Learning Activity module 4-6
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University of Calgary *
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Political Science
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Feb 20, 2024
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Learning Activity 4.1
What kind of state is best suited to an unitary state?
I think a unitary state would best be suited for a smaller country with dense population. In a unitary state the one government is required to control and look after so many aspects of a country. Smaller countries tend to be similar
throughout the area, so things like economy, geography, standard of living, culture, race would all be similar. In my
opinion this is perfect for a unitary state. With a unitary state It would be hard to take care of all the needs of citizens in state where every area has different problems whether it be societal, economic, racial, etc.; this would require a second level of government.
What kind of state is best suited to a federal state?
The state best suited for a federal state would be the opposite of a unitary state. While the federal state could work for a smaller nation, it would not be necessary. Federal state has “second level” of government, this is great for a nation that would be large with lots of diversity throughout the nation. Provincial and state government would take care of problems and issues in their respective area.
What should people do when they perceive the government actions as illegitimate?
It would depend on the action. In a perfect world we wouldn’t have to worry about the government doing right by us. I would say for severe cases I would take the issue to the U.N. but because of politics this probably wouldn’t work, as countries are more hesitant to step in issues involving other developed nations. I think protesting works in getting the government to atleast acknowledge the people complaining. Now while I don’t condone violence or rioting I do believe that any destruction of property
should be only done on government buildings.
Learning activity 4.2
What clause in the constitution is the federal government arguing gives it the right to pass carbon taxes?
They are using the “peace, Order, and good Government” clause in Section 91 of the BNA Act, which allows Ottawa to legislate on items that aren’t specifically delegated to the provincial governments.
What would the political impact be if the SCC agrees with the federal government?
I think if the SCC agrees with the federal gov., we could see provinces especially in the west start to question the federal government more, which could start pitting the west and east against each other like we’ve already started seeing.
Learning Activity 4.3
What are equalization payments intended to do?
Equalization pay is supposed to help each province have enough funds for heir citizens, the goal is for the standard of living to be similar all throughout the nation.
What are the myths surrounding this system?
That the provinces in the west like Alberta, Manitoba, And Saskatchewan, etc. are simply just giving money away to provinces that might be struggling financially.
What role do equalization payments play in federal system?
Equalization payments would have to be calculated to see which area needs more support. By having a federal state provincial government would have their issues addressed just as much as other areas.
What is your opinion of the equalization payment system?
I am one of the people that use to believe in the propaganda spread about equalization payments. After being educated I believe that equalization payments should be used in more instances. But that being said I think that eventually we would have to look at what the leadership is doing, provincial governments shouldn’t have to help other provinces because of their elected officials failing to provide to their people. Learning Activity 5.1
What is the Magna Carta? The Magana Carter us a document with 63 rules that everyone including head of monarchies like Kings and Queens
had to obey. It was a document to show that no one was above the law.
Why is it Historically significant?
It was the first document that promised rights to citizens of a nation. This allowed Kings and Queens to no have power and authority over their people.
How is it relevant today?
It is relevant today because a lot of our laws and rules loosely based off that document.
Learning Activity 5.2
I believe the governor general should follow the word of the prime minister. The governor general position is not an elected position so they should not have any say at what the prime minister wants to do unless they are done illegally or unconstitutional.
if so, what situations apply?
Of the examples provided I think that governor general shouldn’t have stepped in even if they might’ve been in they right
Learning Activity 5.3
What dysfunction do the authors identify in the Canadian Parliament?
They are saying that the PM has too much power. They argue that things that happened in the past shouldn’t been
under the discretion of the Governor General.
What power does the Prime Minister Have? And on what basis?
The Prime Minister has the power to decide what goes on in the house of commons whether he influences them directly or indirectly. As another student pointed out the PM has even ore power in its own party because the PM appoints MPs to the cabinet.
What solutions do the authors suggest?
The authors suggest that written amendments in the constitution is the best way to form a change at the federal level. They also suggest that the power of the PM is reduced, and political parties should take over.
6.1
In the second, satirical video from Rick Mercer, how is parliament defined?
“Parliament is a place of discussion and debate… such debate is the basis of democracy” It is a place where officials
can make decision on the welfare of this country while representing the people of Canada.
What is the critique of proroguing parliament? How many PMS have used proroguing Parliament in this way?
Proroguing is used to end a session about something. It closes one session to be able talk about another topic
This is typically used in order to avoid questions. The video showed two different PMs use proroguingin this way (Jean Chretien and Stephen Harper)
According to the video what do MPs do? What is the implied critique of parliament?
In the video, it represents the MPs as the officials that are representing the people under the
government. They criticize them for being in the spotlight more than they are in the parliament representing us.
Learning Activity 6.2
What is Bill C51?
Bill C51 is anti-terror bill. It is a bill that makes it a crime ‘ to advocate or promote terrorist attacks on Canadians”. It also law enforcement more power when it comes detainment and arrests. It also strengthened border security and plane security.
Why did the Conservatives introduce this government bill?
To protect the citizens of Canada against terrorism.
Why did the liberals tentatively support the bill?
Because at the end of the day everyone wants Canadian’s citizens to be safe in their home. Liberals were only tentative because of some of the wording was deemed as “problematic”
Why did the NDO oppose it?
In their opinion bill C51 was too broad on what exactly was against the law. They believed this would give law enforcement too much power. They believed this could be used as a tool to control the masses.
What does Bill C51 tell us about the process and rationale of legislation?
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I think this shows us that every party in Canada cares for the well being of Canadians. However different parties and different officials might have different approaches whether to a problem. We could argue that for every debate one side is incompassionate and the other naïve.
Learning Activity 6.3
What are the major criticisms of the Senate we have covered in this module?
Senates are not elected officials. They are appointed by someone for reasons that could be unethical. The problems with senates is that they don’t have a duty to the citizens which makes them more susceptible to corruption.
What are the some of the impediments to reform the Senate?
The power of the senate comes from the constitution, In order for the senate to be reformed a government would have to reform the constitution which is a problem in its self.
What does the Trudeau government reforms do? Which criticisms of the Senate does it address? How effective have these reforms been?
Trudeau wants to reform the senate to make sure less members of senate are tied to a party. On paper this would make the senate more “faire”. These reforms have not been that effective because at the end of the day everyone aligns with a party based of their beliefs and morals.