1. CANADIAN POLITICS CONCISE FIFTH EDITION
Chapter 1: Introduction
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Chapter Objectives
Identify the ways in which government action affects your life
Draw a model of the Canadian political system
Explain the main function of each of the major institutions of Canadian government
Compare and contrast the Canadian and American systems of government
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The Political System
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The Political System
Key Terms:
Private vs. Public sectors
Cleavages
Demands
Politics
Power
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Government
Government is defined as the set of institutions that make and enforce collective, public decisions for a society.
In Canada, those institutions primarily consist of:
the prime minister and Cabinet,
the House of Commons and Senate,
the bureaucracy or public service, and
the courts
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6. The Canadian Political System
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7. Foundations of Canadian Government Institutions
The Westminster model
Responsible government
Judicial independence
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8. The American Political System
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Federalism
Federalism is characterized by two levels of government—central and provincial—and a division of powers between them
Fusing the Parliamentary System with Federalism
Differences between American and Canadian federalism
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Summary
Demands are transmitted from individuals and groups to, or solicited by, the main institutions of government and are sometimes transformed into public decisions.
Canadian government has four main branches: legislature, executive, bureaucracy, judiciary.
The balance of power in Canada rests with the executive branch.
The U.S., however, has a separation of powers
Federalism in Canada is characterized by centralization, while in the U.S. it is decentralized
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