Term
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Definition
| The right of all adult citizens to vote regardless of such characteristics ass gender, ethnicity, wealth, or education |
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Term
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Definition
| The manipulation of the division of the country into constituencies so as to benefit a particular party |
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Term
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Definition
| The system used to translate the votes that people cast into the composition of the legislature and the selection of the government. |
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Term
| Single Member Plurality System |
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Definition
| An electoral system in which voters in each geographical constituency elect a single representative to the legislature. The candidate with the most votes is elected, regardless of whether that candidate received the majority of votes. |
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Term
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Definition
| A body that elects the president of the United States. Members of the electoral college from each state are expected to vote for the presidential candidate who has won the most votes in their state. |
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Term
| Majoritarian Electoral System |
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Definition
| An electoral system designed to try to ensure that the winning candidate has the support of the majority of voters. |
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Term
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Definition
| An election held if no candidate receives a majority of votes; generally, only the top two candidates appear on the ballot to ensure that the winning candidate has a majority of the votes cast. |
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Term
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Definition
| An electoral system in which voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate has a majority of first preferences, the candidate with the least votes is dropped and the second preferences of those who voted for that candidate are added to the cotes of other candidates. The process continues until one candidate has a majority. |
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Term
| Proportional Representation System |
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Definition
| An electoral system in which the proportion of seats a party receives in the legislature reflects of the proportion of cotes it has obtained. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of government in which two or more parties jointly govern, sharing the Cabinet positions. |
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Term
| Single Transferable Vote System |
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Definition
| An electoral system in which voters mark their preferences for candidates in a multimember constituency. Candidates receiving a certain proportion of the vote are declared elected. The second preferences of voters that are surplus to what the winning candidates need are then transferred to candidates who have not reached the quota. The process is continued until all seats in the constituency are filled. |
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Term
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Definition
| A long-term psychological attachment to a particular political party. |
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Term
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Definition
| Issues on which there is a general consensus. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of people who have joined together to pursue common interests and who political activity is generally focused on trying to influence the making and implementation of the laws and policies of a political community. |
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Term
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Definition
| An interest group whose primary objective is to promote the interests of the group and its members and to seek benefits that are primarily or exclusively for their members. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group that seeks to achieve goals that the group views as being for the good of the community as a whole rather than specific benefits for their members. |
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Term
| Issue-Oriented Interest Group |
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Definition
| An interest group that spontaneously develops to express the views of people on a particular issue, concern, or grievance |
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Term
| Institutionalized Interest Group |
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Definition
| A group that has developed a formal organization, including such features as a well-established membership base, paid professional staff, permanent offices, and the capability to keep its members and the public aware of its views and activities. |
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Term
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Definition
| A particular benefit that is made available to members of an interest group but is not available to the public as a whole. |
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Term
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Definition
| Strategies in which interest group leaders develop close contacts with key policy-makers in government and the public service in order to influence public policies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Strategies in which interest group leaders appeal to the public for support in order to put pressure on decision-makers concerning public policies |
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Term
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Definition
| A political system in which the state actively collaborates with selected major interests (particularly the national organizations of business and labour) to seek a consensus concerning the country's major economic and social policies |
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Term
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Definition
| An effort to persuade legislators, executives, or public officials, particularly through direct personal contact, to adopt and implement policies or decisions favoured by an individual, business, or group. |
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Term
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Definition
| A network of groups and individuals that seeks major social and political changes, particularly by acting outside of established political institutions. |
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Definition
| A state of opposition, usually involving groups and the state, over something government is doing or proposes to do. |
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Term
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Definition
| Oppositional political action that takes place outside formal channels, generally seeking to have government make significant changes in its policies. |
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Term
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Definition
| Deliberate lawbreaking that accepts punishment by state authorities as part of the action. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of highly political warfare built around lightly armed irregulars who oppose a government and use hit-and-run tactics and political work to take power. |
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Term
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Definition
| A rebellion or revolt, especially one employing the tools of guerilla warfare. |
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Term
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Definition
| The use of violence to overthrow a government, especially when the overthrow is followed by rapid and thorough social, economic, and political restructuring. |
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Term
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Definition
| The deliberate use of violence designed to induce fear in a population in order to achieve a political objective. |
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Term
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Definition
| A group of people who mount a continuing challenge in opposition to some government policy or action by a private firm or individual. |
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Definition
| Protest involving ordinary citizens, often joined by more influential citizens, uniting to confront elites, authorities, and opponents. |
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Term
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Definition
| The legal separation of blacks and whites, particularly in the southern United States. |
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Term
| Political Opportunity Structures |
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Definition
| The openings that political institutions and processes offer to (or withhold from) movements. |
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Term
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Definition
| A person who favours separation of a territory from an existing state. |
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Term
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Definition
| The use of physical force with a political objective. |
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Term
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Definition
| Political violence used by a government against its citizens, generally as a way to repress dissent and maintain order. |
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Term
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Definition
| The kidnapping by security forces of an individual who is never heard from again. |
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Term
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Definition
| A blend of military and political ction taken by a government to defeat an insurgency. The tactics are usually described as a mixture of repression and reform. |
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Term
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Definition
| A form of terrorist violence in which the attacker intends to die as well as killing the intended targets. |
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Term
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Definition
| A revolution that changes not just who governs but how a state, society, and economy are structured. |
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Term
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Definition
| The fundamental rules and principles by which a state is governed. |
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Term
| Constitutional Government |
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Definition
| A government that consistently acts in accordance with the rules and principles established in its constitution. |
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Term
| Constitutional Convention |
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Definition
| A fundamental principle that is consistently followed even though it is not contained in a legal document and is not generally enforceable in the courts. |
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Term
| Parliamentary Sovereignty |
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Definition
| A basic principle of the British system of governing, recognizing Parliament as the supreme law-making body. |
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Term
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Definition
| An act of the United Kingdom Parliament that established Canada by uniting the colonies of Canada (Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. It also set out many of the features of Canad's system of governing. |
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Term
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Definition
| The Act that made the constitution fully Canadian, added the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to the constitution, and established procedures for amending the constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| A formal change to the constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| A 1987 package of constitutional changes that was not passed. It contained contoversial provisions, including the recognition of Quebec as a distinct society. |
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Term
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Definition
| A package of constitutional changes, including recognition of the inherent right of Aboriginals to self-government and major changes to the Senate to provide for equal representation by each province regardless of population size. It was defeated in a referendum in 1992. |
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Term
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Definition
| A right to services or benefits such as the right to eduction, health care, and employment. |
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Term
| Charter of Rights and Freedoms |
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Definition
| As part of the Constitution Act of 1982, the Charter protects a variety of rights and freedoms. It is superior to ordinary legislation, explicitly allows the courts to invalidate legislation, and applies to the actions of all governments and organizations under the control of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| A provision of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that allows for reasonable limits to be placed on rights and freedoms provided that the limits can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. |
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Term
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Definition
| A provision in the Charter of Rights that allows a legislative body to explicitly declare that a particular law (related to some parts of the charter) shall operate notwithstanding the provisions of the charter. Such a declaration is only effective for five years, although it can be re-enacted as often as is desired. |
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Term
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Definition
| The authority of the courts to strike down legislation or governmental actions that the courts deem to be voilation of the constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| The term used when the courts are active in invalidating legislation and government actions that are inconsistent with the constitution. |
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Term
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Definition
| The idea that all persons should be subject to known, predictable and impartial rules of conduct rather than to the arbitrary orders of particular individuals. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of governing in which soverign authority rests with the central government; regional and local governments are subordinate. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of governing in which the central government grants some legislative (law-making) powers as well as administrative responsibilities to one or more regional bodies. |
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Term
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Definition
| A version of federalism in which the federal and provincial governments each concern themselves wit their own areas of constitutional authority without infringing upon the areas of authority of the other level of government. |
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Term
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Definition
| A federal system in which the two levels of government are jointly involved in developing, financing, and administering many government services. |
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Term
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Definition
| A version of federalism in which some provincial or state governments have a greater degree of self-government than others. |
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Term
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Definition
| Payment made by the federal government to try to ensure that different provincial governments are able to provide an equivalent level of services to their populations without resorting to excessive levels of taxation. |
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Term
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Definition
| A system of governing in which sovereign states have agreed to delegate some of their authority to a joint government with limited authority while retaining their sovereignty. |
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Term
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Definition
| The European Union is a unique system of governing in which many European countries have polled some of their sovereignty while retaining their independence. |
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Term
| International Governmental Organizations |
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Definition
| Associations of states created to facilitate co-operation among themselves. |
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