Quiz #2 notes

Political Party

Publicly organized groups of people motivated by shared political ideas, aiming to gain influence and power through elections.

Function of Political Parties

Functions include articulating interests, recruiting leaders, fundraising, campaigning, and structuring political reality.

Ideology

A set of interrelated beliefs regarding society's organization and function.

Types of Ideologies

Include conservatism, liberalism, communism, fascism, and democratic socialism.

Conservative Party of Canada

A centre-right political party advocating smaller government and lower taxes.

Liberal Party of Canada

A centre to centre-left political party favoring government intervention and centralizing federalism.

New Democratic Party (NDP)

A left-wing political party advocating for social democracy and working-class interests.

Party System

The structure and characteristics of electoral competition among political parties.

Single Member Plurality (SMP)

An electoral system where the candidate with the most votes in a district wins.

Proportional Representation (PR)

An electoral system where a party's seat share closely matches its vote share.

Expansion of Voting Rights

Historical milestones in Canada: Women in 1918, First Nations in 1960.

House of Commons

The lower house of Parliament, responsible for legislation and representation.

Functions of the House of Commons

Includes legislation, representation, scrutiny of government, and legitimating government actions.

Party Discipline

The practice of MPs adhering to party leadership and directives.

Democratic Deficit

A situation where certain MPs have more power than others, creating an imbalance in representation.

Bicameralism

A political system with two legislative chambers, such as the House of Commons and the Senate.

Senate's Role

Acts as a 'sober second thought' check on democracy with regional representation.

Electoral System

The method through which votes are translated into collective political outcomes.

Electoral Districts

Geographic areas represented by a single elected official in electoral systems.

Ballot Procedure

Defines how voters express their choice, either through single or ranked choices.

Plurality Criterion

Winning criterion where the candidate with the most votes, but not necessarily a majority, wins.

Majority Criterion

Winning criterion requiring more than 50% of the votes to win.

Reform Party

A party that emerged advocating for Western interests, which later merged into the Conservative Party.

Progressive Conservative (PC)

The former name of the Conservative Party of Canada from 1942 to 2003.

Official Opposition

The political party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons.

Electoral Competition

The contest among political parties for votes and seats in legislature.

Government Accountability

The principle that government officials and bodies must justify their actions to the public.

Legislation Process

The procedure through which bills are debated and passed to become law.

Political Style

Refers to the approach and techniques used by parties in conducting politics, e.g., adversarial or consensus-based.

Political Ideologies in Parties

Reflect the principles and approaches of different political parties concerning governance.

Judgment in Representation

The act of MPs using personal judgment instead of only following constituents' views.

House Committees

Groups within the House of Commons formed to conduct detailed examinations of specific legislative matters.

Reform Act (2014)

Legislation that aimed to strengthen caucus control over party leaders.

First Party System (1867-1921)

The initial system characterized by the dominance of Conservative and Liberal parties.

Second Party System (1921-1957)

A period marked by a more competitive party landscape with emergence of new parties.

Third Party System (1963-1993)

An era defined by the rise of the NDP as a significant political force.

Fourth Party System (1993-2006)

Characterized by the fragmentation of traditional party alignments.

Fifth Party System (2006-present)

Current system, influenced by issues such as immigration, climate change, and regional disparities.

Fringe Party Influence

The impact of smaller parties within the electoral landscape, often minimized in SMP systems.

Medicare Support

One of the key policy positions of the NDP advocating for government-provided health care.

Candidate Selection

The process by which political parties choose their representatives for elections.