Executive Branch Chapter 9

1. All of the following are part of the Canadian executive branch EXCEPT A. The president. B. The monarch. C. The prime minister. D. The governor-general.

2. Which of the following phrases describes the duties of the governor general? A. Administrative (running the country). B. Bureaucratic (overseeing the civil servants). C. Ceremonial (formal duties). D. Supportive (backing up the government).

3. Which of the following is part of the symbolic element of the executive branch? A. Queen. B. Cabinet. C. Civil Servants. D. Prime Minister.

4. Who does the governor general ask to form a government after a general election? A. The person who gained the most votes. B. The previous prime minister. C. The leader of the party that gained the most votes. D. The leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of Commons.

5. As part of his powers as a party leader the PM can do all the following EXCEPT A. determine who can be a party candidate. B. determine who can be a member of parliament. C. control the government party caucus. D. enforce government party solidarity..

6. What is the cabinet? A. A meeting of all members of parliament from one party. B. A council of government ministers. C. A room in parliament where the ceremonial objects are kept. D. The office of the prime minister.

7. Who appoints the cabinet? A. The governor-general. B. The leader of the Senate. C. The prime minister. D. The party caucus.

8. All of the following are criteria for selecting a cabinet EXCEPT A. regional representation. B. anglophone and francophone representation. C. male and female representation. D. immigrant and native-born representation.

9. Which of the following is NOT part of the Prime Minister’s role as party leader? A. Speaks on behalf of all Canadians at international meetings. B. Gives out patronage appointments. C.Leads other party MPs in the House of Commons. D. Determines who will be a party candidate in elections.

10. Who has the final say in creating the policies of the government in power? A. The Queen. B. The Prime Minister. C. The Governor General. D. The Cabinet Minister responsible for that area.

11. Which of the following phrases describes the role of the privy council? A. Policy advisors to the government. B. Raising taxes. C. Controlling Canada's foreign policy. D. The eyes and the ears of government.

12. When does the Governor General dissolve parliament? A. At the end of the five-year period after the last election. B. When the government is defeated on a vote in the House of Commons. C. When the public is fed up with the government. D. When he or she is advised by the prime minister.

13. Which of the following statements explains how there can be a minority government? A. The Governor General may call upon anyone to form a government. B. A small disciplined group may be more powerful than the majority. C. Three or more parties may be represented in the House of Commons. D. A minority may be more popular than a majority.

14. Who are the ministers in the government? A. Priests who say prayers at the beginning of each session of parliament. B. Leaders of government departments. C. Candidates for the office of Prime Minister. D. Friends of the Governor General.

15. Which of the following statements applies to almost all ministers? A. They are all members of the House of Commons. B. They are all members of the Senate. C. They are all ordained ministers of a church. D. They are elected to be minister by Canadians in a general elections.

16. The phrase cabinet solidarity means that the cabinet A. is extremely solid. B. is united on all issues. C. presents a united front to the public and the House of Commons. D. is made up of solid (i.e. respectable) citizens.

17. Orders-in-Council are decisions made by A. the House of Commons. B. the Senate. C. the Cabinet. D. the Governor General.

18. Why are many government decisions made by orders-in-council instead of by laws? All of the following are correct answers to this question EXCEPT A. Many matters are minor or not contentious. B. Once the big decisions are made by laws, other matters follow the course set. C. Since the government rules the country, they have the right to make decisions. D. Parliament would be bogged down if laws had to be made for every little item.

19. What part of government is labelled the bureaucracy? A. The House of Commons. B. The Senate. C. The cabinet. D. The civil (or public) servants who carry out tasks for the government.

20. All of the following are examples of departments of the federal government EXCEPT A. Communications. B. External Affairs. C. Motor Vehicles. D. Fisheries and Oceans.

21. Which of the following is the best definition of a crown corporation? A. A business owned by the monarch. B. A business owned by the government. C. A business that receives government subsidies. D. A business owned by the Native People.

22. All of the following are examples of crown corporations EXCEPT A. Via Rail. B. Air Canada. C. CBC. D. IBM-Canada.

23. What do all crown corporations have in common? A. They try to make a profit. B. They get a government subsidy. C. They all have the word "Canada" in their title. D. They cannot do business outside of Canada.

24. Which agency of government regulates radio and television broadcasting in Canada? A. The CBC. B. The CRTC. C. Northern Telecom. D. The Department of Consumer and Corporate Affairs.

25. How are task forces different from government departments? A. Public servants are not allowed to be a part of them. B. They last for only a short time and investigate one problem. C. They advise the monarch. D. They are law-making bodies for specific matters.

26. What task force was established after the Parti Quebecois won an election victory in Quebec? A. The Royal Commision on Biculturalism and Bilingualism. B. The Task Force on Canadian Unity. C. The Royal Commission on Refugees. D. The Task Force on Provincial-Federal Relations.

27. Which of these officers has the most purely ceremonial role in government? A. The Governor General. B. The Prime Minister. C. The Leader of the Opposition. D. The Speaker of the House of Commons.

28. Where would you find "backbenchers"? A. In the House of Commons. B. In the bureaucracy. C. In the Cabinet. D. In the viewing gallery of the Senate.

29. Which of these sections of government has the most decision-making power over the day-to-day running of Canada? A. The governing party's caucus. B. The bureaucracy. C. The Cabinet. D. The Privy Council.

30. All of the following are powers of the Prime Minister EXCEPT A. to set the date of an election. B. to appoint ministers. C. to decide on the size of the cabinet. D. to make laws.