...North America Act passed in 1867, the Canadian Senate came into existence simultaneously with the Dominion of Canada. One of the oldest and most important institutions in the country, the Canadian Senate, is also one of the most criticized and controversial senates in the world. In 2008, The Toronto Sun wrote that as a result of the Canadian Senate, democracy throughout the country has been “placed on hold”. Those in favour of abolishing the Senate argue that it is a flawed body of government, which is carrying out its legislative functions inadequately. While the Senate may not have the support of the entire Canadian population, abolishing it may not be the most effective course of action. Rather, this paper will argue that instead of abolishing the Senate due to its...
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...There have been 16 attempts to reform the Canadian Senate since 1900, all have failed (Geddes, So Long senate). The Canadian reform is not a simple issue. The senator’s powers, selection and qualifications are all defined in the 1867 Constitutional Act, consequently in order to change the senate it requires a constitutional amendment. However, many Canadians perceive the Senate negatively without realizing its importance. The Fathers of Confederation, wished to confer five features on the Senate in order to play an important role in the way of governing and leading the country for the better. The five principles are independence, long-term perspective, continuity, professional and life experience, and regional equality (Jowel, 106). By applying...
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...provinces in the federal government by representation. This essay will examine the causes of western alienation in Canada by examining 3 main causes: Inter-state federalism, the senate and the importance of Quebec emerging in late 1900's. Governments in Canada have developed relations between themselves, involving government and legislation. Inter government relations resemble international diplomacy( meetings with prime minister, provincial premiers, staff and flags). Conducted by government and politicians who have to be sure of the fact that what they do in inter government relations is public and people are watching them. Proponents of the western alienation may suggest that complaints in western Canada most often have to do with matters falling within the jurisdiction of the federal government, such as trade policy, tariffs, equalization procedures, and various aspects of fiscal arrangements pertaining to federal social program investment and expenditure. The West wants fair rules and regulations regarding these matters of federal concern. Thus, this desire should not be correlated with the demand for more provincial powers or jurisdiction. The most popular form of representation in the house of commons is the senate, in Canada the senate is appointed by the Prime Minister. Although the senate in Canada does not represent any provinces, central Canada(Ontario,Quebec) has always been the main priority for the federal government because these provinces account for a large...
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...system in United Kingdom After the examination of Canadian national institution, it has been nominated that a few reforms are intensely needed in the Canadian institutions for the due management of the regional and the inter-governmental issues (Loiacono, 2010). The three suggested reforms are the reforms in the Supreme Courts, the reforms in the senate, the reforms in the House of Commons Supreme Court The need for the reform is elevated by considering the fact that is it logical to consider Supreme Court as a general court of appeal and are their any specialized needs of constitutional tribunals. The scope of judicial proceedings and judgments needs to be institutionalized in the context. Quebec is indeed the province that responds assertively to the importance of a pure judiciary. Quebec highlights that the existing Supreme Courts are totally appointed in the conformance of federal executives, and it does not differentiate the difference between civil law and the British common law. Additionally the decisions of the Supreme Court are confirmed to be biased against the Quebecers. The debate since 1950s still needs a re-modification in the form of a pure Canadian Supreme Court, where the law holds every Canadian equal in the court of law (Sherman, 1999, p. 68). Senate The second modification proposed is the modification in the senate. The Canadian federation has long been considered to seek the reform in the Canadian senate. In the Federal-Provincial Conference 1887 the...
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...Cause - The Call for Electoral Reform: Even prior to both the referendum and the scandal, many had openly voiced frustration with the structure of the federal government and how much influence Quebec was able to wield in its affairs. While the Senate is supposed to represent the interests of each province within Parliament to a greater extent than in the House of Commons, over the previous decades it has done little but draw the ire of Westerners. The two most populous Western provinces, British Columbia and Alberta, have 607,543 and 733,343 citizens per senator, while Quebec and Ontario have 329,292 and 535,493 respectively. And, the average number of citizens per riding in B.C. and Alberta, at 124,443 and 132,285, is higher than the national...
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...The Canadian Senate came to being, simultaneously with the dominion of Canada, as a part of the British North America Act passed in 1867. The Senate is one of the oldest institutions in the country, it is also one of the most scrutinized senates in the world. The Canadian Senate has many issues, for example the Senate no longer performs its original functions. Furthermore, It has a large financial burden on the taxpayers in Canada, and many Senators have abused their powers and stolen taxpayer money. Many people are in favour of abolishing the Senate, they argue that it is a flawed body of government, which is carrying out its legislative functions inadequately. Due to these inadequacies Abolishing the Canadian senate is the most effective...
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...MacDonald, as the “sober second thought”. It is submitted that in today’s legal and political environment, Canada does not need a Senate to have its government function fairly, honestly and efficiently due to the procedures of the House of Commons. The Senate should be abolished for the reasons noted below. Firstly, the costs of operating the Senate have become extremely high, and there does not appear to be any political will to change this. Second, in spite of numerous half-hearted attempts to reform the Senate, senators are appointed by the Prime Minister and not...
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...House of Commons as well as the Senate have been in place to represent the citizens of Canada as well as to pass bills and new reforms. The House of commons, made up of those who were voted into their respective positions and the Senate, made up of those who were appointed by the governor general with assistance from the Prime Minister. These two systems working in tandem with each other sounds as though it would be a very efficient and effective way to pass new legislation and to ensure proper representation from all over Canada. The issue in 2015, 148 years after the conception of these houses things do not look the same way that they may have in the past. The senate is no...
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...Obama put into act the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act will benefit children at first and eventually all the people of the United States. The Affordable Care Act will ensure that insurance companies will no longer be able to deny people coverage because of a pre-existing condition, will end lifetime limits on policies and, will let patients chose the physicians he or she wants to see. The Affordable Care Act will also ensure that the “most egregious practices of the insurance industry” (United States Department of Health and Human Services, n.d. para. 2) are stopped and businesses and patients will be able to use the health care system appropriately. The Affordable Care Act has nine titles dealing with the reform. One title or mandate is to ensure that all Americans will have quality, affordable health care. The information provided in this paper will be described how this mandate was developed , who was involved in the development, and his or her respective roles in the development. An analysis will be made of the mandate’s impact...
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...Both Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy were the catalysts for the rise of women in Canada. They worked both separately and together to get women the right to vote, be recognized as persons, and to be able to have positions in the senate. Along their road to success, these two women also, in some people’s views, faltered. They both supported the sterilization act in Alberta, and Emily Murphy was particularly racist. These two women have achieved amazing things for Canadian workingwomen, as well as Canadian women and the law; but did they do more harm than good? More specifically, does their work in favor of women’s rights, and women becoming recognized “persons”, make up for their love of eugenics and the many lives they ruined sue to their beliefs that people of different races and with different mentalities were not suitable for parenthood? This paper will explore both sides of their work, looking at the persons case, women becoming involved in the senate, as well as the eugenics and sterilization that they supported. These two women were not solely good or bad, they were good with some poor decisions along the way, “although their vision, like our own, was sometimes faulty and incomplete, it also embodied an uncommon personal politics of courage and optimism…Feminists don’t have to be perfect to be worth a respectful hearing.” (Strong-Boag). Nellie McClung is a feminist hero of Canada, “her zest, and her convictions, her campaigns helped shape the Canada we live in today.” (Gray...
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...The Canadian State: Institutions and Structures The Constitution is very import in the context of the canadian state however it is not without controversy. As there has been many significant changes to fundamental rights Operational Institutions Westminster Style Parliamentary Government: derives from the british parliament in Britain meaning that we have an adversarial government. This can be expressed in the parliamentary structure of the house of commons (adversarial and conflict). High expectations of accountability in the formal legalities. The government must retain the confidence of the house (budget proposals) -legislative process: see above -party discipline: is linked to the idea of confidence, it operates through out the system. The general expectation is that members will vote along party lines. Pros: Accountability meaning that you know who is power and responsible for certain parts of the government, higher level of efficiency, fiscal and budgetary concerns, Cons: Can not always vote according to beliefs and values, inefficiency Federalism: Important driver of politics within Canada. To what extent are the types of different conflicts between the different levels of conflicts. Another reason why federalism exists is due in large part to the question of Quebec and the allocation of powers between french canada and the rest of the country. The Canadian State: Sovereignty 1867: Constitution Act, 1867 (BNA) 1926: The King-Byng Thing 1926: Nadan...
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...was a lawyer, author, university professor and exceptional politician who changed the shape of Canadian politics, government and the justice system forever. He was born in Montreal on October 18, 1919 to a wealthy family and died of cancer on September 28, 2000. Trudeau’s early belief system was strongly influenced by his parents, especially his father. His views on business, love of country, support of the Catholic Church and French Canadian culture were passed onto him by his father. He was a bright student who excelled at the elite Jesuit preparatory school Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and in law school at the University of Montreal. After graduating law school he practiced law and specialized in labor and civil liberty cases, issues he would later bring into focus for all of Canada. In 1961, Trudeau was a constitutional law professor at which point he began to consider turning to federal politics. In 1964 Trudeau decided to run for the Liberals and won a federal seat in 1965. He was appointed to the cabinet as Minister of Justice and within a year, he had reformed the divorce laws and liberalized the laws on abortion and homosexuality. He eventually became the Prime Minister of Canada and served as Prime Minister for 15 years. During his term as a cabinet minister and prime minister he accomplished much including the appointment of women as the Speaker of the Senate and House of Commons and Governor General. However his greatest accomplishment occurred towards...
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...Parting at the Crossroads: The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States, 1940-1965 Author(s): Antonia Maioni Source: Comparative Politics, Vol. 29, No. 4 (Jul., 1997), pp. 411-431 Published by: Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/422012 . Accessed: 12/10/2013 14:05 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Ph.D. Program in Political Science of the City University of New York is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Comparative Politics. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 130.63.180.147 on Sat, 12 Oct 2013 14:05:01 PM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions Parting at the Crossroads The Development of Health Insurance in Canada and the United States, 1940-1965 AntoniaMaioni Frequentlyraised in recent discussions abouthealth care reformin the United States has been the model of the Canadianhealth insurancesystem.' While debates about health insurance often...
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...The centennial of Canadian Confederation in 1976 generated greater interest within Canada in constitutional matters, including reform. Such reforms could include improving safeguards of rights, as well as partition of the Constitution, which would have meant the British Parliament would no longer half to approve constitutional amendments. Trudeau became Liberal leader and Premiere in 1968. He still very much wanted a constitutional bill of rights. The federal government and the provinces discussed creating one during negotiations for partition, which resulted in the Victoria Charter in 1971. It wasn’t ever implemented. However Trudeau continued with his efforts to patriot the Constitution and promised constitutional change during the 1980...
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...Canada offers diverse investment opportunities for American Firms. “A land of vast distances and rich in natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. The nation has developed in a parallel manner with the US economically and technologically. Canada faces challenges of meeting public demands for quality improvements in health care, education, social services, and economic competitiveness. They also aim to develop its diverse energy resources while maintaining its commitment to the environment.” (2). Before companies make an investment on Canadian soil there are a few key factors necessary for reviewing which involve locale, political, economical, social, and technological analysis. Locale The geographic size of Canada is 3.9 million square miles making Canada the second largest country in the world, after Russia. Canada, slightly larger than the United States, hosts a land area of 9,093,507 sq. km and a water area of 891,163 sq. km. Canada’s major cities and highly populated areas are Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Halifax. As part of the North American continent, Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories. Its only border is with the United States and is known as the longest border in the world. Canada’s geographical range stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and the Arctic Ocean to the north. Much of Canada is still wilderness...
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