Vocab Flashcards
Accountable
having to answer to someone for your actions in a way that is observable and transparent.
Constituent
someone who lives in a riding and is represented by an elected official from that riding.
Executive Branch
the part of government responsible for putting laws into action
Govern
to make decisions as a government and put decisions into action
Government
the group with power to make decisions for a society
Legislative Branch
the part of government that makes laws
Judicial Branch
the part of government that interprets and applies the law by making legal judgments
Riding
the geographic region represented by a Member of Parliament
Bill
an idea/proposal to make a new law or to change an existing law
Amendments
changes to bills
Royal assent
the approval for a new law by the Queen’s representative in Canada, the Governor General
Fringe Party
a political party that advocates for a particular issue or movement. These parties are often to the far left or right on the political spectrum, and many of them start as a joke or form of entertainment.
Official Opposition Party
The party with the second highest number of votes resulting from an election.
Political Party
A group of elected officials that support ideals they believe are best with which to run a country.
Party Platform
the beliefs and ideas of a political party, communicated to the public to help them understand the goals of a political party.
Party Discipline
The expectation that elected members of a political party must vote according to the wishes of the party over their own wishes or those of the people they represent.
Political Spectrum
a system used to put political positions in a range that shows their relation to one another. The positions range from the progressive left to the conservative right.
Government
the political direction and control exercised over the actions of the members, citizens, or inhabitants of communities, societies, and states; direction of the affairs of a state, community, etc.; political administration: Government is necessary to the existence of civilized society.
Democracy
a form of government in which the people have the authority to choose their governing legislation. … In a direct democracy, the people directly deliberate and decide on legislation. In a representative democracy, people vote for a representative
Municipal Government
The government level that governs individual cities.
Provincial Government
The government level that governs individual provinces.
Federal Government
The government level that governs countries.
Who is in the Executive Branch
Prime Minister
Cabinet Ministers
Responsibilities of Executive Branch
set policy propose most laws put laws into action run day to day business of government Head portfolios (departments) such as health, justice, and defense
Who is in the Legislative Branch
Members of Parliament (MPs)- HOUSE OF COMMONS( ELECTED)
Senators- SENATE( APPOINTED)
Governor General
Responsibilities of Legislative Branch
vote on, debate and question the proposed laws
MPs represent their constituents/ridings
Senators represent regions of Canada
Senators provide a sober second thought
Senators propose some legislation
Governor General represents the Monarch (queen) of Britain and provides royal assent for bills to become law.
Who is in the Judicial Branch
Supreme Court of Canada
Provincial / Territorial Courts
Responsibilities of Judicial Branch
both levels interpret and enforce the laws that protect rights of Canadians
The Legislative Process
An idea to make a new law or to change an existing law starts out as a bill. Each bill goes through several stages to become law.
First Reading
The bill is considered read for the first time and a printed copy is distributed. There is no debate at this stage.
Second Reading
Members debate the bill’s principle.
Members question things like is the idea behind it sound?
Does the bill meet the needs of citizens
At this point a vote is taken.
If the bill is defeated nothing more happens.
If the bill passes it moves to the next stage.
Committee Stage
Is when the committee members study the bill carefully.
They hold hearings to gather information. They can ask government officials and experts to come answer questions.
The three things the committee can recommend are:
accept the bill
amend or make changes to the bill
reject the bill
Report Stage
During report stage, the committee reports its findings and recommendations to the House of Commons.
The findings and recommendations of the committee are debated by the Members of Parliament.
Members can suggest other amendments to the bill.
Third Reading
Once the report stage is over, the bill is called for a third reading debate. Members who voted for the bill at second reading may sometimes change their minds at third reading after seeing what amendments have or have not been made to the bill.
Senate
After a bill has passed third reading in the House of Commons, it goes through a similar process in the Senate
The Senate generally either amends (changes) the bill or votes to accept the bill.
If the Senate amends the bill, the bill is returned to the House of Commons for additional debate and another vote.
Royal Assent
Once both Chambers, House of Commons and the Senate, pass the bill in the same form, it is given Royal Assent by the Governor General.After receiving Royal Assent the bill becomes law.
WHAT IS A POLITICAL PARTY?
A group of people organized to get political power. The members of a political party will share the same or similar ideas in the way in which a government should operate. A political party offers a way for citizens to take part in the political process by aligning themselves with a group that reflects their values and beliefs.
Roles of Political Parties
What the Government’s priorities are
How the government should meet those priorities, including how to pay for them.
Major Political Parties in Canada
People's Party NDP Conservative Green Bloc Quebecois Liberal
What Political Parties do
Act like a team
Offer a way for citizens to take part in the political process by joining or agreeing with a political party
Members of a political party agree on their place on the political spectrum. They are either more left, more right or in the centre.
If a political party is successful in an election,
the leader of the political party becomes the Prime Minister
The Prime Minister chooses
some of the elected members from the winning party to join together and form a special group called the CABINET.
Each member of the CABINET is put in charge of
at least one government department.
The party with the second highest number of elected MPs becomes known as
the Official Opposition.
The Opposition party is responsible for
keeping the government accountable for their actions by questioning their decisions and pointing out different perspectives on issues.
Once elected, members of each political party almost always vote
the same way on issues before Parliament as directed by their leader. This is called party discipline
Elected Members of Parliament must balance the wishes of their party with those of
their constituents ( people in their home community).
LEFT Sample of Beliefs, Values and Policies on the Political Spectrum
Government intervention in the economy Income equality Higher taxes to pay for social programs Government spending on social programs Regulations on business Supports universal healthcare Prefer to ban economic activity that may create jobs but could potentially harm environment
RIGHT Sample of Beliefs, Values and Policies on the Political Spectrum
Free market economy - minimal government intervention in the economy
Income inequality (based on worth)
Lower taxes
Reduced government spending (self-reliance)
Fewer regulations on business
Opposes government provided universal healthcare
Considers impact of environmental regulations.Believes the free market will find its own solutions
parties that have won seats in Parliament
Liberal Party Conservative Party NDP Green Party *Bloc Quebecois (only in Quebec)
Fringe Parties
Parties with extreme positions of the right or the left to be elected with a tiny percentage of votes – and then use that validity, legitimacy and platform to further their cause.
An example of a Fringe Party is the Communist Party of Canada, which ran candidates in 30 of Canada’s 338 federal ridings.
