test one Flashcards
(96 cards)
1
Q
Democracy:
A
political system based on the formal equality of all citizens. There is possibility that voters can replace government. Basic rights and freedoms protected (civil liberties and political rights)
2
Q
Constitutional Monarchy:
A
constitutional (written, distinctive) and monarchy (with theoretical absolute power). Ex. King Charles
3
Q
Representative Democracy:
A
the government is carried out by elected legislatures that represent the citizens. Authority/ ruling is delegated to those representatives. Citizens “directly” speak through direct votes (plebiscites and referenda occasionally)
4
Q
Liberal Democracy:
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individual/ minority rights with majority rule. Follows liberal ideas regarding negative conceptualization of freedom (freedom of speech is freedom from censorship).
5
Q
Three branches of power:
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- Legislative: authority to make law
- Executive : executes and enforces the law
- Judicial : interprets law and constitution
6
Q
Presidentialism:
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system of government where the executive and legislative are separate . (both get legitimacy from being elected by the people)
7
Q
Parliamentarism:
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system of government where the executive and legislative are merged. (executive gets their legitimacy from maintaining the confidence of the legislative)
8
Q
Political Regime:
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underlying political principles that provide legitimate basis that form of government
9
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Legitimacy:
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about justifying political authority and fostering popular acceptance of the existing regime
10
Q
House of commons
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: 338 members, to debate and enact legislative bills. Backbenchers are much less prominent in house than ministers/shadow ministers. Divided in sessions
11
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Majority government:
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party in power controls more than 50 % off 338 seats of HOC.
12
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Minority government:
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when no party holds at least170 seats in HOC. Government can fall at any time and to get things done must work at least one opposition party.
13
Q
Confidence and supply agreement:
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Liberals won smallest % of votes. Concervatives won popular vote for second election in a row. To gain traction tudeau entered deal with NDP. (supply deals NDP likes and NDp supplies support to liberals if non-confidence motions). NDP ripped agreement but continued to support government until now
14
Q
Prime minister’s office:
A
there to provide political advice to PM
15
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Privy council office:
A
provides policy advice to the prime minister.
16
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Senate:
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105 members, reviews bills adopted by HOC. Regional representation and to oppose democratic element. Almost as powerful as HOC in law. Debate on senate reform three main options: status quo (while tweaking the system), abolition and elected senate.
17
Q
The crown:
A
serves as ultimate source of executive authority, legislative authority and judicial authority in Canada.
18
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Governor General:
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represents king of Canada. Its institutional function is central to Canadian regime as a constitutional monarchy. Without GG ramification, no bill is official, no judge can be names, no government can be formed, etc.
19
Q
Responsible government:
A
Responsible government means that the people in charge (the executive, like the Prime Minister and Cabinet) must answer to the elected parliament. They can only stay in power if they have the support (confidence) of the majority in parliament.
If they lose that support, they may have to resign or call a new election. This system ensures that the government is accountable and cannot rule without parliament’s approval.
Makes the executive responsible for its legislative . Principle is to stay in power(must have confidence of parliament). Consequences: elections aren’t fully fixed (depends on capacity of gov to maintain confidence) and party discipline is strictly applied in HOC (if not gov can fall) and ministers should be members of parliament (to answer during question periods)
20
Q
Caucus:
A
means a group composed solely of members of the House of Commons who are members of the same recognized party. Caucus influence wpuld be one of the reasons why MPs in Canada don’t rebel so much.
21
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Cabinet:
A
Works as a team in collective responsibility (ministers responsible for the exercise power as a body). Key decisions often made by cabinet as a whole and not individual ministers. Ministers are also individually responsible for the action of all government employees under the umbrella of their ministry.
22
Q
Collective responsibility:
A
All members of cabinet are responsible for carrying government policy. This also implies cabinet solidarity. Also linked to cabinet secrecy (nobody knows what happened, difficult to conduct research)
23
Q
Canadian Parliament:
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constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. (law is the supreme authority) . government acts in the name of the “crown” but gets authority / legitimacy from Canadian people
24
Q
Parliment consists of 3 parts:
A
- Crown
- Senate
- House of commons
(laws are established when all three agree)
25
Constitution:
(1982)
Contains charter of human rights and freedoms and procedure for amending constitution. Sets fundamental laws of system of government (federal and provincial)
26
Crown and Governor General:
- executive authority vested in the crown
- governor general acts on advice from PM and cabinet. Represents crown in Canada. Exercises powers of government that are reserved for the crown by the constitution.
- GG must give “royal assent “for bill to become law
- Gg chooses prime minister but requires that choice be leader of party with majority of seats in Hoc following general election
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Legislature:
Parliament is Canada legislature!
- Power to make laws, raise taxes, government spending
- Canada is “bicameral” = 2 chambers
- Legislative and executive branches of government create laws. Introduced to one of chambers by ministers
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Senate (upper house):
105 senators appointed by governor general
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House of commons (lower house)
338 elected by Canadians
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Executive branch:
executive authority vested in crown carried out in crown by Governor, PM, cabinet.
Pm selects confidential advisors who are made members of Privy Council. Sworn in as ministers = known as “ministry” cabinet.
Responsible for departments. Assisted by other members who have been appointed as “parliamentary secretaries”
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Responsible government and ministerial accountability: **
Ministers have both individual and collective responsibilities to parliament. he principle of collective ministerial responsibility holds that ministers are expected to take responsibility for and defend, all cabinet decisions.
32
Confidence Convection:
PM and cabinet must answer House of commons. If government is defeated in the House on a “confidence” question, government is expected to resign or seek dissolution of parliament in order for a general election to be held.
33
Political Party:
An organization that seeks to have its members occupy positions within the executive and legislative of government. Can be rooted in social movements or elites. Strategically balances ideology and catch-all ability
34
Party systems:
the pattern of competition among political parties. The party system is highly influenced by electoral rules, therefore, to understand political parties and voting behaviour, you need to look into electoral systems.
35
Duverger’s law:
The more proportional the system, the greater the number of “effective” political parties there will be. Good for political party incentives and campaignsand voters strategic choices
(The party system is highly influenced by electoral rules, therefore to understand political parties and voting behaviour, you need to look into electoral systems)
36
Canada’s electoral system:
Single member plurality (SMP): country divided into ridings, with one elected representative (MP) per riding. One election per riding following first-past-the-post system (the candidate who receives the most votes within each riding wins; no need to get more than 50% of the votes to win), with no proportional representation. Redrawn every ten years.
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Electoral reform:
most widely debated alternatives to first-past-the-post are proportional representation (PR) and single transferable vote (STV); Each system would have a different impact on the electoral fate of political parties
38
Money and Canadian participants
Contribution limits: currently, citizens and permanent residents (only individuals, not corporations) can give up to $1600 dollars to each registered federal party
Spending limits are set for both individual candidates and political parties;
Reimbursements: candidates who get at least 10 percent of the votes in their riding can be reimbursed up to 60 percent of their electoral expenses
Tax credits: people who donate to individual candidates or political parties are eligible to a tax credit
Reporting
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Two plus party system:
Two parties generally alternate in power, but other parties are significant in legislative and in determining elections. Can result in minority or coalition governments. May lead to more diversity or innovation than two-party systems
40
Liberal Party of Canada (1867- ):
seen as “natural governing party of Canada.” Most dominant party in western hemisphere.
Liberals identified with free trade and provincial rights and after 1885, they appeared to be more sensitive to French Canadian interests; more sympathetic to the plight of farmers
41
Conservative Party of Canada (2003- ):
created after the merger of the Canadian Alliance (former Reform) and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada;
Conservatives were generally thought of as the party of the British connection, centralization and economic protection, and the party of privilege – in the sense that its leading spokesmen claimed that all healthy and stable societies are ruled by a natural governing elite
42
New Democratic Party (1961- ):
created after the merger of the Co-Operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) and the unions of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC); The only integrated party (in Canada the exception… the rule elsewhere!)
43
Green Party (1983- ):
emerged as a single-issue party but now has broader platform
44
Bloc Québécois (1991- ):
tied to the idea of Quebec sovereignty; only runs in that province; like Scottish National Party in the UK but distinct from Parti Québécois (not integrated);
45
Brokerage theory:
makes two fundamental claims about Canada’s two historically dominant parties:
1. They lack cohesive and distinct ideological visions (especially those based on class interest and identity);
2. They are flexible and opportunistic because this is the path to electoral victory (electoral pragmatism)
46
Party Discipline:
a system of norms, rules, and consequences designed to ensure the public alignment of group members, especially in legislative voting. It is a mechanism to hold together a diverse coalition of political interests. All major parties in Canada exert influence over their caucuses, framing most votes as a zero-sum game.
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How party discipline works to exert influence on backbenchers:
Maintain a small leadership circle, utilize group psychology and team socialization, Leverage reward systems, Exploit lopsided rules that favor front bench MPs/Cabinet
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Why MPs stick to party discipline:
PM chooses his cabinet = more discipline = better chances. Loyalty Elicited through Advancement, Discipline and Socialization. Easiest way to ensure confidence in the house
49
Our legal system: fathers of confederation saw judiciary as considerably less important than legislative/ executive powers. It is built of four tasks:
1. Legal disputes between private parties
2. Legal disputes private party and government
3. Judicial inquiries
4. Judicial review of the Constitution
50
Judicial Inquiries:
governments ask judges to lead an independent investigation on problematic areas of public policy.
Ex. Sponsorship Scandal (Gomery Commission), Corruption in Construction (Charbonneau Commission) What the opposition wanted on foreign influence allegations (2023). Trudeau instead put in place a “special rapporteur” whose ties w. (China and the Trudeau family became problematic)
51
Judicial Review of the Constitution:
Triggered by specific cases that are appealed and an interpretation of the Constitution is needed. OR by the reference procedure, when federal governments wants a quick ruling on the constitutionality of a proposed legislation. Lower courts can interpret the Constitution, but the final say goes to the Supreme Court. Not at the initiative of the court, only responds.
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Three legal principles:
Impartiality, Judicial Independence, Equality before the law
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Impartiality:
decisions can be appealed.
(knowing their ruling could be under scrutiny by higher courts encourages judges to be objective) + (parties that feel a decision is biased or erroneous can get an appeal)
Adversarial character of trials (judges are passive, referees, not inquisitors. This minimizes their latitude). Generally neutral.
54
Judicial Independence
A core principle of liberal democracies, which imply:
1. Security of Tenure : Once appointed, judges cannot easily be removed
(No government can threaten to punish a judge for making a decision it opposes
To remove a judge, Parliament or a provincial legislature must pass a resolution, after an independent inquiry)
2. Fixed Salaries
3. Judges control the administration of their court
55
The Supreme Court post 1982
(Not supreme until 1949 )
Before the Charter, the principle of stare decisis was the conventional wisdom, and required judges to be guided by decisions in previous similar cases (not just about federalism but about individual rights) But one result of R. v. Big M Drug Mart Ltd (1985) was that judges are now prepared to depart from established precedents and get ahead of public opinion on some issues. This leads to criticism that unelected judges make fundamental, often irrevocable, political decisions
56
Judicial restraint:
: idea that judges should give the benefit of the doubt to legislators (minority of 3 (out of 7) in Chaoulli Decision 2005
57
Judicial activism
: the use of judicial review power to push a political agenda
Some claim that recourse to the courts is undemocratic. Critics of the Charter suggest that there is a “court party” of left-of-centre activists who use litigation to advance policy agendas the elected legislatures chose not to introduce. the result is the legalization of politics
Under the Charter, the authority of legal discourse has increased at the expense of the democratic political process. Public servants now draft laws and regulations to “Charter-proof” them from possible court challenges
While acknowledging that courts do play a greater role in the policy process under the Charter, former Supreme Court Chief Justice McLachlin has argued they do so in a spirit of impartiality
Judges do not belong to political parties or make partisan statements, but judges are not apolitical either. Ex Trudeau nominees are especially ideologically aligned with him ( after first nomination)
58
Public policy
Policy making in a liberal democracy such as Canada is typically about balancing (policy) efficiency and (political) accountability.
The “rules of the game” stemming from the Canadian “regime” shape the “policy process” through which specific policies rise and fall
In public policy change is slow.
Public policy is so vast it is divided into multiple policy areas such as environmental policy, fiscal policy, health policy, and immigration policy.
* Elected officials (in part through caucus and cabinet), the mass media, and think tanks cut across these fragmented areas.
* Due to vested interests and institutional inertia, policy change is typically incremental in nature and transformative change is the exception rather than the rule (punctuated equilibrium or transformative incrementalism?).
* Concrete public policies are enacted through five “moments”
-Agenda setting-policy formulation-decision making- policy implementation-policy evaluation-
59
Fiscal imbalance:
A fiscal imbalance is a measure of financial sustainability. It occurs when future debts aren't balanced with future revenue streams. A fiscal deficit, on the other hand, is the actual shortfall in a country's revenue compared to its spending.
60
Canada Health Act 1985
Brought by federal government even though its provincial jurisdiction
61
Universality
all insured residents must be entitled to the insured health services on uniform terms and conditions
covers 100% of costs at the point of service
62
Portability:
(when you go to another place you are covered). Exceptions include fertilization/impregnation…)
insured residents moving from one province or territory to another, or temporarily absent from their home province or territory or Canada, must continue to be covered for insured health services (within certain conditions)
The provinces have to cover their residents for care in other provinces at the rates that pertains in other provinces. They are supposed to cover their residents while out of the country at least at the rates that would have pertained in their home province.
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The Five Principles of Medicare
universality,
portability,
Reasonable accessibility to services,
Comprehensiveness of services
Publicly Administered
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Reasonable accessibility to services
* The provinces are to ensure that services are “reasonably accessible” and that financial charges or other barriers do not impede access. This criterion also requires the provinces to pay reasonable compensation to their health professionals.
* Accessibility: not to impede or preclude, either directly or indirectly, whether by user charges or otherwise, reasonable access to insured health services
* Geographic component
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Comprehensiveness of services
* Comprehensiveness: plans must cover all insured health services provided by hospitals, physicians, or dentists (for surgical dental procedures that require a hospital setting)
* The provinces are supposed to cover all “medically necessary” services provided by doctors or within hospitals.
* This criterion is a misnomer because community services (such as home care) are not covered and neither are the services of other providers (except dental services within hospitals – a rare event these days).
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Publicly Administered
* Public administration: plans must be administered and operated on a non-profit basis by a public authority
* The provinces have to administer their health insurance programs either themselves or through a body that is accountable to the provincial government. This criterion is also a bit of a misnomer because it expressly forbids neither for-profit insurers acting on contract with a province nor for-profit providers of services.
* « Publicly funded privately managed »
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Liberal party leader
Mark carney (formally Justin Trudeau )
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Conservative Party leader
Pierre pollievere
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Ndp leader
Jagmeet signmeet
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Bloc Québécois leader
Yes Blanchet
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What happened in the Ontario news
Doug ford won third election in a row
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What happened with saq clic
Quebec government has initiated independent investigation into challenges faced by societete de lausrance mobike new platform. Findings of the inquiry are meant to be made public ensuring transparency and accountability in issues with Saab clic.
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When was the confederation and where
1897, New Brunswick and Ontario/Quebec and Nova Scotia
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What year was the constitution made
1982
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What is procedural democracy
A procedural democracy is a system where elections and formal political processes (like voting and rule-following) determine leadership, but it may lack deeper democratic qualities like civil rights, freedom of speech, or government accountability. It focuses on procedures rather than ensuring full democratic participation or fairness.
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What is substantive democracy
A substantive democracy goes beyond just elections and procedures. It ensures real democratic values like civil rights, political freedoms, rule of law, and government accountability. In a substantive democracy, people have not only the right to vote but also real influence over policies and fair treatment under the law.
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Elections and minimal rules are what kind of democracy
Procedural
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Health care and education are what type of democracy
Substantive
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What kind of power do ministers have
Executive and judicial
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Why are backbenchers frustrated
Because they have to vote with power
81
Whip
Secure party loyalty
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What power is accountable to responsible government
Accountable to legislative
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3 consequences of responsible government
Elections aren’t fixed, party discipline, (support of the house, executive that controls legislative), ministers must be part of parliament
84
In minority government, what happens to party discipline?
It gets stronger, because safety is risky. Most elections are minority government
85
Why are Quebec voters the most sophisticated
Strategically, different from our own interests. They don’t understand elections the same way. Volatility and coordination - willing to change party, not about ideology but about regional interests
86
Brokerage politics
System where interest of country is highly divided. Implies our party system is highly non ideological (liberals) . Broker in chief - dynamic unique to Canada. Party system is not interrogated (means you vote at a federal level it is not same party at provincial level. Unique to Canada)
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Who’s pro and anti american
Liberals are anti and conservatives are pro
88
Did the ndp govern Canada
No just provincial
89
Supreme Court
Nomination process, no hearings/ screenings, 9 justices ( 3 Quebec, 3 Ontario, east, west) a convention, not written in law
90
Court government
Pm and group of unelected advisors controlling political gain
Causes: globalization, signing trade deal (only pm can sign for Canada), national unity, mass media (easier to control message), executive federalism
91
public policy (health care)
Anything government chooses to enjoy to do. Federal government uses to pay 50% now pays 22% (why provinces don’t want to work with federal government for other things/ p). Highly de centralized- many health care systems. Narrow basket of services - dental/ psych,etc not covered
92
volatility in canadian system
canada exhibits more unpredictibility
than its comparators. tunover of individual memebers of parliament is high by comparative standards. discontituity ( discontinious elections) are high
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policy differences in canadian parties
canadian parties may be said to "blow with the wind" and not conform to the platform policy model
94
Court Government in Canada
Court government refers to a system where the Prime Minister and a close group of unelected advisors exert significant control over political decisions, often sidelining broader parliamentary input. This centralized power structure is driven by several factors.
Globalization has increased the need for swift decision-making, particularly in trade agreements, which only the Prime Minister can sign on behalf of Canada. National unity concerns also contribute, as the government aims to maintain stability and cohesion. Mass media and digital communication make it easier to control political messaging, shaping public perception. Additionally, executive federalism—where key decisions are made through negotiations between federal and provincial leaders—further concentrates power within the executive branch.
Together, these factors reinforce the dominance of the Prime Minister and their inner circle, limiting broader democratic participation in major policy decisions.
95
what is talked about in maioni article
The article "Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States, 1940-1965" by Antonia Maioni examines why Canada and the U.S. developed different health insurance systems despite their similar political and economic structures.
Maioni argues that political institutions and party systems played a key role in shaping health reform. In Canada, the presence of a social democratic third party (CCF-NDP) was crucial in pushing for universal public health insurance. The parliamentary system allowed this third party to influence policy by pressuring the ruling Liberal Party. Additionally, Canadian federalism enabled provincial health experiments, such as Saskatchewan’s universal hospital insurance, which later became the national model.
In contrast, the U.S. lacked a strong third party, forcing health reformers to work within a divided Democratic Party. Opposition from Southern Democrats, Republicans, and the American Medical Association (AMA) made universal health insurance politically unfeasible. Instead, reform efforts shifted towards targeted programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, which provided healthcare only to specific groups like the elderly and low-income individuals.
Ultimately, Canada adopted universal, government-funded health insurance, while the U.S. took an incremental, means-tested approach. The article highlights how institutional structures and party politics shaped these diverging health policies.
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what is talked about in johnston reading
One-Party Dominance: The Liberal Party has historically maintained long periods of governance, comparable to dominant parties in Sweden, Japan, and Ireland.
Electoral Volatility: Canada experiences frequent, sharp shifts in party support, particularly affecting the Conservative Party.
Weak Policy Differences: Major parties have often lacked strong ideological contrasts, with the Liberals adapting policies from both sides of the spectrum.
Social Foundations: Unlike many Western democracies, Canadian party preferences are shaped more by cultural and geographic divisions than class-based politics.
Federal-Provincial Gaps: Voting patterns at the federal and provincial levels are often inconsistent, reflecting regional differences and unique political cultures.
Multipartism: Despite a first-past-the-post electoral system, Canada has sustained a multiparty structure due to regional political movements and issue-based third parties.
The article argues that the Liberal Party's ability to control the political center while navigating cultural and regional cleavages has been key to its dominance. This structure has led to electoral instability, weak ideological divides, and a fragmented party landscape.
