canadian Canadian Government and Democracy 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary function of Canada's Senate?
- To elect the Prime Minister
- To provide regional representation and review legislation passed by the House of Commons (Correct answer)
- To appoint Supreme Court justices
- To manage provincial relations
Correct answer: To provide regional representation and review legislation passed by the House of Commons
The Senate provides a second look at legislation passed by the House of Commons and historically represented regional interests.
Question 2: Which principle ensures that the Canadian government must operate within the bounds of the law?
- Parliamentary sovereignty
- The rule of law (Correct answer)
- Responsible government
- Federalism
Correct answer: The rule of law
The rule of law means that everyone, including the government, must follow and be accountable to the law.
Question 3: How many electoral districts (ridings) are there in Canada's House of Commons as of recent elections?
- 265
- 308
- 338 (Correct answer)
- 350
Correct answer: 338
Canada's House of Commons has 338 electoral districts following the 2015 redistribution.
Question 4: What happens if a federal government loses a vote of non-confidence in the House of Commons?
- The Prime Minister must resign immediately without an election
- The government must either call an election or resign (Correct answer)
- The Senate takes over governing duties
- The Governor General selects a new Prime Minister from the existing Parliament
Correct answer: The government must either call an election or resign
Losing a confidence vote means the government no longer has the support of Parliament and must either call an election or resign.
Question 5: What is the term for the practice where Canadian Cabinet ministers must publicly support government decisions even if they personally disagree?
- Responsible government
- Collective Cabinet responsibility (Correct answer)
- Parliamentary privilege
- Party discipline
Correct answer: Collective Cabinet responsibility
Collective Cabinet responsibility requires that all ministers support government decisions publicly or resign from Cabinet.
Question 6: Which court has the final authority on interpreting the Canadian Constitution?
- The Federal Court of Canada
- The Ontario Court of Appeal
- The Supreme Court of Canada (Correct answer)
- The Privy Council in London
Correct answer: The Supreme Court of Canada
The Supreme Court of Canada is the highest court and has final authority on constitutional matters.
Question 7: What does the term 'Hansard' refer to in Canadian parliamentary tradition?
- The official written record of parliamentary debates (Correct answer)
- The seating arrangement in the House of Commons
- The code of conduct for MPs
- The schedule of parliamentary sessions
Correct answer: The official written record of parliamentary debates
Hansard is the official verbatim transcript of all debates and proceedings in Canada's Parliament.
canadian Canadian Government and Democracy 4
What is the primary function of Canada's Senate?