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The Canadian Government: An Educational Study Guide:

Terms:

Backbencher: A member of the House who isnt in Cabinet, or the PM

Bill: A law under consideration by Legislature.

BNA Act: The former names of a series of acts at the core of the Constitution.By-Laws: A law that only affects a certain municipality.

Caucus: A meeting of all elected members of a party to discuss policy decisions.

Chie Electoral !icer: The person responsible for oerseeing elections.

Coalition Gov"t: !hen seeral parties cooperate to run the goernment.

Constitution: A set of rules on how the state is to be goerned.

Constitutional #onarchy: !hen a monarch acts as head of state, within the guidelines of aconstitution.

Councillors: Part of a municipal council that deelops by"laws and policies as needed.

$emocracy: A system where all eligible people elect representaties.

$e%uty #inister: A senior ciil serant in a got department who ta#e direction from an elected

official.$irect $emocracy: !hen people ote on initiaties directly, without the need of representaties.

&ederal System: $eparating the country into Municipal, Proincial, and %ederal leels.

&'T' System: A type of system in which the candidate with the most otes wins.

Governor General: The Monarchs representatie in Canada.

(ead o Gov"t: A term to describe the highest official in a states e&ecutie branch.

(ead o State: An official who holds the highest ran# in a soereign state.

(ouse o Commons: The Lower House of Canada, with elected MPs.

)udicial System: The system of courts that administer 'ustice, and ma#e up the 'udicial branch ofgoernment.

Leader o the !%%osition: The leader of the party that has the most seats that does not ma#e up the

goernment.Le*islative Assembly:The name of the Legislature at the Proincial leel of goernment.

Lieutenant Governor:The (ueens )epresentatie at the Proincial leel.

#ace: A ceremonial mace that is used to open, and close Legislature as a whole.

#a+ority Gov,t: A term used to describe when the *ot controls a ma'ority of the seats inLegislature.

#ayor: The highest ran#ing official at the Municipal leel.

#inority Gov"t: !hen the *ot controls less than half of the seats in Legislature.

Notwithstandin* Clause: Allows parliament or proincial legislatures to oerride certain portions of

The Charter.

!icial 'arty Status: )ecogni+ing political parties in Legislature. A recogni+ed party will receie

funding for party research offices, and the right to as# uestions during (uestion Period.

'arliament: A type of legislature that is deried from the -!estminster $ystem

'arty 'latorm: The list of actions a party supports to gain the support of oters.

'arty hi%: A member of the party who enforces discipline on their members.

'atriation: The process of changing the Constitution.

'atrona*e: The use of state resources to reward people for their electoral support.

'ollin* Station: A place in which oter go to cast their ote.

'o%ular .ote: The candidate who receies the largest percentage of the otes.

'#: The head of an elected goernment.

'ro-/e%: A system in which parties gain seats eual to the number of otes they receie.

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'ublic Servant: $omeone unelected wor#ing for a goernment department or agency.

0uestion 'eriod: !hen elected member of Legislature as#, and call the goernment into account for

their actions.

/e*ionalism: %ocusing on the interests of only one region of the state.

/e%-$em: A system in which citi+ens elect reps to represent them in goernment, as opposed to a

/irect /emocracy.

/idin*: An electoral district in which an MP or MLA is elected./ule o Law: $uggesting that nobody is aboe the law, and that the goernment and courts remain

separate entities.

Ser*eant-at-Arms: $omeone who #eeps order at Legislature.

Shadow Cabinet: $omeone from the 0pposition that -shadows a member of cabinet.

S%eaker: Person who -manages the House and superise its staff.

Statute o estminster: 1ritish law from 2342 that gae its -/ominions fullindependence.

Sura*e: The right to ote in political elections.

Su%reme Court: The highest court in Canada, and the final court of appeal.

1niversal &ranchise: The right to ote for all adult citi+ens.

.ote o No-Conidence: A ote that says a senior official is no longer fit to hold their position.

.oter A%athy: 5oters not caring about elections.

The &ederal System:

The splitting of goernment into %ederal, Proincial, and Municipal leels.

The &ederal Government is res%onsible or23

/efence

6mmigration

Postal $ystem

Aboriginal Peoples

Criminal Laws

The 'rovincial Government is res%onsible or: Health Care 7$ubsidi+ed by the %ederal *oernment8

)oads and 1ridges

Proincial Ta&ation

The #unici%al Government is res%onsible or: Libraries

Local $chools

*arbage Collection

1uilding Permits

Par#s and )ecreation

Shared between the &ederal and 'rovincial Government: Agriculture and %arming

9nironmental Protection

Pension Plans

The Governor General:

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The official head of state of Canada, and is the Monarchs )epresentatie in Canada.

Must sign bills 7gie royal assent8 to bills passed by parliament.

Must not interfere in the Political Process.

The Senate

The $enate is appointed on the adice of the PM3

$enators are usually appointed as a reward for long and loyal serice to the party in power. Their role is to reiew the wor# of The House, and to ma#e recommendations. They also ote on

bills passed by The House, but rarely etos bills passed by The House.

Controversy of The Senate:

Lac# of specific ualifications

Patronage

$omewhat undemocratic, and leaes room for corruption.

Lac# of representation by population

Most senators are from 0ntario and (uebec.

Solutions to Senate Controversy:

9lect senators rather than appoint them.

6ntroduce Proincial uotas in the $enate.

Abolish the $enate altogether.

The (ouse o Commons:

It consists of:

The goerning party which includes the PM, Cabinet, and all other elected members of the

goerning party.

0ne or more opposition parties:

The party with the second highest amount of seats becomes the 0fficial 0pposition.

The opposition is supposed to critici+e the proposals of the goerning party.

The 0pposition may introduce bills to the floor.

Cabinet sits in -The House and they also meet separately to discuss the course that the goernment

ta#es.

The 'rime #inister:

Heads the *oernment of Canada.

The leader of the party with the most MPs.

The PM could lose power with a -ote of no"confidence.

The PM has the power to use their power without goernment consultation, but must retain the

confidence of The House.

Responsibilities of the PM:

To spea# at 6nternational Meetings as the oice of the nation 7e&, ;, etc8

To deelop foreign trade and foreign policy decisions.

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To act as a spo#esperson for his?her party and lead the caucus of his party.

Cabinet:

There are currently 4@ members of Cabinet

The PM 7traditionally8 tries to ensure that there is at lease one Cabinet member for eery Proince.

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Provincial Courts:

Though some Proinces hae some differences, most hae the following 'udicial types:

Proincial Court

$upreme Court

Court of Appeal

Trial /iision $mall Claims Court

The 'rovincial Government:

Modelled after The House of Commons.

;sually called the legislature, or the Legislatie Assembly.

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A nation with both a Central and Proincial goernments.

The %ederal *oernment e&ists to unify and protect the country from inasion.

The Proincial *oernment e&ists to protect language and religious rights.

The diision allows the Proincial *ot to focus on the interests of the region.

The BNA Act 4/enamed The Constitution Act5:

)enamed the Constitution Act in 23B=

Passed through 1ritish Parliament, though written by Canadian delegates.

0nly a few sections were affected by 1ritish influence

$tates that the Canadian Constitution should be similar to the 1ritish one.

The Unritten Constitution!

A list of practices that Canada follows unofficially.

6ncludes the )ule of Law, $upremacy of the %ederal *oernment, and )esponsible *oernment.

Responsible Government: The e&ecutie branch must act on the decisions of the Legislature.

The Constitution Act o 6789:

Allowed Canada to amend its own Constitution without 1ritish interference.

6ncluded the -E of Canada must agree if they

want to amend the Constitution.

6ncluded the -Charter of )ights and %reedoms.

C"#"$"%S &'&CT(R"' S)ST&M:

'ur%ose o 'olitical 'arties:

To offer choice to oters.

To gie stability to the political process:

Ma#es it easier for oters to pic# the candidate they want to choose, instead of choosing from a

long list of indiidual people.

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