Civics 11Course Review

“What won’t kill you,Will only make you stronger.”

Historical Roots of Canadian Gov’t

• Magna Carta – 1215• English Civil War (ended 1649) – The Enlightment• English Bill of Rights (1689) – Parliamentary system

created and end of absolute monarchy. Freedoms guaranteed: speech, press, rel., assembly, from search

• American Revolution (1776) – Decl. Of Independence

• French Rev. (1789) – Declaration of the Rights of Man

Events Which Shaped British Rule in NA• Seven Years’ War (1756-63) & Battle of the Plains of

Abraham (1759)• The Quebec Act (1774) – French Civil Code• Constitutional Act of 1791 – split Quebec into 2

colonies.• War of 1812 – evol of towards sovereignty for

Canada.• Rebellions of 1837 – change to politics in Canada• Confederation (1867) – BNA Act – Dominion of

Structure of Government

• Federal system – divisions of power – feds & provs• Transfer payments• Equalization payments

Branches of Gov’t

1.) Legislative (parliament)- Elected House of Commons (Lower) (308 seats) – MPs from political parties- Appointed Senate (Upper House)- Monarch

• Purpose: to make laws

2.) Executive- Monarch- PM- Cabinet- Bureaucracy

• Purpose: to carry out laws

3.) Judicial Branch- court system- highest court: Supreme Court of Canada- headed by Chief Justice

• Purpose: to interpret laws

Federal Legislative Branch• Majority / Minority gov’t• Opposition• Third parties• Ministers form Cabinet (Executive Council)• H of C – speaker, backbenchers, official opp and

shadow cabinet, clerks, sergeant at arms, mace• Senate – seats, reform• Monarch & Governor General – role• Passage of a bill - stages

Provincial Legislative Branch

• No senate• Legislative Assembly = H of C• 85 seats – MLAs• Premier – Gordon Campbell• Lieutenant Governor – Steven Point

Provincial Executive Branch

• Cabinet headed by Premier• Ministries with Ministers as head• Provincial jurisdiction – education, health,

highways, forestry, environment, municipal affairs, etc.

Territorial Governments

• Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut• In the Constitution, they are under federal

gov’t jurisdiction.• Elected assemblies with Premier and

appointed Cabinet• Legally, feds have final say in decision-making.• Feds have given more power to territories.

Municipal Gov’ts• Under provincial jurisdiction• Elected mayor and council• Pass bylaws• Responsible for city streets, transit, building

permits, garbage, sewage, local parks and sports facilities.

• Revenue comes from tax on land and buildings, grants from prov and fed gov’ts

• Municipalities can come together on issues – regional districts (CRD in Victoria)

Political Ideologies

• Political spectrum – left-wing, centre, right-wing• Communism, Socialism, Liberalism, Conservatism, Fascism.• See chart• Canadian political parties:

- NDP – left- Liberals – centre- Conservatives – right- Bloc Quebecois – originally single issue, but now mix of left and right policies.- Green – also single issue, but now much broader.

• BC politics:- NDP – left of centre- BC Liberals – right of centre- Green – no seats ever

Process of Elections

• Dissolution – ending Parliament• Nomination – choosing a candidate to run• Enumeration – compiling eligible voters• Campaigning – candidates communicate beliefs

to voters• Balloting – casting a vote on election day• Tabulation – counting votes• Voting system – First-Past-the-Post or simple

plurality voting system

• Minority gov’t• Majority gov’t• Coalition gov’t• Rep-by-pop• Redistribution• Alternative voting systems• Recalls• Referendum

Rights and Responsibilities• Rule of law• Common law• Criminal law & Civil Law• Charter of Rights & Freedoms (1982)• BC Human Rights Code• Citizenship – rights & responsibilities• Immigration, refugees, permanent residents• Minority rights• Aboriginal rights

Evolution of Canadian Independence

• BNA Act (1867)• WWI (1914-8)• Halibut Treaty (1923)• British Commonwealth (1926)• Statute of Westminster (1931)• WWII (1939-45)• Canadian Flag (1965) – Lester B. Pearson• Patriation of Constitution (1982)

- Constitution Act, 1982 – new part of Constitution

Canada’s Role in Global Conflicts

• WWI (1914-18)• WWII (1939-45)• Cold War (1946-89)

- NATO, Korean War, NORAD,

Canada & the United Nations

• Canada – middle power• US & USSR - superpowers• Pearson – Pres of General Assembly (1950s)• Purpose – to keep peace in the world• Structure – GA, SC, Secretariat, the Secretary-

General

Canada’s Role in the UN

• One of founding members• Peacekeeping – Suez Crisis (1956), Congo,

Cyprus, Middle East, former Yugoslavia.• Some failures – Somalia (1993), Rwanda (1994)

with Canadian General Romeo Dallaire.• Prominent Canadians – John Humphrey, Louise

Frechette, Louise Arbour, Stephen Lewis.

UN Agencies• International Court of Justice• International Criminal Court• Kyoto Accord• Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty)• WHO• UNESCO• UNICEF• World Bank• International Monetary Fund

International Organizations

• World Trade Organization (WTO)• Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)• Organization of Petroleum Exporting

Countries (OPEC)• NATO, NORAD, NAFTA, Commonwealth, G-8,

G-20,

Canada & Foreign Aid

• Bilateral Aid• Multilateral Aid• NGOs• CIDA

Canada & International Rights

• La Francophonie• UN Declaration of Human Rights (1948)

- Eleanor Roosevelt• Apartheid• Civil Rights Movement (US)

Canada & the US

• UN & NATO & NORAD• Economy & Trade – till recently, largest

bilateral trading partners in the world.• Free Trade – NAFTA• Problems – softwood lumber dispute• Military problems – anti-missile, Iraq• Arctic Sovereignty

International Conflict Since 1991

• Gulf War (1990-1)• Former Yugoslavia (1995) – NATO• Afghanistan (2001-present) – NATO• Iraq War (2003)• Peacekeeping to Peacemaking (since 1999)

Effecting Civic Change (p.199)

• Voting• Join a political party• Set a good example• Write letters to the editor/MLA/MP• Set up a blog• Peaceful protest demonstration• Join a pressure group• Work for an NGO

Civic Change in Democratic Gov’ts• Careful to have support of voting public, or run

risk of losing power in elections.• Change can be slow – debate and pass laws.• Examples:- Medicare & Canada Pension Plan – 1960s under

Lester Pearson’s Liberal gov’t.- The Charter & Bilingualism – 1970s & 80s under

Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal gov’t- NAFTA – 1989 under Brian Mulroney’s

Progressive Conservative gov’t.

Methods to Gain Input Democratically

• Open house• Public hearing• Public agenda meeting• Delegation• Public planning session• referendum

Authoritarian Gov’ts

• Dictatorship with military force• Examples:- Nazi Germany – 1933 Hitler in power, 1935

Nuremberg Laws, by 1941 concentration & extermination camps – Holocaust

- Communist Soviet Union – 1920s Joseph Stalin is leader, farms taken away from peasants and run by gov’t, protesters sent to concentration camps in Siberia.

Individuals Who Influenced Civic Change

• Emily Murphy – womens’ rights in Canada• MLK Jr.• Mohandas Gandhi• Rosa Parks• Terry Fox• Craig Kielburger• Rick Hansen

NGOs• Non-profit orgs for a particular purpose• Work with governments, but not controlled by

policies• In the early days, concerned with anti-slavery,

women’s suffrage, world disarmament.• Examples:- CIDA, World Vision, Greenpeace, MADD, Amnesty

International, Red Cross, Corporate Watch, Save the Children, Sierra Club, United Way, WWF.

Social Safety Net

• Workers’ Compensation (Workmens’ Comp)• Old Age Security (Old Age Pension)• Employment Insurance (UI)• Child Tax Benefit (Family Allowance)• Medicare (Hospital Insurance)• Canada Pension Plan• Canada Assistance Plan

Fundamental Principles of Democracy

1. Rule of Law- Foreign Policy- Charter of R & F2. Equality- Women, Aboriginal people, Minorities3. Freedoms- Canadian Bill of Rights (1960), The Charter(1982)

4. Appointed / Elected Decision-Makers- Judges, Senate, Crown Corp & Agency Execs,5. Common Good vs Rights of the Individual- Komagata Maru Incident, Bill 101, WMA,

International Criminal Court, Kosovo, Mine Ban Treaty (Ottawa Treaty)