Government

• A political party:A group of people that share common (political)

beliefs and organize to represent these beliefs as a “party”

• Ideology:The shared beliefs of a political party providing

framework for decisions (left, right, centre)Simplest level: a set of beliefs by which people

live their livesOn a national scale: a set of beliefs by which a

nation is guided or governed

• Liberalism:- The belief of equal rights and the importance

of individuality

• Conservatism:- The belief in traditional ways and accepting

minimal change to the status quo

• Socialism:- The belief in which decisions are made by the

public with the welfare of all people in mind. - While capitalism exists, public/common

ownership is commonplace > social programs, crown corporations, etc.

• Fascism:- A belief system based on the value of the state

over the individual (service to the state and the strength of the state is what matters most)

- Capitalism exists, but is directed by the state- Tends to be chauvinistic, militaristic,

nationalistic- Rule by a dictator- Best examples: Mussolini in Italy; Hitler in

Germany

• Communism: (in theory)- Aims for classless society (no upper/ lower/

bourgeoisie/proletariate)- Everyone works to the best of their abilities

for the benefit of everyone- No private ownership- Means of production are run by the

government and wealth is distributed evenly among the people

• Totalitarianism:- One leader has no limits on authority- Control over everything (control over the

press, no freedom of speech, usually a secret police, etc.)

- Examples: Stalin in U.S.S.R; Hitler in Nazi Germany

• Anarchy:- A state in which no one person is governing,

but each individual has total liberty- Also based on the belief that individuals will do

the “right thing” and don’t need a governing body to tell citizens what is “right”

• Democracy: system of gov't based around voting - people get a say (either direct or indirect)

• Direct Democracy: every eligible citizen participates directly by voting on all decisions

• representative democracy: allowing elected reps to make decision on their behalf (WE HAVE THIS)

Left-wing:

- Support change in order to improve the welfare of all citizens.

- Gov't should play larger role in ppl's lives, especially providing social services

-Law & order are important to protect rights of all citizens fairly & equally

Centre:

- tradition is important, but change must be supported if ppl want it

- Gov't should play a role only when it improves lives of citizens

- law and order important, etc.

Right -wing:

- tradition is important; change should be treated with caution

- Gov't should play small role; private business should ensure needs of citizens are met

- emphasizes law and order to protect society and its traditions

The Foundations & Structure & Role of Our Government:

• Constitutional monarchy: king or queen as head of state

• BNA Act: written part of our constitution drafted in 1867

• Constitution: -A legal document that outlines who should

have the power to make various decisions. - The supreme law of the land. It outlines the

structure of the gov't and gives the gov't the limitations and boundaries of their power.

• Charter of Rights and Freedoms: A bill of rights entrenched in the Constitution that guarantees political rights to citizens and civil rights to everyone in the country:

• freedom of speech, assembly, mobility, etc.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Includes:

legal rights – guarantees the right to a lawyer democratic rights – preserves the right to vote minority language rights – guarantees the right to be educated

in one’s first language mobility rights – grants the right to travel and work in any

province or leave the country

• Amending Formula:- Constitutional change can be made only if

seven out of ten provinces representing at least 50 percent of the population agree with the proposed change.

• “Notwithstanding Clause”

Provinces can create laws that go against the Charter by invoking the “notwithstanding clause”

It basically allows a province to pass a law which violates the Charter of Rights, by using an extraordinary invocation of the clause.

Such a declaration has a term of only 5 yrs, although it can be renewed indefinitely

• Executive branch: - Enforce orders and ensure they are carried out

as they are intended

• Legislative branch: branch of gov’t established for law-making process >

-House of Commons-Crown / Monarch (Governor General)-Senate

• Judicial branch:- Court system

• Federal system (federalism)

A government system which has a central government with overarching authority, and also shared responsibilities with provinces, and provinces also.

• Federal Responsibilities:- National Defense- Foreign Policy- Aboriginal Affairs- Postal Services- Banking System- Marriage & Divorce Law- Criminal Law- Federal Prisons

• Shared Responsibilities:- Immigration- Agriculture- Health Care- Natural Resources- Environmental Issues

• Provincial Responsibilities:- Education- Charities- Health Services & Hospitals- Licenses - Highways- Provincial Court System- Provincial Police & Prisons

• Residual Powers:

- Any aspect that was not covered by the division of responsibilities reverts to the Federal Government

• Municipal Government:

- A local system of gov’t > towns, cities - “Council” made up of elected councillors, and

usually led by a Mayor- Every 4 years (recently changed from 3 yrs)

How the Federal Government Operates: (read p.227 <)

• Federal election occurrence:- At least every 4 years unless called by the

Prime Minister sooner- Currently there is a bill that calls for fixed

election dates.

• Riding or constituency or electoral districts:- Areas roughly equal in population, divided for

specific needs

- http://www.elections.ca/res/cir/maps/map.asp?type=prov&map=BC&lang=e

308 ridings across Canada

• MP: Member of Parliament (FEDERAL reps)• Sits in House of Commons and represents an

electoral district – responsible to his party and his constituents... Which gets precedence?

How the Federal Gov’t Operates

• Parliament:- The House of Commons, Senate, Gov.Gen

• House of Commons:- Only legislative branch with elected members.

Elections for seats must occur every 4 years, unless the Prime Minister calls for an earlier one.

• Representation by population: the representation in the House of Commons is based on a province's population (more people = more seats in gov't)

• Total number of seats in the H of C determined by:

- Pop of Canada – more seats for more pop.

• Conservative Party of Canada:

• Liberal Party of Canada:

• New Democratic Party:

• The Green Party:

• The Bloc Quebecois:

Elections: Process and Results

• Choosing a party leader:- Interested party members may be nominated

to run in a leadership race- Each member of a party casts votes to select

the candidate they want- Can sometimes be a series of votes to narrow

the field- These are at “Leadership Conventions”

• Choosing party candidates:- Usually the members of a party in a given

constituency / riding, will vote on local candidates for that party to select who will represent the party in the next election.

• Volunteers jobs during a campaign:- Answer phones, hand out pamphlets, go door

to door to seek support, put up signs and posters, etc.

• Polling:- Taking a survey of people’s opinions before an

election to see trends of support, or to see what issues concern the public, or to see the public’s reaction to certain events.

- Often conducted by independent pollsters ie. Angus-Reid

• Why are the results of polls important?- So that parties can see the views of Canadians

and try to deliver and gain support before the election

VOTING:

• Voter eligibility:- To vote in a federal election you must be a

Canadian citizen and be 18 years of age(that excludes refugees or landed-immigrants)

• Election day polling stations:- Polling stations are places where Canadians go

to vote, to cast their ballots- There are usually a few of these stations set

up in a community of our size. You are assigned a polling station based on your address.

• Registered voters:- Someone who is allowed and eligible to cast

their vote- You have to actually register to vote and be

added to a database of Canadians who are allowed to vote – then every election they send you a voter card, telling you which polling station to go to to vote.

• Polling officers:- People who

• Tabulation:- Counting the votes after they are cast

• “First-past-the-post” system:- When the polls close, the votes are counted

and the candidate with the most votes in each riding wins (not necessarily with the majority of votes, just more votes than any of the other parties for that riding)

Riding B: 380 votes cast

Cons. 100 votes Lib. 80 votes Green 60 votesNDP 40 votes

= Conservative candidate wins, but more people didn’t vote Conservative, than did.

Riding A: 350 votes cast

Cons. 250 votesLib. 50 votesGreen 20 votesNDP 30 votes

= Conservative candidate wins, with the majority of the votes cast.

Percent of popular vote: (% of total votes for the party)Conservatives 30 %NDP 50%Liberals 10%Green 5%Bloc Quebecois 5%

Conservatives win the election, but it is possible that over 2/3 of the population did not vote for them.

• Prime Minister:- The leader of the political party in power,

chosen by that party beforehand at a convention.

- Represents the head of gov’t; leader of the nation

- Asks Govenor General to appoint new judges and senators, and call elections

- Represents and communicates to Canadians on issues of national concern

• Caucus:- Private meetings amongst party members held

to freely discuss concerns, programs, policies, and actions.

• Cabinet:- Made of elected party members chosen by

the Prime Minister. Each is responsible for a particular government department (ie. Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs, etc.)

- These roles are extremely important, receive a lot of scrutiny from the opposition

• Back bencher:- An MP who doesn’t hold a gov’t office

(Minister or Deputy Minister) and isn’t a Front Bench spokesperson.

- Lower profile MPs

• Speaker of the House:

- An elected member to control the rules fairly and firmly

- Often chosen from the governing party (if it is a majority gov’t)

• Sergeant at Arms:

• Opposition Parties:- Made up of MPs from other parties, usually

led by the second largest party

• Role of opposition parties:- To scrutinize the actions of the government so

all Canadians are represented

• Shadow Cabinet- A group of senior members of the opposition

who “shadow” cabinet members (eg. Conservative MP is Minister of Foreign Affairs

NDP MP is critic for Foreign Affairs)

• Session:- Meetings of parliament that occur at least once

a year “Parliament is in session” means the MPs are in Ottawa, sitting in the seats

• Question Period:- Members of Parliament question each other -

can get tense

- http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Politics/ID/2420724185/

• HANSARD – official verbatim report of proceedings in the House of Commons

(what was said during debate)

• Party Whip:- A Member of Parliament appointed by the

party to enforce discipline (around votes on bills in the House of Commons, speaking to the media, etc.)

• Free vote:- A vote based on what you believe is best, no

matter what position your party takes

• Cabinet solidarity:- The members must agree with and support

the decisions of the cabinet

• Majority Government:- Holds over 50% of the seats and can therefore

not loose a vote on a proposed bill in the House of Commons

• Minority Government:- Holds less than 50% of the seats and can be

defeated in a vote of non-confidence

• Vote of non-confidence:-a non-confidence motion is a motion in the House of

Commons, which, if passed, means that the government has lost the confidence of the House. The government must then either resign or ask the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election.

Votes on the Speech from the Throne and tax and spending bills are automatically considered to be votes of non-confidence

• Proportional representation:- The number of seats a party receives is based

on the percentage of the popular vote they received.

Eg. If 50% of voters across Canada voted for the Green Party, then based on proportional representation, the Green Party would get 50% of the seats in the House of Commons

• Current Leaders of the Major Political Parties:-Conservative: Stephen Harper (Prime Minister)-New Democratic Party (NDP): Tom Mulcair

(Official Opposition)-Liberal Party: Justin Trudeau (his dad was a PM)-Green Party: Elizabeth May- Bloc Quebecois: Daniel Paille (but he stepped

down Dec.16 so there will be a leadership race)

How a Bill Becomes Law:• Any member of the House of Commons or

Senate can introduce a bill• Cabinet members usually introduce new bills• A bill presented by another member of the H

of C is called a Private Member’s Bill• Next slide= steps for passing a bill

• Introduction: member of H of C or Senate introduces a bill

• First Reading: present the bill (either in the House or the Senate – wherever the member sits) – this is like a “heads up”

• Second Reading: Bill is read and fully debated, once it is accepted in principle, the bill is sent to a parliamentary committee for further study – committee usually made up of members from multiple parties...

• Committee: hears witnesses, examines bill closely, submits a report with/without amendments (changes)

• After Committee:• Report Stage: Additional amendments to the bill are

moved, debated, and voted on.• 3rd Reading: Last chance for the House to amend the

bill. The bill is made into a final copy.• Sent to the Other House: Either sent from the House

to the Senate, or vice versa. The process starts again from the 1st reading

• Royal Assent: The Governor General gives the bill the Royal Assent in the Senate when the bill has been passed in exactly the same form by both Houses. The Bill is assigned a number (ie. Bill C-17) the becomes a law.

• Senate:- Independent from House of Commons- Senators appointed by PM when a vacancy arises- Provide final check to legislation- Can also propose new laws, debate and pass them- Launch commissions, research / inquiries- Has their own speaker and affairs to run- Must be Canadian citizen, at least 30 yrs old, live in

the province/territory they represent, own at least $4000 of land.

- Must retire at 75.

• Patronage **- When the Prime Minister picks his favourites

to fill vacant Senate seats- A candidate is selected who has assisted the

PM in some way.... Example, Mike Duffy was appointed by Stephen Harper as a Conservative Senator > his main job was to help the Conservative party fundraise

- Patronage is when a Senate seat is awarded as a reward for “loyalty” or “service”

• “Triple-E” Senate - Proposed model for Senate reform, as many

people feel the Senate is not a truly democratic institution

- Triple E > Effective (represents regional interests), Equal (all regions get equal representation – currently some provinces have more Senate seats than others ie. PEI has more than BC even though BC has much larger population), Elected – (elected Senators rather than appointed by the PM, and therefore would be less partisan (less likely to side with a party)

• Governor General:- Representative of the British monarch in Canadian

government (now a Canadian is appointed to the job, on the recommendation of the Prime Minister)

- Needs to give approval to a bill before it becomes law (this is called “Royal Assent”) in order to check to see that gov’t abides by the Constitution

- performs ceremonial functions – represents Canada at many international events

- Current Governor General is David Johnston- Past Governor Generals include Michaelle Jean and

Adrienne Clarkson

• Royal Assent:- When the Governor General signs a bill into

law after it has been approved by Senate

• “Order-in-Council”:

1.) MLAs: Member of the Legislative Assembly (PROVINCIAL reps)

• Premier:

• Lieutenant-governor:- Parallel role to Governor General but in

provinical government

• Public Service or Civil Service:- Group of employees who perform the ongoing

business of government. They are often the “face” of government, the ones we talk to to get service from the government.

(at Ministry branches, for example)

• How to influence Government:- non-governmental organizations- Pressure groups- Lobbyists- Civil disobedience