Citizens & Influence
This is a group of people with similar ideas about how to run a country.
What is a political party?
These are the three levels of government in Canada.
What are federal, provincial/territorial, and municipal?
This branch creates, debates, and amends laws.
What is the legislative branch?
This is the name for an area represented by one elected MP.
What is a riding, constituency, or electoral district?
This is the name for a proposed law before it has been passed.
What is a bill?
This is a group of people who try to influence political decisions without necessarily wanting to hold political office.
What is a lobby group?
This elected representative works at the federal level, while this elected representative works at the provincial level.
What are an MP and an MLA?
This branch runs the day-to-day business of government and puts laws into action.
What is the executive branch?
Under this electoral system, the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins the seat.
What is first-past-the-post (FPTP)?
During this stage in the House of Commons, MPs discuss the bill, study it in committee, and may make changes.
What is the second reading/committee stage?
This is a list of promises a political party makes about what it plans to do if elected.
What is a political platform?
Name the leader of each level: federal, provincial in Alberta, and municipal in a city.
Who are the Prime Minister, Premier, and Mayor?
This branch includes the courts and interprets laws while protecting citizens' rights.
What is the judicial branch?
Under this electoral system, a party winning 15% of the vote would receive approximately 15% of the seats.
What is proportional representation?
After a bill passes its third reading in the House of Commons, it goes to this chamber for further review.
What is the Senate?
Name one way a lobby group can try to influence government decisions.
What are social media campaigns, advertising, media stunts, research, or Supreme Court challenges?
Canada's formal head of state is this person, who is represented at the federal level by the Governor General.
Who is King Charles III?
These are the two chambers of Canada's federal Parliament.
What are the House of Commons and the Senate?
With 343 seats in the House of Commons, this is the minimum number of seats needed for a majority government.
What is 172 seats?
This is the name for the Governor General's formal approval of a bill, given on behalf of the King.
What is Royal Assent?
A lobby group gives decision-makers useful information, but wealthy businesses may gain too much influence behind closed doors. These are examples of one potential benefit and one potential drawback of what?
What are lobby groups?
Identify the level of government responsible for each: national defence, provincial education, and local snow removal.
What are federal, provincial, and municipal government?
The House of Commons represents Canadians by population, while the Senate has this important role in the law-making process.
What is representing Canada's regions and minorities and giving bills “sober second thought”?
A party has the most seats but not more than 50% of the seats. It must work with other parties to pass legislation. Name this type of government.
What is a minority government?
A bill passes the House of Commons, but the Senate proposes amendments. According to the class notes, where must the bill go so the changes can be considered?
What is back to the House of Commons?