 YouTube Video
Context
Mr.Wilson – History 404
http://www.answers.com/topic/power-sociology
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
 Canada
is a constitutional monarchy
 What does this mean? “monarchy”
• #1: We have a head of state, Governor General,
who represents the British monarchy
• In provinces, the Lieutenant Governor does the
same thing
• However, they have NO REAL POWER - Only
symbolic
 What
does this mean? “constitution”
• #2: The Canadian Constitution places political
power in the hands of voters who elect
representatives
No level of government has absolute or total power.
They each have their own responsibilities.
 What
are the 3 levels of government in
Canada?
• Federal
• Provincial
• Municipal
 Federal
and Provincial governments
have defined responsibilities outlined in
the British North America (BNA) Act
 Municipal responsibilities differ from
province to province
Responsible for Canada as a whole
Money, trade, shipping, defence and military, criminal law, relations with
First Nations, immigration*, agriculture*
Responsible for the provinces
Natural resources, health and social services, education, highway
transportation, civil law, public security, labour relations, immigration*,
agriculture*
Responsible for cities and towns
Manage road work, recreation infrastructures, cultural activities, sewers,
garbage & recycling, firefighters, public transportation
 Tensions
can occur between different
levels of government
 The
federal government can sometimes
intervene in areas related to provincial
responsibilities
 Results
 Usually
in tension!
laws from the superior level
overrule those of the lower level
 Ex: Provincial
law conflicting with
federal charter
Bill 101 vs. Charter of Rights and Freedoms
What are the 3 different types of power in Canada?
Executive
Legislative
Judicial
 Executive:
• Propose the laws (bills)
• Made up of elected leader and members of the
political party with a majority
 Legislative:
• Vote on the laws
• Made of up elected members of all political
parties who represent the population
 Judicial:
• Uphold the laws
• Made up of courts and judges
 Who
holds Executive power?
• Prime Minister and his Cabinet
 Legislative?
• House of Commons - represent the population
 Judicial?
• Courts (ex. Superior Court & Court of Appeals)
 The
Federal Government also has a Senate
 Recommended
by the PM and appointed
by the Governor General
 There
are an equal number of Senators
from each major region.
 Work
 They
up to age 75
adopt or insist on changes to Bills
before being sanctioned (made official)
 Who
holds Executive power?
• Premier and his Cabinet
 Legislative?
• National Assembly - represent the population
 Judicial?
• Courts (ex. Administrative court, Quebec court)
Lieutenant Governor
(British Monarchy)
p. 151
National
Assembly
(Legislative Power)
Elected
Representatives
Government
(Executive Power)
Premier and Cabinet
Ministries and
Departments
Voters
Courts
(Judicial Power)
Administrative Court
Quebec Court
 Who
hold Executive power?
• Mayor and his city councillors
 Legislative?
• City council – represents the population
 Judicial?
• Courts (ex. Municipal courts)
What groups have power and try to
influence governments in power?
(p. 152)
 Interest
Groups develop relationships
with Members of the National Assembly
[MNA] and pressure them.
 This
is often done using Lobbyists.
 Lobbyists
are those who represent an
interest group that wants to influence the
legislature.
 All
of this is to obtain laws that support
their cause.
 Media…
 Private
Enterprise = Conseil du Patronat
 This
group represents the private
business owners in Quebec:
 Favour innovation
 Investment in private business.
 Stable job opportunities.
 Labour code
 Parental Leave program
 More
then 40% of all workers in Quebec
are Unionized.
 Their
main function is to defend the
rights of their workers and to negotiate
with their employers.
 Non-Unionized
workers are protected
under the Loi sur les normes du travail.
 Fédérations
des travailleurs du Quebec (FTQ)
 Confédérations des syndicats nationaux (CSN)
 Centrale des syndicats du Quebec (CSQ)
 Centrale des syndicats démocratiques (CSD)
 These
four big Unions influence a lot of
voters as well as public opinion.
 Tactics
= protests & strikes
 Professional
Orders: Doctors, lawyers,
engineers, etc.
 Linguistic Groups: Société St-Jean
Baptiste, Alliance Quebec
 Environmental: Équiterre, Greenpeace
 Feminist
 Religious
 Others?
What is the point of all of these
different groups? (From the
Government all the way down to
these tiny little interest groups…)
 The
Federal
Government
 Prime
Minister of
Canada:
 Stephen
Harper
 The
Provincial
Government
 Premier
 Jean
of Quebec:
Charest
 The
Municipal
Government
 The
Mayor of
Montreal:
 Gerald Tremblay
 Interest
 Unions
groups
on strike