1. Institutional Differences
A Summary

2. Institutional Differences – Individual Rights vs. General Welfare
Canada
United States
Charter/Bill of Rights
-rights subject to limits
-rights as “trump”
Legislature
-one effective legislative chamber
-two legislative chambers designed to limit each other
Federalism
-adopted to make union possible (accommodate Quebec)
-adopted to disperse power -- harder for gov’t to infringe individual rights
Executive
-fusion of power
-PM can generally get any legislation passed
-President shares power with Congress
-more veto points
-harder for gov’t to enact legislation

3. Individual Rights vs. General Welfare
Individual Rights/Limited Gov’t
United States
Canada
General Welfare

4. Individual Rights vs. General Welfare
Individual Rights/Limited Gov’t
United States
Canada
Canada
General Welfare

5. Institutional Differences – Opportunities for Mass Participation
Canada
United States
Executive
-PM appointed by party controlling most seats in H of C
-President elected
-primaries
-general election
Judiciary
-appointed by PM in closed process
-insulated from political pressures
-appointed by President, ratified by Senate
-open, public, politicized process
Mechanisms of Popular Input
-elections limited
-no referendums or other mechanisms of popular input
-multiple elections
-referendums (certain states only)

6. Opportunities for Mass Participation
United States
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Canada

7. Models of Democracy Individual Rights/Limited Gov’t
Liberal Democracy I
Liberal Democracy II
United States
High Mass Participation
Low Mass Participation
Canada
Canada
Participatory Democracy
Elite Democracy
General Welfare