Social Studies 30 | Liberal Democracy

Responsible Government

A system which the government must maintain at least 50% support in the legislature or else it will fall

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Separation of Powers

Division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Executive Branch

Part of the government which puts laws into action

Legislative Branch

The branch of government that makes the laws

Judicial Branch

The branch of government that interprets laws

Constituency

An area which contains about 100,000 people in Canada which is represented by a Member of Parliament

Senate - Canada

Appointed by the Prime Minister, chamber of sober second thought - double checks laws

Supreme Court

The highest judicial court in a country - decisions cannot be appealed further

Party Solidarity

Key aspect of Canadian politics, all members of the party vote within the party. Rarely are they allowed a free vote. Also known as a whipped vote

Role of the Media

Report on decisions made by the government - keep government accountable

Vote of Non-Confidence

Occurs when a proposed bill receives less than a majority of votes in the House of Commons, defeating the government and forcing an election to be called

Representation by Population

The number of elected representatives is determined by the size of the population in the region represented. Used in the House of Commons

First Past the Post

an electoral system in which the candidate who has more votes than any other candidates wins and all other votes are discarded

Proportional Representation

An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to the percentage of the vote they recieve.

Majority Government

Refers to a party in the House of Commons that forms the government with more than 50% of the seats under its control.

Minority Government

A government in which the ruling party has less than half the seats in the legislature

Coalition Government

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in parliament.

Referendum

A general vote by the electorate on a single political question. The results of this vote are binding

Plebiscite

Vote put to the population, but the results are not binding

Direct Democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives. Difficult in modern societies

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to give up some of their freedom in exchange for security and government

Dissent

An act which demonstrates disagreement with the government such as a peaceful protest

Lobbying

Attempting to influence a politician to make a decision in favour of a particular interest group

Democratic Deficit

When democratic institutions do not seem to be living up to the ideals of democracy

Voter Apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.