Social

• Branches of Government


  • Executive (PM, Cabinet) - proposes bills
  • Legislative (MP's, Senators, Gov. Gen) - debates bills
  • Judicial (Supreme court of Canada)
• MP's


  Accountable to constituents & their parties
• Senators


  Represent regions & minorities
• Governor General (G.G.)


  Represents queen (aka Monarch), turns bills into laws (Royal Assent)
• Political parties


  Aim to form the government by winning the most seats in the House of Commons
• YCJA


  Rehabilitates and reintegrates
• Indian Act


  Originally aimed to assimilate, created reserves (debate remains about whether it actually serves the best interests of first nations people)
• Official Language Minorities


  French outside Quebec, English in Quebec have right to publicly funded education
• Francophone Schools


  Aim to educate French students if there is a population of a sufficient size (not French immersion)
• Labour Unions


  Aim to promote interests of their workers (negotiate to address worker concerns i.e. wage, safety etc.)
• Strike


  A way for unionized workers to pressure employers to address their wants and demands
• Immigration


  • Points System test - economic immigrants only
  • Quebec - encourages French language speakers to settle in their province and forces them to educate their kids in French
  • Family Class - family members of existing Canadians, having existing family members in Canada helps promote integration of new immigrants
  • Provincial nomination program - provinces nominate certain types of immigrants for Canada to accept. Encourages immigrants to settle where their skills are needed. Gives provinces influence over the immigration policies of the Canadian gov.
• Consumerism


  Individuals drive the market for products based on their needs and wants
• Market Economy


  Private ownership driven by profit & decision making power of individuals
• Mixed Economy


  Mix of individual decisions and government intervention to achieve the public good
• Social Programs


  Programs aimed to balance out economic inequalities (healthcare, welfare, etc.)
• Left wing parties


  Tend to fund social programs more because they tax people more. More tax = more social programs
• The Charter was added to the Constitution


  1982
• Rights in the Charter

  • Individual Rights
  • Collective Rights
• Individual Rights


  • Mobility Rights
  • Legal Rights
  • Democratic Rights
  • Fundamental Freedoms
  • Equality Rights
• Individual Rights apply to everyone in Canada, with a few exceptions
• The rights in the Charter have changed since Canada's early history
• Women's suffrage - they can vote now
• The Indian Act originally aimed to assimilate, created reserves
• The YCJA rehabilitates and reintegrates
• Labour Unions aim to promote the interests of their workers (negotiate to address worker concerns like wage, safety)
• Collective bargaining must happen before hand
• Market economy


  Individuals hold a great amount of control over the economy
• Mixed economy


  Individuals and the government impact product availability
• Individuals don't always make good choices, sometimes products are bad for us (tobacco, alcohol) or bad for the environment (burning coal)
• Only some First Nations people have reservations, most live off reserves
• The Métis have specific land settlements in Alberta assigned as a result of the Métis Settlements Act
• Official Language Minority Education Rights

  The right to education in French in provinces where it isn't the dominant language if there is a sufficient French population
• The Charter protects the use of French in Quebec, all signs must be in French first, and Francophone children in Quebec MUST go to French schools
• Watchdogs


  • Auditor General
  • Opposition Parties
  • The Media
• The Federal Accountability Act passed in December 2006 to address responsible and accountable government spending and protect government employees who "blow the whistle" on wrongdoing within government
• Branches of Government


  • Executive Branch
  • Legislative Branch
  • Judicial Branch
• Political parties aim to form the government by winning the most seats in the House of Commons
• Our immigration laws have been racist in the past, favouring British immigrants and excluding Asian immigrants
• The Singh Decision: Anyone in Canada has the right to life, liberty and security of the person