...Blais (2008), Pitkin (1997), Reynolds and Reilly (2005) and Diamond (2008). While those studies have shown that minorities are better represented under “pure” proportional representation than under Single Member Plurality systems, little is known about the propensity of Mixed Member Proportional systems to provide minority groups with access to power and or better representation. If a pure PR system is conducive to the political representation of groups and majoritarian systems discourage it, the big question concerns the effects of mixed systems. By combining the two basic election principles, how do mixed systems contribute to fair representation of societal interests? And secondly, do they improve on the way the “pure” methods represent citizens? It is...
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...Canada Constitution vs Unites States Most countries around our world for the most part have a constitution for people to live by or another resource laying out the freedoms for the citizens for the countries. A Constitution of course is the foundation for one’s country that he or she lives in. The constitution or other government rules lay the foundation for the government as well as the citizens that reside in the country. This is especially true for the lands of America and the Monarchy of the providence of Canada. Both nations citizens live by the rights of each constitutions everyday even though in some cases our rights are not always treated as a nation of free people should be. Of course the United States and Canada have different freedoms than other lands but, these freedoms and rights for both countries were not easily achieved wars were fought and to many people died for the cause on both sided of the wars for the lands. The United States constitution was written in 1787 between May and September after the American colonies citizens won their independence from the British rule of the king and queen. The men who wrote the constitution were called the framers, they met and discussed what would be in it which some of the things were not put in it and the articles. There were 55 Framers of the constitution. Among them some familiar names as George Washington, James Madison, Benjamin franklin, alexander Hamilton which he invented the first national bank for the United...
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...comparison of the health systems of the world. They reviewed 191 different countries and ranked them on numerous parameters, the United States ranked 37th for overall health system performance (WHO, 2000). Is it that our healthcare system is truly that poor, or is it that our care is only excellent for those patients who can actually afford it? A universal healthcare system would not only provide healthcare for all, it could also decrease our healthcare spending and potentially produce better health outcomes. High quality and less expensive healthcare can be achieved with a universal healthcare model. In fact, the United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have universal healthcare. France, the United Kingdom, and Canada are but a few of the countries which view healthcare as a right, not a privilege. How can these nations afford healthcare...
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...Voting constitutes the backbone of Democracy Voter Turnouts in Canada: Restoring a Civic Duty Grant Macewan University December 6th 2011 Political Science 101 Term Paper In a democratic system it is vital that citizens engage in their civic duty of voting; only then can a proper governing body be chosen to represent the will of the majority. Abraham Lincoln got to the core of democracy when he stated, “the government of the people, by the people and for the people.” In the last 50 years of Canadian history we have begun to see a decline in voter turnout; ranging from 80% of citizens voting in 1962, gradually dwindling to 59.1% in the year 2008 (Dickerson, Flanagan & O'Neill, 2010). It is important to understand why citizens vote the way they do in order to determine what may or may not be successful in regards to winning a majority government; factors that influence the voter’s choices include socio-demographic characteristics, beliefs and values, partisanship and confidence in political leaders. There is a great deal of debate surrounding which policies could increase voter based participation in democratic systems, but the most irrefutably successful policies would be those applied in systems of proportional representation ("Statistics by country," 2011). Voting is part of Canadian civic duty; unfortunately not all Canadians exercise their right to vote. Over the past 20 years the Canadian voter turnout has been on a steady decline, from 75.3% turnout...
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...NGO Engagement with the Private Sector on a Global Agenda to End Poverty: A Review of the Issues A Background Paper for The Learning Circle on NGO Engagement with the Private Sector Canadian Council for International Cooperation Policy Team Moira Hutchinson January 2000 Acknowledgements: This paper was prepared by Moira Hutchinson as an introductory paper to issues for the CCIC’s Learning Circle on NGO Engagement with the Private Sector. CCIC is grateful to the IDRC’s Canadian Partnerships Program for funding for the Learning Circle, including the production of this paper. The author wishes to express appreciation for the editing and other assistance provided by Brian Tomlinson of the CCIC, and for suggestions from other members of the planning group for the Learning Circle: Andrea Botto, Anne Buchanan, Tim Draimin, Philippe Jean, Brian Murphy and Lynda Yanz. 2 NGO Engagement with the Private Sector on a Global Agenda to End Poverty : A Review of the Issues Table of Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. What is this discussion really about? 2 3. Canadian NGOs: issues in advocacy, dialogue and partnership 3 3.1 Advocacy 3 3.2 Direct dialogue 6 3.3 Programming social partnerships and strategic alliances 8 3.3.1 What is driving the discussion of social programming partnerships and strategic alliances? a) Corporate interests b) Intermediary organizations c) NGO interests d) Government agendas e) Overlapping NGO-corporate interests? 10 10 11 12 13 14 3.3.2 Financial relationships...
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...The Case for Mandatory Voting in Canada by Senator Mac Harb The decline in voter turnout over the last several elections is of great concern to everyone interested in politics and parliamentary government. Many ideas have been put forth about how to address this problem including a recent Bill that would provide for a system of compulsory voting similar to that used in several other countries. The following article is based on the speech at second reading by the sponsor of Bill S-22. O ur democracy depends upon the active participation of its citizens, and, while voting is o n l y o n e e l e me n t o f p o l i ti c a l engagement, it remains the very foundation of our democracy. Reinforcing this foundation is the goal of Bill S-22, which will establish mandatory voting in Canada. This legislation is a direct response to a rising electoral crisis. Voter turnout has been on the decline in Canada since the 1960s, reaching a record low of just 60.9 per cent in the 2004 election. Other Western democracies are also experiencing the same dramatic drop. Only 55.3 per cent of Americans voted in the 2004 presidential election, and the 2001 British general election recorded a turnout of just 57.6 per cent. Only one in four Canadians under the age of 25 bothered to vote in the last election. Research shows that these young people, as they age, may not re-engage in the system as their parents and grandparents did. Canadian researchers tell us that this generational...
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...| Canadian History | People, Events, Concepts | | Genti Agako | 3/21/2013 | | Person/ Event/ Term | Identify | Historical Importance | Robert Borden | -Elected Conservative MP from Nova Scotia in 1896.-Prime Minister of Canada from 1911 to 1920.-Adopted the controversial policy of conscription in 1917.-Is regarded as one of Canada’s most successful prime ministers. | -He managed Canada’s war effort with great success and increased international status.-His handlings of wartime issues such as conscription remain controversial – he did initiate women’s right to vote in 1917 election.-Expanded Canada’s autonomy with Britain. | Schlieffen Plan | -German plan to avoid a two-front war by concentrating troops in the West and quickly defeating the French and then, if necessary, rushing those troops by rail to the East to face the Russians before they had time to mobilize fully. | -The Schlieffen Plan was the strategic plan for victory, in case of the instance where Germany would be fighting a war on two fronts. In order to speed up the process of the Schlieffen Plan and avoid a war on two fronts, Germany declared war on France and invaded Belgium.In defence of Belgium's neutral standing in the War, Britain declared war on Germany and thus the First World War began, therefore, the hastiness of German forces and the Schlieffen plan; had effectively sparked the First World War. | ...
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...Importance of Media and Democracy: Media democracy is a set of ideas advocating reforming the mass media, strengthening public service broadcasting, and developing and participating in alternative media and citizen journalism. The stated purpose for doing so is to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society, and enhances democratic values. It is a liberal-democratic approach to media studies that advocates the reformation of the mass media with an emphasis on public service broadcasting and audience participation, through the use of citizen journalism and alternative media channels. A media democracy focuses on using information technologies to both empower individual citizens and promote democratic ideals through the spread of information. Additionally, the media system itself should be democratic in its own construction shying away from private ownership or intense regulation. Media democracy entails that media should be used to promote democracy as well as the conviction that media should be democratic itself; media ownership concentration is not democratic and cannot serve to promote democracy and therefore must be examined critically. The concept, and a social movement promoting it, have grown as a response to the increased corporate domination of mass media and the perceived shrinking of the marketplace of ideas. The term also refers to a modern social movement evident in countries all over the world which attempts to make mainstream...
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...1. What is your personal definition of politics? My personal definition of politics is a system (tacit, explicit or both) by which a subset of a population represents or governs the population (or both). I think it is only applications of this definition that vary widely. 2. What do you think are examples of political behaviours? To what extent do you engage in these behaviours in your own life? How different are these types of behaviour from what you perceive to take place in our municipal, provincial, and federal institutions? Political behaviours are essentially the private citizen stepping outside of their personal or professional life to engage in a behaviour, activity, instance or process that will affect or factor into the policy making process of the community, city or country, to whatever very small extent. In my opinion political behaviour may also amount to the expression of a view with a situation or a view regarding a suggested change or action in the decision making of the political establishment. In our democracy, the right, even the moral responsibility to participate in elections is an example of this. Speech making, volunteer work, participating in electoral campaigns, writing to the newspapers or even leaving comments on the Internet sites of newspapers, may all be considered political behaviours. I do not engage in political behaviours to a considerable extent; my extent is negligible. Often it is all I do to leave comments on the Internet regarding...
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...patrol agents to enforce the laws and boundaries. Yet you still have illegal immigrants crossing into United States territory without permission. What can we do to solve this issue at hand? We can invest in the use of heavy force. We can militarize our borders. Militarization is the organization or aggregation of military force in a territory. (Wickham, n.d.) The United States can send thousands of men and women to the borders to stop this from occurring. They can increase the size of the fences and walls. Invest in drones and spy planes. The only problem is how many will it take, or how will this affect the economy of the United States. This could lead to higher costs for equipment and supplies. The United States could end up pulling citizens from their current jobs and taking them away from their families to watch the borders. How long will this take? Could this be done any other way? First and foremost with the inherit threat of terrorism should be reason enough to feel the need to secure our boards. Secondly is the economic burden our nation is...
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...Executive Summary This report reviews the status of the relationship between Canada and Egypt with particular emphasis on the factors that influence trade between them. The approach used is one of situational analysis by looking at how the relationship has been over the past ten years, the current situation, and what is expected in the next one decade. Main problem were also analyzed in this report which includes cultural issues affecting trade, mutual interests, education and the fact that mutual respect plays a pivotal role in allowing the relationship to flourish. These changes are revised over time to enable the international relations not to be affected by adverse global developments. Ensuring a stable state of political affairs in Egypt shall be imperative in ensuring the relations do not deteriorate. The training that Canada appropriates for Egyptian diplomats should be given more emphasis. Egyptian borders should be rendered impervious to the ISIS onslaught. Table of Contents Introduction 4 Issues Affecting Business Relations between Canada and Egypt 4 Mutual Respect, Mutual Benefit 4 Common Interests 4 Changes over the Past Decade 5 Disarmament 5 La Francophonie 5 Other Areas of Cooperation 6 2025 Outlook 6 La Francophonie 6 Cultural Exchange 6 Recommendations 7 Political Stability 7 Middle East Tensions 7 Conclusion 7 References 8 Appendix ...
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...gun death rate so significantly lower than ours?" The answer is strict gun control. In 1996, Australia called for strict gun control laws, known as National Firearms Agreement which dramatically reduce firearm exposure. Since 1996, there have been zero mass shootings in Australia. Likewise, in Canada, to purchase a gun one must hold a special license called a restricted possession and acquisition license. Citizens are also restricted in where and when they can have their restricted or prohibited firearms in public (U.S. Ranks Highest in Gun...
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...various processes for defining operational mandates, defining strategic requirements to manage change, developing tactical implementation plans and strategies for implementing and monitoring the implementation of planned systems of change. Implementing Strategic Management Processes to Manage Change within the Canadian Forces Military Police The Canadian Forces Military Police (CFMP) is a component division of the Department of National Defence and is responsible for providing “professional police, security and operational support services” (CFPM) to the Canadian Forces worldwide. As a vital component of government, mandated to defend the nation of Canada, the CFMP contribute to the delivery of a public service as mandated by Canadian Law. As such, the CFMP is a vital public institution of the Federal Government of Canada and serves to maintain discipline and enforce the rule of law (Report of the Somalia Commission of Inquiry, 1997) within the Canadian Forces. Members of the...
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...1. The whole of government challenge Chapter findings The report has defined 'whole of government' in the Australian Public Service (APS) as: Whole of government denotes public service agencies working across portfolio boundaries to achieve a shared goal and an integrated government response to particular issues. Approaches can be formal and informal. They can focus on policy development, program management and service delivery. APS agencies should review their work in light of this definition to assess the potential impact of this report on their work. There are many imperatives which make being successful at whole of government work increasingly important. These include pressures on the APS to offer sophisticated whole of government policy advice which comprehends a range of stakeholders' views, and to respond to complex policy challenges such as environmental or rural issues. There are pressures to join up program management, including security threats and intractable social issues such as drug dependence. There are rising community expectations for easier access to government by integrating service delivery. Agencies should review the impact of these imperatives on their work, including taking a long-term view of possible scenarios. Whole of government approaches to Australian government work are a relative strength for Australia and are not new. The increasing pressures on the APS demands that its history in whole of government work is understood to ensure it...
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...thousands of American citizens, under the safeguard of public law and of their national flag, have been torn from their country and from everything dear to them; have been dragged on board ships of war of a foreign nation and exposed, under the severities of their discipline, to be exiled to the most distant and deadly climes, to risk their lives in the battles of their oppressors, and to be the melancholy instruments of taking away those of their own...
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