Levels of Government

1. Levels of Government Overview Federal/Provincial/Municipal Difficulties with Government

2. Levels of Government • Canada has a massive geographic area and a population of approx. 31 million people spread across the vast land • It is very difficult for a single government to take care of all the responsibilities that exist throughout the nation. • In 1867, because Canada was physically such a large country with so many different needs, we adopted a federal system of government that had three levels: federal, provincial and municipal. • This style of government involves dividing the powers into national and various regional levels. This allows the country to address the needs of various areas that may have specific expectations from their government.

3. Levels of Government • Each level of government deals with different areas. • The federal government for example is responsible for services that affect the entire country, such as currency or the armed forces. • Any others you think might be federal? • The provincial government deals with services that affect their particular area, such as licensing drivers and hospitals. • What others might be provincial? • Finally, municipal governments deal with services that are needed by each individual community, such as police, fire, and waste disposal services. • What might be municipal?

5. Current Leaders at Different Levels • Federal Leader – Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada • Provincial Leader – Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario • Municipal Leader – Gil Brocanier , Mayor of Cobourg

6. Quiz Time… • Identify the following as being controlled at either the municipal, provincial or federal level. You can use M, P or F to make it easy • Education funding • Libraries • Citizenship • Canada Post • Highways • Sewage • Fire Service • Criminal Laws • Welfare • Provincial • Municipal • Federal • Federal • Provincial • Municipal • Municipal • Federal • Provincial

7. News Article Review • Find three news stories from a reputable online news source. See the suggestions below. You are required to find three news stories. The first story should deal with a federal matter. The second story should address a provincial matter. The third story should deal with a municipal matter. For each article, complete and submit the following:· Identify the author, newspaper, and date of publication.· Identify and explain the 5 Ws (who, what, where, why, and when) of the newspaper article. · Name which level of government this article refers to.· Discuss one difficulty that the government would face in making a decision on this issue.You must create a link to the articles or include a web address where the stories can be found. I need to be able to check that you’ve gotten the details correct! • http://www.cbc.ca/- CBC • http://www.theglobeandmail.com/- The Globe and Mail • http://canoe.ca/ - Canoe • http://news.google.ca/ - Google News • www.thestar.com – The Toronto Star • http://www.northumberlandnews.com/ -The Northumberland News • http://www.northumberlandtoday.com/ - Northumberland Today To assist you with Part A, an exemplar, featuring a sample answer is on the following slide

8. Sample… • Questions:1. Identify the author, newspaper, and date of publication.2. Identify and explain the 5 W's (who, what, where, why, and when) of the newspaper article. 3. Name which level of government this article refers to. 4. Discuss one difficulty that the government would face in making a decision on this issue. This is a review of an article from the Globe and Mail newspaper, dated Tuesday, October 12, 2004. The article was written by Globe reporter, Elizabeth Renzetti. Renzetti reported on Defense Minister Bill Graham's response to the fire aboard the submarine HMCS Chicoutimi on October 5, 2004, and also on the Prime Minister's reaction. The article, titled "Legal action on sub fire possible, Graham says" can be viewed here.  A summary of the article and event is below. Defense minister Bill Graham recently arrived in London, England after a tour of the charred sub HMCS Chicoutimi in Glasgow, Scotland. The Defense minister praised the quick thinking of the crew as they dealt with the fire. "It was a matter of seconds they had…to be able to react to this." He commended the courage and professionalism of the crew. Now a military board of inquiry investigate and report on the cause, and who is responsible for the fire that broke out on board the submarine, killing one crew member and leaving two more seriously injured. This occurred only four days after Canada took delivery of the sub from Britain. The HMCS Chicoutimi is one of four subs purchased from Britain; therefore, Minister Graham was in London to meet with his British counterpart Defense minister, Geoffrey Hoon. Minister Graham has told the public that he still plans to go through with the purchase of the subs, and that he believes they are all seaworthy. Much of Chicoutimi's crew, and their captain, believe the sub to be safe. He told the public that the subs were "taken out of mothballs" and sold because the British now only have nuclear subs. These subs were taken out of commission not due to defects, or for age; but rather, simply because they were not nukes. The two Prime ministers, Paul Martin and Tony Blair, will be meeting in Hungary this week to discuss the purchase of these submarines. This article deals with government on a federal level. It not only involves two areas of federal responsibility, national defense and foreign affairs, but also our Prime Minister, and the Defense Ministers of both Canada and Great Britain. One of the difficulties the Canadian government will face is answering the questions that arose concerning whether the newly purchased submarines are seaworthy. How this issue is handled meanwhile will strengthen or erode public confidence in the federal Liberal government's ability to make competent political decisions concerning Canada's military defense. Also, since a foreign government is involved, the federal government must address this issue while also attempting to preserve the good relationship it has with its traditional British ally.

9. Article Checklist Federal Article • Author(s) name • Newspaper name • Date of article • 5Ws (who, what, where, when, why) of article • Level of government identified • Government difficulty for deciding on this issue • Link/URL to article Provincial Article • Author(s) name • Newspaper name • Date of article • 5Ws (who, what, where, when, why) of article • Level of government identified • Government difficulty for deciding on this issue • Link/URL to article Municipal Article • Author(s) name • Newspaper name • Date of article • 5Ws (who, what, where, when, why) of article • Level of government identified • Government difficulty for deciding on this issue • Link/URL to article Comments: