government Flashcards
(78 cards)
1
Q
what is fast fashion?
A
inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass market retailers in response to the latest trends.
2
Q
what is the rana plaza incident?
A
in 2013, an eight story commercial building collapsed and 1134 people died. the owners knew that the building was weak and still forced them to work.
3
Q
what is a non-profit organization?
A
dedicated to furthering a particular social cause or advocating for a shared point of view.
ex. free the children
4
Q
what is government?
A
a decision making system that has the power to make laws and direct the affairs of a country , province, or municipality.
5
Q
what is a pluralist society?
A
a society in which different groups with a range of beliefs can influence political life.
6
Q
what is a democracy?
A
a system in which decisions are controlled by the people.
- majority rules
7
Q
what is an ideology?
A
a set of beliefs and values, especially about how society should be organized and what goals it should pursue.
- political parties are created around different ideologies
8
Q
what is an autocracy?
A
a system of government in which a few rulers have power to make decisions for the people.
9
Q
what are the 2 distinct types of government?
A
- authoritarian/autocracy
2. democracy
10
Q
what is the emphasis placed on in autocracy?
A
- obedience
- control
11
Q
what are the 2 main types of autocracy?
A
- monarchy
2. dictatorship
12
Q
what is a monarchy?
A
- king or queen rules the country
- monarchs share power with other parts of gov’t
- often they are also subject to the country’s constitution
13
Q
what is a dictatorship?
A
- one leaders has control over citizens’ lives
14
Q
what are the 2 main types of democracy?
A
- representative democracy (Canada)
2. direct democracy
15
Q
what is a representative democracy?
A
- citizens elect leaders
- do daily work of governing the country
- citizens hold the ultimate power
16
Q
what is a direct democracy?
A
- no representatives
- citizens are directly involved in daily governing of the country
- citizens may be required to participate in lawmaking or act as judges
17
Q
what is an oligarchy?
A
- small group of people that have the power
ex. a junta – military officers who rule a country by force, operates like a dictatorship, except several people share power
18
Q
what is a theocracy?
A
- gov’t the recognized God or a divine being as the ultimate authority
- religious law is used to settle disputes and rule the ppl
- theocracy can be almost any type of gov’t
19
Q
what is an anarchy?
A
- nobody is in control or everyone is
- sometimes used to refer to an out of control mob
- used to describe the human state of existence before gov’ts were formed
- no country in the world is like this
20
Q
what are residual powers?
A
in Canada’s constitution, any leftover powers that are not specifically listed will remain with the federal gov’t
ex. internet
21
Q
what are shared powers?
A
- some areas are shared by the federal and provincial gov’ts
- the federal and provincial gov’ts can both create laws regarding agriculture and immigration and some aspects of natural resources
22
Q
who does what - federal:
A
- national security
- defence/military
- international relations
- citizenship/immigration
- money/banking
- postal service
- indigenous affairs
- criminal law
- marriage + divorce
23
Q
who does what - provincial:
A
- school/education
- healthcare delivery
- social assistance
- natural resources
- licenses
- charities
- supervision of municipalities
24
Q
who does what - municipal:
A
- libraries
- snow removal/transit
- building permits
- property taxes
- water
- waste management/recycling
- fire protection
25
who does what - shared:
- roads
- law/police
- environment
- parks/tourism
- courts
- prisons
26
what is the federal government?
- takes care of issues that concern everyone in the country
| - the leader of the federal government is called the prime minister
27
what is the provincial government?
- takes care of issues that concern everyone in the province
| - the leader of the provincial government is called the premier
28
what is the municipal government?
- takes care of issues that concern everyone in the municipality (town, city)
- the leader of the municipal government is called the mayor
29
what is the federal system of government?
- a two-level system of governing
- responsibilities of governing are divided between the federal gov't and provincial gov't
- each gov't has power over their areas
- federal gov't can overrule prov. if it's in the best interest of canada
30
who is the current PM of canada?
justin trudeau of the liberal party
31
what is our local representative in the federal government called?
member of parliament (MP)
32
who is Halton's current MP?
Lisa Raitt of the conservative party
33
who is the current premier of ontario?
doug ford of the progressive conservative party
34
what is of our local representative in the provincial gov't called?
member of provincial parliament (MPP)
35
who is the current MPP?
parm gill of the progressive conservative party
36
who is the current mayor of milton?
gordon krantz
37
what are the 3 branches of gov't?
1. executive
2. legislative
3. judicial
38
what is the governor general?
*executive*
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch
39
who is the governor general?
julie payette
40
what is the cabinet?
*executive*
- decides what the government policy should be
- each department is assigned a cabinet minister to be in charge
- cabinet members (called ministers) propose new laws
41
what is the house of commons?
*legislative*
- where elected representatives meet and discuss and vote on public issues
- reps. of the HofC are called MP's
- members of the HofC sit w their fellow party members
42
What is opposition?
*legislative*
- the second largest political party
- their job is to voice the opinion of all Canadians
43
what is question period?
*legislative*
- time is set aside weekly
- the goal of this is to keep the government accountable
44
who is the leader of the official opposition of canada?
andrew scheer
45
who is the lieutenant governor of Ontario?
elizabeth dowdeswell
46
executive does what:
- carries out plans and policies of the gov't
| - runs the daily affairs of gov't
47
legislative does what?
- to make, change, and or repeal laws
48
judiciary does what?
- determines if people charged with crimes are guilty or innocent and decide on punishments
- separate than the two other branches to ensure no one is above the law
49
judiciary court system is broken into 2 units:
1. civil (protection of rights)
| 2. criminal (offences against the public or society)
50
what are the advantages to representation by population?
- majority of canadians benefit from this
- since there are more canadians being represented, more canadians have a better chance to get what they want
- it reduces the idea of a wasted vote.
51
what are the disadvantages to representation by population?
- the will feel like they don't have a voice
- different opinions and issues
- it makes things easier for extreme parties to gain representation
52
how many ridings in canada?
338
53
why is AGC important to a democracy?
- everyone becomes a better person
- influences others
- make change
- takes action
- everyone agrees more
- less problematic
54
why should human rights be valued?
- everyone is respected
- security
- right to freedom
- you are an indiviual
55
what are charter rights you have and why are they are important?
- everyone is equal despite differences in hair colour, skin, etc
- everyone is free and should be treated in the same way
- everyone should be considered innocent until guilt is proven
56
who makes up the executive branch?
federal:
- governor general
- PM
- federal cabinet
- civil service
provincial:
- lieutenant govenor
- premier
- cabinet
- civil service
57
who makes up the legislative branch?
federal:
- HofC
- MofP
- senate
provincial:
- provincial legislature
- elected house
58
who makes up the judicial branch?
federal:
- federal judiciary
- provincial judiciary
59
how does a bill becomes a law?
1. 1st reading (considered)
2. second reading (debate the bill's principle)
3. committee stage (committee members study the bill)
4. report stage (members can make other changes)
5. third reading (members debate and vote on bill)
6. senate (bill follows a similar process)
7. royal assent (bill receives this after being passed by both houses)
60
what is the rule of law?
has three parts:
1. everyone must recognize that the law is necessary to regulate society
2. everyone is equal before the laws and is entitled to equal protection of law without discrimination. no one is above the law (elected officials, police, member of military)
3. people are not governed by arbitrary power. this means that no one in our society has the authority to exercise unrestricted power to take away our rights except in accordance with the law
61
what is the supreme court of canada?
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court of Canada, the final court of appeals in the Canadian justice system.
62
what are rights?
legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement.
63
what is the charter of rights and freedoms?
- part of the canadian constitution
- lists a variety of rights
- supersedes all federal and provincial legislation
64
what is conscious consumption?
a social movement that increases awareness of the impact of purchasing decisions on the environment and the consumers health and life in general
65
what are the democratic principles?
- protected rights
- equality
- rule of law
- free and fair elections
- citizen participation
- accountability/transparency
- independent judiciary
- political equality and freedom
- economic freedom
- multiparty system
- common good/respect/human dignity
66
the political spectrum of canada:
```
left wing (closer to communism): NDP and Green Party
centre: liberal
right wing (closer to fascism): conservative
```
i'm liberal -- agree with some conservative and some NDP ideologies
ex. gov't should play a role in citizen's lives only to improve it, balancing society and helping offenders to get better
67
what is first past the post?
- canada's current electoral system
- voters in each riding vote for one candidate in that riding
- whoever has the most votes is elected MP for that riding
68
where is fptp used?
58 countries like canada, UK, India
69
how are the ballots counted (fptp)?
whoever wins the most of the votes, even if he/she doesn't receive more than 50% of votes, becomes the MP for that riding -- represents it in the HofC
70
how many ridings in ontario?
122
71
what happens if no party wins a majority?
- the PM at dissolution may try to form a minority that has the confidence of a majority of MPs
- if they can't, the governor general invites the leader with the largest number of seats in parliament to try
72
what is a majority government?
when a political party wins more than half the ridings in a an election.
73
how many ridings do you need in canada to win?- majority
170 in the HofC
| - the leader of the party will then become the PM
74
in ontario how many ridings do you need to win? -majority
62 ridings in the legislative assembly
| - leader of the party will then become to premier
75
what is a minority government?
when a political party wins more ridings in an election than any other party but not more than half the other parties added together.
76
what will the leader of the political party become? -minority
PM (federal level) or premier (provincial level)
77
what are the characteristics of a majority government?
- stable, strong, decisive
- usually lasts full 4 year term
- able to pass bills, policies, and budgets w ease nc they have the majority of seats
78
what are the characteristics of a minority government?
- less stable
- have to compromise w other parties to get bills and budgets passed
- have difficulty passing bills, policies, and budgets passed bc they do not have the majority of the seats
