Social 30-2 Related Issue #3

The Indian Act

1876 created reserves; defined who does and does not have "Indian" status; removed many rights from First Nations; provided some benefits; originally designed to assimilate FNs; could be considered illiberal

direct democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly (not through representatives); all citizens are involved in the decision making process

democracy

A form of government that is ruled by the people

liberal democracy

A form of government where the people choose their leaders and all citizens have guaranteed rights and freedoms; the entire middle section from left wing to right wing (not the extremes)

authoritarian

A government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power or "authority"; closely related term to dictatorship

FLQ Crisis

A group of radical (extreme left) Quebec separatists kidnapped two English speaking politicians; the Canadian Government responded by using the War Measures Act (1970)

constitutional monarchy

A king or queen is the official head of state but power is limited by a constitution.

The War Measures Act

A law that allowed Canada's government to temporarily remove rights and freedoms from citizens during EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES to ensure safety and security; used THREE times; considered by some to be illiberal

republic

A nation-state that does NOT have a monarchy; EXAMPLES: United States; France

civil servant

A person who works for the government: ie) MPs, judges, police officers, teachers, city workers etc.

riding

A region in Canada that is represented by an MP; the boundaries of these regions are based on population (about 100,000 in each) aka: constituency; seat; district

representative democracy

A system of government where a group of citizens elect someone (MLA/MP) to represent them in government

first past the post

A system where each seat/district/riding/constituency is won by the candidate who has the most votes (even if that person has less than 50% support)

proportional representation

A system where the % of popular vote = the % of seats won in an election

referendum

An event when citizens vote on a specific law or government action; the results of a referendum are usually binding (the government MUST follow through with the result) ie) Quebec sovereignty referendum 1995

plebescite

An event when citizens vote to give their OPINION on a law or issue; the government is NOT bound to follow the majority decision of the people

Inflation

The gradual increase in price of goods and services over time; in a healthy economy this increase is about 2-3% per year

The Supreme Court of Canada

The highest court in Canada; has the power to overturn (throw out) laws if they do not align/agree with the constitution

responsible government

The members of Canada's government are held accountable for their actions

representation by population

The number of representatives that a region has in government is based upon its population; thus, a highly populated area will have more representatives than a sparsely populated one - in Canada there is about 1 MP in Ottawa for every 100,000 citizens

voter turnout

The percentage of eligible citizens who turn out to vote; 80% would be considered high; most federal elections in Canada are not in the 50-60% range

cabinet

The prime minister's closest advisers; they are usually MPs from the PMs political party; they are powerful decision makers in Canada's government

constitution

The "rule book" that the government must follow; all new laws have to agree with this document

labour union

a formal organization of workers that acts to protect workers' rights and interests; will use strikes and collective bargaining; left side of the spectrum - collective responsibility

voter apathy

a lack of interest to vote; a "whatever" or "meh" attitude toward government and politics

accountable

a person must face the consequences of his/her choices; in terms of a democratic government this is what happens during an election or when media reports on an issue

civic duty

the responsibilities that all citizens should fulfill; ie) voting, obeying laws, working, paying taxes etc.

suffrage

the right to vote

universal suffrage

All adult citizens have the right to vote in elections

secret ballot

All votes in an election remain anonymous; keeps elections honest (this was/is not always the case with elections)

Patriot Act

American law passed after 9/11; gave police increased power to search for potential terrorists; considered by some to be illiberal

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Enshrined individual and collective rights in Canada's Constitution (1982) FIVE categories: 1) Fundamental Freedoms (speech, religion, assembly), 2) Democratic Rights, 3) Mobility Rights, 4) Legal Rights, 5) Equality Rights (no discrimination)

separation of powers

Power in the government is divided between three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial; this prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful; one strategy to prevent a dictatorship; the idea of the Enlightenment thinker Montesquieu

lobby group

Someone hired by or who represents a group of people who tries to influence government decisions ie) environmentalists, oil company representatives etc.

majority government

When a government in Canada has the MOST seats, AND more than 50% of the seats; no issues passing new laws because they will always have more than 50% support

minority government

When a government in Canada has the MOST seats, but less than 50% of the seats; often has a difficult time passing new laws

illiberal

When a liberal democracy acts in a way that goes against the principles of liberalism and/or democracy; often restricts individual freedom in the name of security

party solidarity

in the Canadian system, all MPs/MLAs are generally expected to members vote with their party, even if they would like to vote in a different way; this is much LESS true in the American system