120 likes | 275 Views
Government and Political Process. CHV20: Structure of Government in Canada. Review. Constitutional Monarchy- which means? Three level of Government- they are…? Each is responsible for… The political spectrum is… Some basic left wing ideas are… Some basic right wing ideas are….
E N D
Government and Political Process CHV20: Structure of Government in Canada
Review • Constitutional Monarchy- which means? • Three level of Government- they are…? • Each is responsible for… • The political spectrum is… • Some basic left wing ideas are… • Some basic right wing ideas are…
Voting (review) • The age to vote in Canada (and in any province or municipal election) is… • Our voting system is called the… • What is the biggest issue with this system? • A political party is… • The major political parties in Canada are… • The major political parties in Ontario are… • Where do they fit on the political spectrum…
Election Results • The country is organized into ridings- currently 308 • The province is organized into ridings- currently 107 • Anyone who wished to run for office must campaign within a riding (and are usually a candidate from a political party) • If they win in a federal election they are called the Member of Parliament for their riding • If they win in a provincial election they are called the Member of Provincial Parliament for their riding • Ridings are roughly boundaries that carry an average of 100,000 people
Election Results • Canada is a representative democracy • In a federal election, whichever political party wins the most ridings (seats), that party gets the mandate to form the government- the leader of that party becomes the PM • In a provincial election, whichever political party wins the most ridings (seats), that party gets the mandate to form the government- the leader of that party becomes the Premier
Election Results • Once in power a government tries to create and pass laws • To do so, the MPs and MPPs read ideas (bills) and vote on them • Because of our democratic system, MPs and MPPs of the same political parties 99% of time will vote the same way for bills • Therefore if your party (federally and provincially) has more seats than all of the other parties combined you can pass any law you wish • Therefore if your party has less than all of the other parties combined….well, now we have a problem, because wont they always just vote against the party in power?
Election Results • Majority Government- a government that is formed that wins more than half of the seats in the House of Commons (Federal) or Provincial Legislature (Provincial) • http://www.parl.gc.ca/SenatorsMembers/House/PartyStandings/standings-e.htm • Minority Government- a government that is formed by a party that wins half or fewer than half of the seats in the House of Commons or Provincial Legislature
Activity • Let us see how this actually works…
*Coalition • There is one other type of government that occurs in most democratic nations and has happened in Canada as well- yet not recently • A coalition government is when two or more political parties form a majority government in the House of Commons or Provincial Legislature by having a greater total number of seats than any other single party • 2008 The Liberal Party, the NDP and the Bloc agreed to ask the Governor General for the right to govern the country as a coalition • Before they go to so, PM Harper asked the Governor General to prorogue the government (shut it down)…and it did for 6 months