POLI 101: Canadian Politics Key Terms

Regime

Basic form of gov. / principles that explain who rules & why

- provides legitimate basis

Kingship

Rule by 1 person for the common good

(king governs to protect all citizens)

ARISTOTLE

Tyranny

Rule by 1 person for their OWN benefit/interest

- NOT the people’s

(dictator jails opponents)

ARISTOTLE

Aristocracy

Rule by few / small group who govern for the common good

(elders govern fairly)

ARISTOTLE

Oligarchy

Rule by a small, wealthy group for their OWN interests (ruled by few powerful elites)

- particularly private economic advantage

ARISTOTLE

Polity

Rule by many people for the common good (governing fairly together)

(rare/non-existent in practice = ARISTOTLE)

Democracy

Rule by many for OWN interest (usually through majority decision-making - voting)

- grants political power to all citizens equally

- no one has special title to rule = share EQUALLY political rule

(b/c ancient Greek democracies turned into mob rule where the poor majority used their power to take away from the rich majority)

ARISTOTLE

Tyranny of the Majority

When majority uses its power to unfairly harm / ignore / oppress minority groups

(law voted that targets disabled people)

(liberal democracy ensures rights are protected)

Equality

All citizens have equal acess to political power, status & rights

(one person = one vote)

Canada = political equality defined as equality of citizenship; regime belongs to all equally & all can participate)

Liberty

Freedom to make personal choices w/o unnecessary gov. control
(choosing your religion)

- must have

Sphere of human thought & action that is private (sphere); all must have right to make choices for themselves

Direct Democracy

All citizens are directly involved in political decisions themselves (by way of political assembles; e.g., voting)

- directly involved

- regime/system

Parliamentary Democracy

Political decisions are made by elected representatives (Parliament; e.g., Canada’s House of Commons)

- NOT citizens directly

- variety/specific type of representative democracy

- particular structure

Representative Democracy

Indirect form of gov. where citizens elect representatives to govern on their behalf

(delegate responsbility for public matters; e.g., electing MP to represent your riding)

- poli decisions made by reps called PARLIAMENT

Republican

Syst. where full/final authority rests w/ elected rep’s/officials, not a monarch

(US gov.)

Liberal Democracy

Combines political principles of liberty (liberalism) and democracy;

- democracy w/ strong protections for individual rights (e.g., Canada w/ the Charter of Rights)

- MUST have

(voters wanted to ban a religion, gov. could not, b/c individual rights protect minorities)

Private Sphere

Areas of life free from gov. interference
(personal relationships)

- human thought & action

- right to make choices for themselves; liberals insist gov. does not interfere

Liberalism

Belief in individual freedom, rights, & limited gov. power
(freedom of expression laws) as long as no law prohibiting them

- political theory

Liberalism ≠ capitalism by definition; often have market economies, but concept here is about rights/freedom (≠ economics)

- in liberal democracies there are 2 schools of thought: natural rights & utilitarianism

Natural Rights

Rights people have simply for being human (right to life, liberty, property)

- school of thought

- these rights establish limits of political power

rights then gov.

Utilitarianism

Judging laws by how much happiness / benefit they create = justifies rights/ freedoms

- school of thought

- importance of liberty comes from its usefulness (utility) as means of promoting human happiness

- deny existance of universal, permanently valid natural rights, believing instead that rights are created within regimes in response to circumstances

- uses harm principle to limit gov. power

Harm Principle

Gov. does not interefere w/ actions of individuals as long as those individuals are not harming others (limit freedoms to protect; e.g., banning drunk driving NOT drinking in general)

- MILL = happiness achieved if all are able to develop individually

- most important of the utalitarian rules

Rule of Law

Principle that everyone must follow the law (including gov.; “law and order”; e.g., prime minister can be taken to court)

- gov. not above the law; cannot treat citizens arbitrarily (however they like)

- law must be applied equally (all action must be grounded in legal authority)

Constitutionalism

Gov. power is limited by a constitution (supreme; gov = subordinate to it)

(laws must follow the Constitution/rules)

- is one of the important aspects of the rule of law

liberal= fixing clear limits → set fundamental rules (aka constitution)

Consent

Gov. authority is legitimate ONLY if people agree/consent to be governed (obey) by it

- liberal democracies are based on consent, providing primary basis of political obligation

- Granted either explicit or implicit (actions) - e.g., voting in elections

Citizenship

Legal membership in a state (w/ rights & responsibilities)

- Canadian political equality = euqality of citizenship

- Participation, consent, political equality

(voting = belong to political community, can participate in governing, gov. is responsible/answers to the people)

- did not include Indigenous Peoples (/consultation)

Settler-Colonial Regime

Settlers govern Indigenous peoples w/o full consent
(e.g., Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples in past)

- Indigenous seen as domestic subjects

- Canada was democratic for its citizens but settler-colonial toward Indigenous