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96 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the definition of Authoritarianism? |
a system of government that imposes one dominant interest on all others |
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What is the definition of Authority? |
the government’s power to make binding decisions and issue obligatory commands |
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What is the Canadian Bill of Rights? |
legislation passed in 1960 that listed fundamental freedoms but was never entrenched in the Constitution |
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What is the definition of Democracy? |
a system of government that reconciles competing interests through competitive electives |
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What is Federalism? |
the power to make binding decisions for the population is divided between two levels of government (national and regional – neither is sovereign on their own) |
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What is Fiscal Federalism? |
transfer payments between provinces and transfer payments from federal government to the provinces (ex. Taxation) |
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What is the definition of Government? |
the organization of people for the resolution of dispute and conflict |
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What is Ideology? |
interrelated beliefs about how society should function |
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What are institutions? |
mechanisms of social order and cooperation |
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What is the definition of Multiculturalism? |
a policy that ethnic cultures should be valued, preserved, and shared |
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What is the definition of a Nation? |
Mobilized group of people, often with a sense of territory, who may aspire to greater autonomy |
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What is Nationalism? |
collective action in pursuit of increased territorial sovereignty |
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What is Neo-liberalism? |
an ideological tendency that favours liberal democracy and market-led development |
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What is the definition of Political Culture? |
values that support political institutions of the country |
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What is the definition of politics? |
making binding decisions about who gets what, when, and how |
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What is the definition of Procedural Rights? |
procedures by which the country organizes political differences and deals with political strife |
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What is the definition of Representative Democracy? |
officials make decisions because they achieved legitimacy through elections |
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What is the Rule of Law? |
No individual should be above the law |
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What is the definition of a sovereign state? |
a sovereign state is capable of maintaining order within its territory, is able to tax its citizens, and is also recognized by the international community as having the right to run its own affairs |
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What is the definition of a state? |
the political unit of an entire territory; it compromises a territory, population, and a government. |
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What are Substantive Rights? |
people have a say, to some extent, in how they are governed |
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What is a Unitary System? |
all sovereign authority resides in one governing body |
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What is the definition of Values? |
Shared beliefs about what is right, important, and desirable in society. |
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Do Canadian’s directly elect the Prime Minister? Is this the same in the US? |
No, they are chosen by their party. The US is different; they directly elect presidents. |
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Can an independent (someone with no party affiliation) become the Prime Minister of Canada? |
No, because the governor general asks the party with the most seats in the House of Commons after an election to form government. No party = no ability to form government. |
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What is the Prime Minister’s term limit? |
We don’t have term limits in Canada, but they have them in the US. |
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Is the Senate in the US the same as the Senate in Canada? |
No. The biggest difference is that the Senate is not elected in Canada. |
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In what way is Canadian politics like a game? |
-Both rely on rules, interpretations, changes, and core consistencies (e.g. political party = sports team) -Rules can give inequities – there is an advantage for tall people in basketball like there is an advantage for rich people in politics -The constitution's rules hardly change (like chess) but election rules change every year (like hockey) |
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What are the 4 key components for politics? |
-Power -The State -Institutions -Government |
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What are the 6 ingredients for democracy? |
-Free elections (no intimidation) -Universal voting rights -More than one political party to choose from -Freedom of expression (media especially) -Majority rule -Rule of law (no one is above the law) |
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What kind of democracy is Canada? |
Representative Democracy |
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What is the significance of Geography in Canada? |
Transportation across Canada adds to greenhouse gasses |
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What is the significance of Economy in Canada? |
Canada is resource dependent |
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What is the significance of Demography in Canada? |
There is more of a population in the southern regions of Canada. |
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What does political culture include? |
-Political expectations of participation -Important/unimportant values -Levels of political knowledge -Parameters of political activity |
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How can you measure political efficacy? |
Measured by the level of trust in political officials |
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What do Canadian’s have in ‘common’? |
-Rights and freedoms in the Charter -Commitment to liberalism -British origins (customs/traditions) -Peacefulness -Ethnic tolerance (cultural mosaic) -French history (bilingual) -Put ‘heroes’ on pedestals (Terry Fox, Hockey Heroes) -Centrist politics (no left/right wing) |
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Explain the fragment theory. |
Fragments of European society settled here and government came from the Europeans instead of the indigenous that were already here. |
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What are the two main fragments in the fragment theory? |
-French Canada (conservative, Catholic) -English Canada (A. US displaced loyalists –liberalism and B. ‘Tory-touch’ – conservatism) |
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What are formative events? |
Historic events: -American revolution 1776 – loyalists lost and fled to Canada -Battle on the Plains of Abraham 1759 – defeat of the French |
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Map the political spectrum from left to right. |
Left: collectivism, Centre: mainstream-politics, Right: individualism |
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What is the difference between classical and modern liberalism? |
-Classical: supports individual rights and believes there should be no state involvement -Modern: helps least well off and allows state involvement |
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What is the difference between classical and modern conservatism? |
-Classical: social group matters more than individuals and inequality is a natural occurrence -Modern: tempers classical conservatism |
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What is the difference between classical and modern socialism? |
-Classical: state ownership -Modern: defense of least well-off |
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What is socialism? |
Equality of conditions |
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What is the Age situation in Canada? |
Baby boomers are growing older and we have less of a younger population |
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What is the importance of Regions in Canada? |
We have different regions (East, West, etc.) |
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What is the Gender situation in Canada? |
52% are female and are not well represented when looking at our political institutions |
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What is the Class situation in Canada? |
80% are middle class, ~4% upper class (overly represented), ~16% lower class (not well represented) |
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What is happening to Religion in Canada? |
It is becoming less relevant (ex. Schools) |
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What is the Ethnicity situation in Canada? |
Race discrimination |
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What is the Indigenous status in Canada? |
~4% of the population (no representation) |
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What two sets of relations does the Constitution deal with? |
Relation between citizens and the state and the relation between different parts of the state |
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What are the Constitutional features? |
-Federalism -Democracy -Rule of Law |
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When and from where did Trudeau bring the Constitution home? |
Britain – 1982 |
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What was the only province that was not a signatory to the Constitution? |
Quebec |
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Are rights and freedoms in Canada absolute? |
No, they sometimes require compromise |
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Give an example of when rights and freedoms were not respected. |
Internment of Japanese – we rounded up the Japanese and put them in jail because we were concerned they were Japanese |
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List the types of rights and freedoms. |
-Fundamental freedoms – freedom of expression -Equality rights – safe from discrimination -Linguistic rights – English/French are official languages -Legal rights – equal treatment under the law -Mobility rights – right to travel anywhere in Canada -Democratic rights – right to vote |
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What has parliamentary supremacy been challenged by? And what protected them? |
The Charter. The reasonable limits clause and the notwithstanding clause allowed them to bypass the Charter. |
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What does the Reasonable Limits Clause do? |
Legally allows the government to limit an individual's Charter rights |
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What does the Notwithstanding Clause do? |
Protects laws that conflict with fundamental freedoms and legal/equality rights |
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When was the Notwithstanding Clause used? |
Quebec re Bill 101 |
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What is the purpose of a mega-constitutional amendment? |
To bring Quebec into the Constitutional fold |
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What are two examples of mega-constitutional amendments? |
Meech Lake Accord and Charlottetown Accord |
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What did the Meech Lake Accord demand? |
-For Quebec to be a distinct society -A voice for Quebec in Supreme Court appointments -Quebec policy on immigration -Limit federal spending power in provincial areas of jurisdiction -Veto on constitutional amendments |
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Why did the Meech Lake Accord fail? |
Passed House of Commons but when it came to passing all 10 provinces, Manitoba and Newfoundland did not pass |
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How would the Charlottetown Accord change the way Canada was governed? |
-Canada clause -New division of powers -New aboriginal self-government clauses -Social and economic union -Institutional changes in the House of Commons -New definition of distinct society for Quebec |
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Why did the Charlottetown Accord fail? |
Federal parties approved but the public did not (54.4% voted against) |
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What is the federal and unitary states situation? |
There are more unitary states than federal but 40% of the population lives in federations |
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What are the 6 origins of Canadian federalism? |
-break French/English deadlock -speed up coordination of economic development -Increased security from US northern expansion -Helped relieve administration and troop provision duties from Great Britain -Western expansion would be easier and would be protected from the US -Amenable to the Maritime provinces |
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What are the Federal powers? |
-Any form of taxation -National defense -Trade and commerce -Interprovincial transportation -Criminal law -Aboriginals -Residual power -Banking |
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What are the Provincial powers? |
-Healthcare -Municipal institutions -Administration of justice -Property and civil rights -Public lands -Education -Direct taxation within the province |
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What are the Concurrent powers? |
-Agriculture -Immigration -Old age pension |
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What are the two interpretations of federalism at Confederation? |
Compact theory and Contract theory |
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What does the Compact theory state? |
Confederation was compact between French and English |
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What does the Contract theory state? |
Confederation was a contract between the provinces |
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Is Canada centralized or decentralized? |
Decentralized |
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Did the fathers of confederation want Canada to be centralized or decentralized? |
Centralized |
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What are some decentralizing forces? |
-JCPC -Health care -Direct taxation -Public acceptance of decentralization |
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What are some centralizing forces? |
-Desire for national standards -Threat of war/depression -Desire to protect culture and economy from the US |
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How has federalism changed since Confederation? |
-1867-1950s – cooperative federalism -1960s – 2000s – competitive federalism -Now – open federalism |
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What is Intrastate federalism? |
Federal bodies set up inside the state |
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What is Interstate federalism? |
Deals with intergovernmental conflict between regions |
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What are some problems with executive federalism? |
-Secrecy -Hides responsibilities for programs -Undemocratic -Distorts political agenda -Fuels government expansion -Maintains intergovernmental conflict |
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What measures is fiscal federalism done through? |
-Shared cost programs -Block funding programs -Equalization -Open federalism |
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What are some common characteristics Quebecois share? |
-Common ethnicity, territory, goal, grievance, threat -Motivational leadership -Emotional intensity -Federal government voices nationalism |
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How has the Francophones population evolved over time? |
-1763 – Francophones outnumbered Anglophones -early 1800s – evened out with British immigrants -mid 1800s – Anglophones outnumbered Francophones -Now – all time low for Francophones (immigrants) |
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What are two key historical events that shaped Francophones |
-Late 1800s (Manitoba Schools) – Francophone community in Manitoba was under threat of assimilation from English settlers -WWI/WWII – threats of conscription to compel all eligible to fight (resisted by Francophones) |
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What was the Quiet Revolution? |
The rise of the Quebec state replacing the Catholic Church and Quebec liberals taking power in the Quebec legislature |
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What are the major modernizing reforms in theQuiet Revolution? |
-Establishment of provincial education ministry -nationalization of privately owned hydroelectric companies -creation of crown corporations |
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What are the 3 principle features in Bill 101? |
-French as sole official language in Quebec -Businesses with 50+ employees had to demonstrate their ability to do business in French -Restrictions on access to English language schools |
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In what way was Bill 101 a success? |
It secured Quebec's dominance |
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Compare the last two Quebec referendums. |
-1980– 40% for and 60% against -1995 – 49.4% for and 50.6% against |
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Is it possible Quebec will have a third referendum? |
yes |
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What does good writing in political science do? |
-Shows knowledge of the subject area -Fulfills requirements of writing assignments -Combines a thesis with a pattern of development -Supports arguments with evidence -Is mindful of the audience and purpose -Uses complete documentation formats -Looks professional in presentation |
