Grade 9 Social Studies Study Guide: Quality of Life, Canadian Government & Electoral Systems

A comprehensive vocabulary review set covering the dimensions of quality of life, civic terminology, the structure of the Canadian government, legislative representation, and electoral system outcomes.

Quality of Life

The degree of overall well-being, comfort, and satisfaction or standard of health, comfort, and happiness experienced by an individual or group.

Social Dimension (Quality of Life)

The dimension of quality of life that focuses on personal relationships, family, friends, community connections, and social networks.

Political Dimension (Quality of Life)

The dimension of quality of life relating to government systems, political rights, conflict, voting, governance, and power structures.

Physical Dimension (Quality of Life)

The dimension of quality of life that involves health, safety, access to medical care, shelter, and physical well-being.

Economic Dimension (Quality of Life)

The dimension of quality of life pertaining to financial stability, employment, income, purchasing power, and personal wealth.

Psychological Dimension (Quality of Life)

The dimension of quality of life that focuses on mental health, personal happiness, stress levels, self-esteem, and emotional well-being.

Common Good

The general benefit, well-being, or interest of all members of a society rather than individual self-interest.

Citizenship

Fulfilling the legal, duties, and participatory requirements of a national, state, or local government.

Accessibility

The ease with which people can obtain goods, services, or access locations (e.g., curbside pickup, delivery options, or barrier-free infrastructure).

Sphere of Influence

The area, domain, or group of people over which an individual or organization has power, control, or political/economic sway.

Executive Branch

The branch of Canada's federal government consisting of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (along with the Governor General) that proposes laws, administers government, and enforces policies.

Legislative Branch

The branch of Canada's federal government consisting of the House of Commons (elected MPs) and Senate (appointed Senators) that debates, amends, and passes bills/legislation.

Judicial Branch

The branch of Canada's federal government consisting of the Supreme Court of Canada and Provincial/Federal Courts that interprets and applies the law to ensure constitutional alignment.

House of Commons

The elected body of Canada's legislative branch where Members of Parliament (MPs) are directly elected by Canadian voters in individual ridings.

Representation by Population

The system used in the House of Commons where representation is based on population, giving provinces with growing populations additional seats to maintain proportional representation.

Senate

The appointed body of Canada's legislative branch whose members are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime Minister.

Regional Representation

The principle of representation followed in the Senate to balance the interests of less populous provinces against larger ones.

Royal Assent

The official approval granted by the Governor General (acting on behalf of the Monarch/Crown) required for a bill to become law after passing both the House of Commons and the Senate.

First-Past-The-Post System

A plurality electoral system where the candidate with the highest number of votes (a plurality) in a riding wins the seat, regardless of whether they achieve a majority of over $50\%$.

Majority Government

A government formed when a political party wins more than half of the total seats in the House of Commons (e.g., $172+$ out of $343$ seats) and can easily pass laws.

Minority Government

A government formed when a political party wins the most seats but holds fewer than half of the total seats (e.g., winning $150$ out of $343$ seats while the second-place party wins $120$), requiring negotiation with opposition parties to pass laws and avoid a vote of non-confidence.