Lower Canada's Political System Essay

Canada’s friendly neighbor to the South, the US, has an electoral system that is composed of 3 separate elections, one of them deciding the head of state. The president elected by the people and he or she is the determining person of the country’s political system. In the US runs like a majority system” In Canada, however, elections are held slightly differently. Citizens vote for a Member of Parliament in a 308-seat house and candidates win not by a majority, unlike in the US, but by a plurality. This means that a candidate can actually win by simply having more votes than the other candidates. This method of representative democracy, in general, does not cause too much controversy in a global scope but has

The need for government reform in Upper and Lower Canada was created because of the incompetent way the government managed the country, a lack of representation in the government, a lack of understanding of the colonist's in Upper and Lower Canada, and discrimination towards the French in Lower Canada. Numerous colonists arrived to Upper and Lower Canada to begin a new life with a proper government however, the government in Canada did not satisfy their needs.

The concept of recognizing Quebec as a distinct society is an idea that has been kicking around for some time, but just what does it mean and what are its broader implications? This paper will examine the origins of the term, what it means, and its historical context. It will then examine rival interpretations of federalism. The essay will conclude with an in-depth examination of the concept's involvement with the failed constitutional accords and the failed Quebec succession attempts.

George Etienne Cartier of the Parti Blue often clashed with John A. MacDonald’s Conservative Party as political issues in terms of the power that was the shared under the new Constitution. In this political conflict, Cartier’s primarily Francophone political base had historically been marginalized by the British government due to ethnic conflicts with Anglophones in Ontario. The Union Act of 1840 was a major barrier to resolutions related to forming a federal government, since British colonialism was still at the forefront of arguments about the autonomy of Quebec as a primarily Francophone region (Lamonde 244). This division of “Upper and Lower Canada” had become endemic of the distrust of a government dominated by the Royal Crown, which had sought to amalgamate Quebec into the new federal

McRoberts argues that Anglophone Canada has never been responsive to Quebec and its distinct needs. But to make matter worse, Anglophone Canada has taken on the opinions of Trudeau, and as such view giving any extra powers to Quebec as unfair. Thus, true recognition of Quebec has not happened, and the outlook for its future is not very bright. Seymour adds to this by stating what English Canada has not recognized is Quebec`s linguistic identity, as French, and its cultural identity, as bilingual. Finally, Gagnon and Taylor argue that the only way to properly recognize Quebec is through asymmetrical federalism. This will allow Quebec sufficient autonomy to protects its own culture as it sees

Throughout history, the governing Party has always reformed the laws into benefiting themselves and the British were known for carrying this out. Before we go into further detail, I’m known as Sir James Murray and I was the first colonial governor of the British ruled Quebec.

Under the Canadian constitution, the selection process of senators is done by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister who appoints officials. Ultimately, this method has gained an unpopularity and even a call to action to abolish Senate. However, Canadians should be engaging in the work of reconstructing our democratic institution. We should be able to trust our organizations by choosing the officials in them. In the study of the Senate, Bakvis (2001) argues, “an elected Senate would garner the greatest support, and in starting with a clean slate makes it easier to adopt [regional] representation” (p.72). With the availability of choosing representatives instead of the prime minister simply appointing senators, the face of the Senate of Canada can be designed to produce a more legitimate body by an electoral system.

Finally in 1867, the United Canadas joined two other British Colonies, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to form the Dominion of Canada (McRoberts 1991, 413). French-Canadians continued to fight against assimilation and received autonomous privileges with exclusive jurisdiction over matters regarding its cultural distinctiveness***. Thus, the Francophone language and culture has always been at the forefront of Quebec priorities. Since Confederation, Quebec nationalist have felt that the Francophone language and culture has been at risk of assimilation by the rest of Canada. As a result, Quebec nationalism is fundamentally rooted in the preservation of the Francophone language and culture (Guiberneau 2006, 52). Political leaders in Quebec continuously urge for the recognition that Canada is composed of two nations or cultures (McRoberts 1991, 413). Prior to confederation Quebec enjoyed numerous autonomous privileges. Unfortunately, post-confederation Quebec did not enjoy as many autonomous privileges because Canada was created as a relatively centralized federation (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). A centralized federation not only took several of these autonomous powers away from Quebec, but it also threatened the Francophone language and culture (Beland and Lecours 2007, 406). With this said, Quebec nationalism has placed a great deal of pressure on the federal government to decentralize, giving more powers to provincial governments.

It is vital to recognize what prompted the extraordinary shift in Canadian politics bringing about a Conservative predominance in recent years. The strength of this campaign was minimal until a new coalition was formed between the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. This reform led to an election, which Stephen Harper won by a majority vote and was named leader of the new party. They felt that this was their only chance at ending the long run by the Liberals referred to as the Laurentian Consensus, a group of political elites. These elitists were located in major urban areas such as Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal whom controlled the course of this nation. They would debate issues, reach an agreement, and then implement it with little regards to voters (Ibbitson, 2011). They had opposite views of the conservatives and valued

As Canadians, we live in a democratic society. This means that Canadian citizens have a say in our government and vote for the person they want to represent them in government. The leader of Canada’s government is called the Prime Minister. Our current Prime Minister is Justin Trudeau. Our first level of government is the Federal government. Canada’s federal government is responsible for things at a national level and is represented by our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. Some examples of decisions the federal government would have to make, would be trading products with other countries and how to respond to acts of terrorism. The next level of our government is the Provincial government. Our Provincial government is responsible for things that are more local and is represented by our Member of Parliament. Our current MP in the Portage Lisgar riding is Candice Bergen. Members of Parliament represent each riding in each province. Finally we have our local government. Our local government is responsible for smaller and more local details. Our local government is represented by Members of Legislative Assembly. Our current MLA in the Morris riding is Shannon Martin. I believe it is important that we as Canadian citizens have a clear understanding of our system of government because we are voting in the leaders who make our laws and

Democracy is an important fundamental aspect of changing the electoral system. In Ontario, the provincial governments called a referendum after poorly educating the masses on electoral reform. Many electoral systems were mentioned but the majority believed that MMP (mixed-member) could be easily implemented. The author suggests that electoral reform often fails in Canada because of the many problems that arise: negative media portrayal of electoral reform, an uneducated mass (on the topic of electoral systems), and diminishing government enthusiasm. The article states why electoral reform in Canada fails and why democracy needs to play an important role in the development of an electoral system that represents every Canadian citizens viewpoint.

Canadian politics has a tendency to be defined by the respective political parties and the different patterns of the party's competition. Carty et. al says, in order to make sense of Canada, you must first make sense of its party politics. At the same time, though, Jane Jenson and her colleague Janine Brodie have stated that the political parties are known to be the main actors when it comes to Canadian politics. Of course, there is some sort of doubt that these political parties of Canada run a central role when it comes to discourse. Therefore, the only way to have a better understanding of present-day Canadian politics, it is necessary to look towards Canada’s political systems of parties, the definition and structure of it, how each

This paper will argue that Canada should reform the Senate because it is not representative. Representation is defined as “the action or speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented” (Oxford, 2015). In relation to Senate representation, it is known as the disjointed relationship of Senators with their respected regions and citizens as well as their fiduciary relationship with the Head of State, also known in Canadian parliament as the Prime Minister. The true intentions of the Senate will be uncovered and divulged to further explain and signify the importance of a representative Senate by reform in current day Canada.

Canada’s system of government originated largely from the British model, with varied franchise, political parties, and responsible government as a constitutional monarchy. Early on there was a conservative approach to government and politics, although democracy was clearly lacking. Fast forward to modern Canada, where franchise has been opened to all citizens regardless of race, gender and sex and yet a true picture of democracy is often lacking amongst society. This paper will argue that Canada is a democracy, though it is often compromised in practice by exploring its parameters and problematic elements.

Canadian politics has been dominated by the Liberal and Conservative party, while the New Democratic Party (NDP) has never won any elections at the federal level. However, the NDP has found more success at the provincial level, with its members being elected at least once in many of the provinces. NDP member's election into office is a clear sign of the changing environment for the Canadian politics. The most recent example is the electoral victory of the NDP in Alberta's 2015 general election. At the request of Progressive Conservative (PC) leader Jim Prentice, the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta dissolved the legislative assembly and an election