Unit 8

Question 1

Define assistant deputy minister

Answer 1

second highest ranking public servant in a government department

Question 2

Define cabinet minister

Answer 2

member of the Privy Council assigned responsibility for the supervision of a government department

Question 3

Define caucus

Answer 3

parliamentary grouping of all MPs and Senators from one political party

Question 4

Define consultation

Answer 4

deliberation and discussion between two or more parties

Question 5

Cooperative (administrative) federalism

Answer 5

the per 1960 era of intergovernmental relations when management and resolution of conflict was primarily an administrative concern

Question 6

Coordination

Answer 6

when one government adjusts its decisions to avoid or outweigh the adverse consequences of another government

Question 7

Electoral system

Answer 7

method by which votes are cast for a candidate

Question 8

Executive federalism

Answer 8

relations between elected and appointed officials of Ottawa and the provinces - typically the heads, hence the “executive” part

Question 9

First Ministers

Answer 9

political leaders of the 11 governments in the federation

Question 10

Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs

Answer 10

assigned responsibility for research into constitutional policy issues touching on provincial-federal relations, first established in Quebec in 1960

Question 11

Proliferation

Answer 11

Uncontrolled growth

Question 12

What are systemic causes of federal-provincial conflict?

Answer 12

1 - local chauvinism
2 - desire to distract from internal problems
3 - class conflict
4 - regionalized economy
5 - size of the provinces (large)

Question 13

Why have politicians found it difficult to eliminate the cases of federal-provincial conflict?

Answer 13

an inevitable consequence of federalism

Question 14

How can federal provincial conflict adversely affect the operation of the system?

Answer 14

tendency to erode power and legitimacy of parliament at both levels

Question 15

Cite an example of an interstate federalism institution

Answer 15

Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment

Question 16

What is the difference between cooperative federalism and collaborative federalism?

Answer 16

Both advocate governments working together, however collaborative sees each level as equal while cooperative offers the federal government a leadership role

Question 17

What is the difference between a FM Conference and a FM Meeting?

Answer 17

Conferences are more formal, meetings more flexible and ad hoc

Question 18

Define accountability

Answer 18

the inclination and capacity of government officials to respond to the needs and demands of political institutions and the public

Question 19

Define competitive model

Answer 19

A view of federalism that emphasizes public choice theory

Question 20

Smiley’s 6 criticisms of executive federalism

Answer 20

1 - contributes to undue secrecy
2 - contributes to unduly low level of citizen participation in public affairs
3 - it weakens and dilutes that ccountability of governments to their respective legislatures
4 - it frustrates a number of matters of crucial public concern from coming on the public agenda
5 - contributing factor to indiscriminate growth of government activities
6 - leads to continuous and unresolved conflicts among governments, which serve no broad public purpose (institutional conflicts)

Question 21

What 3 factors have produced an increasing reliance on executive federalism?

Answer 21

1 - decentralization
2 - configuration of Canadian institutions
3 - democracy, political culture

Question 22

What are the 4 distinct stages of executive federalism?

Answer 22

1 - Confederation -> WWII, governments operating in isolation
2 - Expansion of welfare state: harmonious
3 - 1960s -> 1980s: conflict
4 - 1990s and beyond: attempt to resolve conflict

Question 23

How do the issues of Quebec affect executive federalism, even when not explicitly discussed?

Answer 23

1 - conflict normalized meeting, frequency

2 - failures of Meech and Charlottetown made elites less comfortable to tackle ambitious negotiations