Social midterm study guide (intro to economics, government, YCJA)

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Scarcity  

• Basic factor that creates an economic system 

• Shortage must be handled properly to keep society balanced  

• People's wants exceed availability  

• Government tries to balance limited resources 

• Satisfying unlimited wants with limited resources 

Addressing scarcity 

• What - is wanted or needed 

• How - will it be produced 

• Who - will get it 

How are people’s needs are supplied 

• Land 

• Labour  

• Capital 

Land 

• Materials found the in natural environment  

• Renewable (can be replaced fully) and non-renewable (exist in limited quantities and never replaced) 

Labour 

Physical and mental effort needed to produce goods and services 

Capital  

Money people own or borrow used to buy equipment, tools, or other resources to make goods and services 

Economic system  

• Solve the basic problem of scarcity  

• Different ideas about how to organize an economy makes different economic systems 

• Organized by a continuum based on values of society and the government  

Ownership 

• Publicly owned – controlled by government and paid by taxpayers 

• Privately owned – controlled by businesses and individuals 

Centrally planned economy  

• Resources are publicly owned 

• Government makes decisions on how to use resources  

• Consumers have little influence on economy  

• Far left 

• Prices set by government 

Market/free economy 

• Everything is privately owned 

• Individuals make decisions on how to use resources 

• Consumers drive economic decisions depending on what’s being bought 

Mixed economy 

• Mix of publicly and privately owned businesses 

• Individuals and government both make decisions on what to produce 

• Both have influence on economic decision making 

Crown corporation 

• Company owned by the Canadian government to provide goods and services 

• Provides essential services 

• Promotes economic development 

• Support Canadian culture and identity 

• Creates jobs to support economy and culture through taxpayers' money 

Public good 

• What is best for the interest for all of society 

• Many people disagree due to different perspectives 

Consumer 

Buys product or service 

Producer 

Provides product or service 

Good  

The thing being produced or manufactured 

Service  

• Doing something for you 

• Might not be an object 

Supply  

• How much of a product or service there is 

• Producer willing to produce something at a certain price 

Demand 

• How much consumers want a product or service and how their willing to pay for it 

• How much the product can be sold at for that price 

Equilibrium  

Supply and demand are equal 

Supply and demand 

Cause-and-effect relationship 

Competition  

Rivalry among different producers to sell the most products 

Monopoly  

• They are rare because they need government support  

• Do not need to be competitive in price 

• Government funds the money they lose 

• Prices regulated by government 

• Ex: Canada post (crown corporation)  

Government intervention in market economy 

• To keep people safe 

• Collect taxes for common good (ex: healthcare) 

• Impose laws for fair competition, making base a price 

Founding principle 

• Canada: “Peace, order and good government” 

• America: “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” 

Government interventions in economies 

• Healthcare  

• Social programs 

• Ownership 

• Economic protection 

• Competition laws 

• Consumer safety initiatives 

Jobs and our economy  

• Economic decisions impact job availability 

• Supply and demand can affect job availability, making opportunities or challenges 

Labour unions  

• Organization of wage earners (workers) 

• Makes wages reasonable and makes workplace safe 

• Can lobby (fight/convince for legislation) the government 

• Government can make favorable or unfavorable laws for unions 

• Can pressure employers about wages, hours, workplace safety 

• Strikes form pressure, they can refuse to do their job 

• Extreme cases, small strike can turn to general strike  

• Paying some wage towards union to help you out 

Collective bargaining 

• Negotiating as a group.  

• It is the key right established by workers unions for workers 

• Charter of rights and freedom protects collective bargaining 

Executive branch 

• Prime minister 

• Cabinet  

Prime minister 

• Head of Canadian government  

• Need to be elected as leader, party elects you 

• Must be elected as a member of parliament in the riding you represent 

• Have the most seats in the House of Commons 

The cabinet 

• Members are appointed by the prime minister from members of their party who are MP’s or senators 

• They have two jobs: represent people who live in their riding as an MP and help the prime minister run the country 

• Each member is given a portfolio, giving them a role to represent. It is a government department, which that minister will run 

Legislative branch 

• Power – create, change, and repeal laws and regulations 

• Members – parliament, senators and members of parliament (MPs)  

Bill 

A proposed law 

MPs 

• Belong to the house of commons 

• Each MP represents the voters of one riding (constituency or voting district) 

• District size based on population (roughly the same amount of people in each area) 

• Represent your voice in the House of Commons 

• 338 seats 

• 338 ridings/constituencies 

• Representation by population 

MPs work 

• Influence legislations through debates in the House of Commons and during party committee meetings to examine legislation 

• Vote on bills 

• Can introduce their own legislations, called “private members bills” 

Majority  

Wins the majority of seats in the House of Commons (51%) 

Minority  

They must make alliances to pass laws to ensure they have over 51% of votes 

Minority bills 

• Hard to pass laws 

• Needs to listen to opposition and compromise so the other party will vote for their bill

Official opposition 

• Next greatest amount of seats 

• Creates debates 

• Asks tough questions when new laws are proposed 

• Look out for different views and perspectives of Canadians 

Senators 

• 105 in Canada’s federal system 

• Upper house 

• Leaders: community leaders that ensures parliament acts upon the best interests of Canada 

• Appointed 

• Give provinces and minority groups a bigger voice 

• Speak based on conscience  

How senators get their job 

• Appointed by government general upon advice of the prime minister 

• Allowed to serve until the age of 75 

What do senators do 

• Upper house in Canada’s bicameral parliamentary democracy 

• Unites diverse groups of accomplished Canadians in service of their country 

• Shapes Canada’s future, suggests improvement and fix mistakes 

• When senate speaks, House of Commons listens 

• Bill must go through senate 

Supreme court 

• Nine judges from four different regions 

• Prime minister and cabinet nominates judges, those judges are reviewed by a committees of MPs 

• Committees chose the best three 

• Prime minister picks one of the three 

Judicial branch 

• Rights are respected, independent decisions to uphold rights of Canadians in constitution and charter of rights and freedom 

• Judges interprets law and applies to situations 

• Answers question about laws 

• Resolve conflict that does not lead to violence 

• Provides predictable patterns of behavior and treatment of individuals 

Political parties 

• Have a platform, a statement in what they believe in 

• Share values on how the country should be run 

• Stand for political issues 

• Hope to win the most seats 

• Many parties in Canada because of diversity 

Lobby groups 

• Similar interests and try to reach a common goal 

• Meets with officials to influence them on issues that are important to companies/organizations that employs them 

Media 

• Various public ways that we share news around the world 

• Connects the world with government happenings and varying perspectives on issues as they arise 

• Gives public a chance to share their opinions 

Electoral process 

• Must be a Canadian citizen 

• The age of 18 or older 

Electoral officers 

Voting process is legal/ functioning  

Bill to law process 

House of Commons

• first reading - MPs read over the law 

• Second reading - debate and changes, is the law really worth it 

• committee stage - bring in experts 

• report stage - experts give advice on what to change on the bill 

• third reading - make final changes and look over the bill 

• send to senate

Senate goes through the same process

If the senate agrees, they get royal assent from the government general 

Justice

The enforcement or determination of rights according to the law. 

justice system

• The institution and procedures for applying laws in society. 

• YCJA and the Criminal Code of Canada

justice system be fair and equitable

• Governed by rules that apply to everybody, taking into count individual’s needs and wants.  

• A lot more prone to this in the YCJA than the Criminal Code of Canada, circumstances matter. 

fundamental principles of justice in Canada and other democratic countries

• A person is assumed innocent until proven guilty

• If you break the law, the court will decide your fate

YCJA

• makes young offenders face meaningful consequences like counseling or community service

• protects privacy of young offenders, not letting the media publish their name

• allows young offenders to avoid a criminal record.

who does the law apply to in YJCA

Youth criminal justice act for anyone who is 12 to 17. Extreme cases, 14 and up receive an adult sentence.  

Criminal code of Canada 

law defines the consequences that adults face for criminal offences

community service

• Help in the community as a part of their sentence

• If you do not do community service, you will get into more trouble

• example: community clean-up, or help at a food bank

Criminal record

• A permanent record of breaking the law, which is public information.

• Can bar certain jobs, volunteer work, or travelling to other countries.

• Everyone can see it

Sentence

Any consequence for a crime, like imprisonment, determined by a court of law

Consequences for breaking the law as a youth

• Makes young offenders face meaningful consequences like counselling  

• Extrajudicial measures 

  • Extra effort that is put in to helping the child to rehabilitate

Consequences for breaking the law as a adults

• They have to go to court as a regular consequence 

• defines adult sentences, including long periods of confinement or imprisonment for certain crimes 

• allows adult’s names to be published  

• creates a criminal record for adult offenders. 

name is published in media as a youth

The offender’s name cannot be published if they are the ages 17 or under  

name is published in media as an adult

The offender’s name can be published through the media 

criminal record for a youth

• Most offenders cannot get a criminal record 

• offender can get one if they are the age of 14 or older and committed a serious crime

criminal record for a adults

It creates a criminal record for offenders 

prohibits

not allowed

When does the judge allows adult sentences for youth

• Depending on the seriousness of the crime and earlier offences of the young person

• Over the age of 14 who committed a serious crime 

change from the Young Offenders Act to the YCJA

• The YOA, all the youth were charged, even if it was minor. Back then, there was a whole backlog of offenders, so they did not look at their case and just sent them to jail. It was expensive to hold all of them in juvenile detention centers and for human resources.

• The YCJA attempts to handle the situation by considering the victim and making meaningful consequences to the offender. 

• The YCJA’s purpose is rehabilitation (heal them) and reintegration (bring them back into society normally) 

Youth’s punishment for crime being considered by the…

• Intensity of the crime 

• History of the offender 

• The attitude of the offender 

• Background of the offender

• community safety

• rehabilitation and reintegration

4 objectives of the YCJA

• Prevent crimes by addressing the circumstances underlying the young individuals offending behavior 

  • Rehabilitation  

• Rehabilitate and reintegrate

• Ensure the young person has a consequence that is suited for the crime they committed to promote the long-term protection of society 

  • meaningful consequences

• The YJCA is separate from adults, as they recognize the different levels of maturity  

rehabilitate

To instill positive behaviors and attitudes 

reintegrate

To make part of again 

meaningful consequences

• Relates to their crime, like explaining and repairing the damage they have caused to a victim. 

• Punish the offender so they never do it again  

jury

• A group of 12 people that decide on whether the defendant is guilty or not

• usually the people are random to create an unbiased decision whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. 

eligible for jury duty, requirements

• 18 years or older who is a Canadian citizen

• people convicted of crimes may not be eligible

• The citizen must make it to the courthouse on time, find the transportation, taking time off work or classes, and rebooking appointments

• The citizen can only be taken off if demonstrate that it undoes their hardship

• An employer must give you time off, however, they do not need to pay you. 

2 teams trying to persuade the jury

• The defendant and their lawyer:

  • provides the evidence that proves the individual innocent of committing a crime

  • lawyer represents the accused person and defends them

  • The defense can be witnesses and physical evidence

• The prosecutor for the crown:

  • (crown = government)

  • shows evidence to prove that the individual is guilty of the crime

sequestered

remove contact or isolated

Juries being sequestered

juries are isolated to make sure they only take the evidence presented in the courtroom is taken into consideration

oath

to make a promise

oath in the courtroom

• They have to promise to use only courtroom evidence and the law to make a decision. 

• Canada: “to use only evidence and the law to reach a verdict”

jurors being rewarded

• They get food and a place to stay if it lasts long than a day.

• If they have to travel over a long distance (over 100km), gas is covered

• They get $50 a day. 

two groups that are justice advocacy groups

John Howard Society – both proactive and reactive, it helps everyone. It will look at at-risk areas to try and help youth that are already susceptible to crime. It will also help people once they have been in trouble with the law 

Elizabeth Fry Society – only deals with girls and women, also babies if they have babies. They help people who have been in trouble with the law to reintegrate them into society 

Youth Justice Committee

community members or experts who have a position how can we support a child without sending to court but the consequences are still meaningful 

Elders in the justice system

• Elders are respected for their experience and knowledge, and for acting in the best interests of their entire communities. 

• They try to help criminals reintegrate into society, this would involve a criminal’s to find jobs, and a better lifestyle overall.

young offender’s rights

• stay silent until guardians arrive

• phone call

• lawyer present

• parent present

• you can opt in for court for judges/jury to prove your innocence