - contributes to unduly low level of citizen participation in public affairs
3 - it weakens and dilutes that ccountability of governments to their respective legislatures
4 - it frustrates a number of matters of crucial public concern from coming on the public agenda
5 - contributing factor to indiscriminate growth of government activities
6 - leads to continuous and unresolved conflicts among governments, which serve no broad public purpose (institutional conflicts)
What 3 factors have produced an increasing reliance on executive federalism?
1 - decentralization
2 - configuration of Canadian institutions
3 - democracy, political culture
What are the 4 distinct stages of executive federalism?
1 - Confederation -> WWII, governments operating in isolation
2 - Expansion of welfare state: harmonious
3 - 1960s -> 1980s: conflict
4 - 1990s and beyond: attempt to resolve conflict
How do the issues of Quebec affect executive federalism, even when not explicitly discussed?
1 - conflict normalized meeting, frequency
2 - failures of Meech and Charlottetown made elites less comfortable to tackle ambitious negotiations
