Test Bank Docx Chapter 6 The Legislature

CHAPTER 6

The Legislature

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many legislatures exist across Canada?
   1. 1
   2. 2
   3. 10
   4. 14
2. Canada operates on the principle of ________ which require executives to ________ in order to continue ruling.
   1. responsible government; maintain the confidence of their respective assemblies
   2. parliamentary government; maintain partisan control over a majority of seats in the legislature
   3. good government; invite members of the opposition to join cabinet
   4. All of the above
3. At the federal level, Parliament is a ________ legislature, while provincial and territorial legislatures are ________.
   1. bicameral; unicameral
   2. elected; appointed
   3. unicameral; bicameral
   4. two-tiered; single-tiered
4. What is the confidence convention?
   1. the practice under which a house leader must maintain the support of caucus
   2. the binding rule under which a government must relinquish power when it loses a critical legislative vote
   3. the norm according to which every legislator must maintain the confidence of the monarch’s representative
   4. None of the above
5. The House of Commons is ________.
   1. located in Ottawa
   2. meant to represent the interests of the common people
   3. the lower house of the Canadian Parliament
   4. All of the above
6. Which of the following is not a responsibility of the House of Commons?
   1. reviewing provincial legislation and policies to ensure they are constitutional
   2. supervising, authorizing, and otherwise holding to account the executive
   3. passing laws and resolutions to govern the country
   4. representing Canadians when debating the pressing political issues of the day
7. Which of the following statements about the Canadian Senate is false?
   1. It is intended to provide sober second thought to legislation passed by the House of Commons.
   2. Its seats are distributed unequally among provinces.
   3. It is comprised of members chosen by the leaders of each political party represented in the House of Commons.
   4. None of the above
8. Which of the following statements is correct?
   1. The Senate was originally designed as a counterweight to the House of Commons by providing Canada’s lower classes with representation in Parliament.
   2. Senate seats are based on a regional formula, which grants some smaller provinces a relatively greater say in national decision making than their population size would otherwise allow.
   3. Senators are elected by members of the House of Commons.
   4. The Senate has the authority to veto federal appointments and void international treaties.
9. What was unusual about Prime Minister Harper’s approach to the Senate?
   1. He ignored the regional formula and only appointed Senators from Western Canada.
   2. He expelled all Conservative senators from his party caucus.
   3. He referred several questions to the Supreme Court of Canada regarding Senate reform.
   4. He convened senate nominee elections to determine a pool of appointees to the Senate.
10. How many senators are allocated to Newfoundland and Labrador?
    1. 24
    2. 6
    3. 4
    4. 1
11. What does crossing the floor refer to?
    1. when the member of the legislature leaves one political party to join another party
    2. when the governor general enters the House of Commons to sign a bill into law
    3. when a parliamentary page delivers a message to the speaker
    4. when a member of the legislature votes against the party line
12. What is the arrangement in which the governing party controls at least half of the seats in the legislature?
    1. minority government
    2. majority government
    3. coalition government
    4. consensus government
13. What is a manufactured majority?
    1. a majority government in which the governing party gained fewer than half the votes in the previous general election
    2. a government in which no single party controls at least half of the seats in the legislature
    3. a government in which the governing party wins the majority of seats in southern Ontario
    4. a government in which cabinet members are affiliated with two or more parties

1. The ________ is the forum where elected officials convene to discuss the issues of the day, to debate motions, and to vote.
   1. foyer
   2. gallery
   3. chamber
   4. balcony
2. Which of the following statements is correct?
   1. The speaker of the House of Commons is elected in a secret ballot by other members.
   2. Once elected, the speaker continues to represent constituents in his or her district.
   3. The speaker is not required to renounce any party membership.
   4. All of the above
3. What is parliamentary privilege?
   1. the legal immunity afforded to members of the legislature against any form of criminal or civil prosecution
   2. the legal immunity afforded to members of the legislature for anything they do or say, anywhere and at any time, while they are an elected official
   3. the legal immunity enjoyed by members of the legislature for things done or said in the course of their duties in the chamber
   4. the legal immunity that is afforded to members of the legislature for any crimes they may commit while abroad
4. Who is responsible for ruling on matters related to parliamentary privilege?
   1. the governor general
   2. the speaker
   3. the prime minister
   4. the Supreme Court
5. Which of the following is an example of actions/behaviours for which a member of parliament or a government as a whole can be found in contempt?
   1. disobeying accepted practices
   2. ignoring a ruling of the speaker
   3. obstructing the business of the legislative assembly
   4. All of the above
6. Who is the member of the legislature responsible for the overall performance of his or her party in the legislative process?
   1. deputy minister
   2. auditor general
   3. speaker
   4. house leader
7. Typically, the leader of the party with the second-most seats in the legislature is usually which of the following?
   1. deputy prime minister
   2. leader of the official opposition
   3. minister of finance
   4. speaker
8. The party whip is a member of the legislature responsible for:
   1. ensuring that parliamentary procedure is followed
   2. keeping time during question period
   3. ensuring caucus members toe the party line
   4. None of the above
9. Which of the following is an example of a sanction that members of parliament could face if they fail to adhere to party discipline?
   1. not being allowed to vote on bills and motions in the House of Commons
   2. being admonished (reprimanded or warned) by the governor general
   3. not being allowed to run under the party banner in the next election
   4. None of the above
10. Party leaders may exercise the authority to do which of the following?
    1. choose which parliamentarians may ask questions in the legislature
    2. instruct parliamentarians how to vote in the legislature and in committees
    3. assign parliamentarians to legislative committees
    4. All of the above
11. What is a bill or motion in the legislature on which party members, except members of cabinet, are allowed to vote however they choose without sanction?
    1. free vote
    2. censured vote
    3. secret ballot vote
    4. whipped Vote
12. The auditor general does which of the following?
    1. employs accountants who examine public-sectoring spending
    2. reports to the legislature, not the government
    3. issues reports that offers recommendations for improving the management of public funds
    4. All of the above
13. Each session of the legislature begins with _______, includes ________, and ends with ________.
    1. an inauguration; a series of elections; vote of confidence
    2. a throne speech; a series of sittings; prorogation or dissolution
    3. a report from the auditor general; a lengthy debate over the report; acceptance of the report
    4. the selection of a governor general; a series of free votes; Question Period
14. Most parliaments consist of ________ legislative session(s).
    1. over a dozen
    2. six to nine
    3. two to five
    4. one

1. In an effort to reset the legislative agenda, what does the first minister do every year to three years?
   1. ask for a dissolution causing a general election
   2. appoint a new governor general or lieutenant governor
   3. approach the governor general or lieutenant governor for a prorogation of the legislature
   4. call a midterm election

1. What does “died on the order paper” refer to?
   1. bills that are voted down in the legislature.
   2. bills that are proposed in cabinet but never introduced by the government in the legislature
   3. bills that are still before the legislature when the legislative session is closed
   4. bills that are rejected by the party whip
2. Standing orders are the body of rules governing the conduct of:
   1. the legislature
   2. media in the press gallery
   3. visitors to the public gallery
   4. party discipline
3. All of the members of a political party who hold a seat in the legislature form:
   1. a convention
   2. a cabinet
   3. a caucus
   4. a committee
4. Distribution of seats in the House of Commons is based primarily on _____, while representation in the Senate is based primarily on _____.
   1. partisanship; consensus
   2. gender; ethnicity
   3. a numeric formula; the discretion of the governor general
   4. population; region
5. Question Period gets all of the attention, but the real business of the legislature tends to occur in ________.
   1. private members business
   2. speaker’s chambers
   3. statements by ministers
   4. parliamentary committees
6. What is a piece of draft legislation tabled in the legislature known as?
   1. a bill
   2. an order
   3. a motion
   4. a prorogation
7. Once passed, a piece of draft legislation tabled in the legislature can be called which of the following?
   1. a law
   2. an act
   3. a statute
   4. All of the above
8. ________ deal with matters that apply to a small subset of the Canadian population, while ________ apply to society as a whole.
   1. government bills; opposition bills
   2. opposition bills; government bills
   3. private bills; public bills
   4. public bills; private bills
9. Only ________ can introduce legislation that involves government spending and revenue.
   1. the first minister
   2. senators
   3. backbenchers
   4. members of cabinet
10. What are laws that address a wide variety of public policy issues in a single document known as?
    1. omnibus legislation
    2. legislative accords
    3. cabinet packages
    4. None of the above
11. Fixed-date election laws:
    1. define the election cycle as six years.
    2. are designed to constrain the power of the first minister to call an election at will.
    3. are constitutionally-binding on the government.
    4. All of the above.

1. A filibuster is a coordinated effort:
   1. Among cabinet ministers to protest the passage of a bill
   2. on the part of the media to induce cabinet ministers to respond to questions in a scrum
   3. among government members to avoid answering questions during Question Period
   4. among non-government members to delay the passage of a bill
2. Which of the following statements is incorrect?
   1. Consensus government is a system of governance that operates without political parties.
   2. Two of three territories operate under the system of consensus government.
   3. Consensus government requires all laws be passed by unanimous consent in the legislature.
   4. In consensus government, legislators decide who should form cabinet.

1. What is the process by which a legislative session is closed in anticipation of a new speech from the throne being delivered known as?
   1. Closure
   2. Prorogation
   3. Dissolution
   4. Recess
2. A bill introduced by a cabinet minister is referred to as a ________ bill.
   1. private
   2. public
   3. government
   4. private member’s
3. The jurisdictions of ________ and ________ are noteworthy in that they do not have political parties represented in their legislature.
   1. Northwest Territories; the Yukon
   2. Nunavut; Prince Edward Island
   3. Prince Edward Island; the Yukon
   4. Northwest Territories; Nunavut
4. The maximum time an MP can serve in the House of Commons without facing an election is ________, while the maximum term for a senator is ________.
   1. 57 years; for life
   2. for life; 57 years
   3. 4 years; 6 years
   4. 5 years; 45 years
5. What event occurs to replace a legislator between general elections?
   1. midterm election
   2. by-election
   3. snap election
   4. fixed-date election
6. Among federal and provincial legislatures, ________ governments are most common while ________ governments occur least frequently.
   1. partisan; consensus
   2. majority; coalition
   3. coalition; majority
   4. consensus; minority
7. What is the style of government within a legislature in which political parties are absent?
   1. coalition government
   2. corporate government
   3. consensus government
   4. responsible government
8. Why are seats in most Canadian legislatures arranged on opposite sides of the chamber?
   1. to facilitate adversarial debate
   2. to foster consensus-building
   3. to allow room for the monarch’s representative in the centre
   4. to symbolize the division between the upper and lower classes
9. Which principle encourages members of the legislature to challenge each other to repeat any offensive remarks outside the chamber?
   1. parliamentary privilege
   2. confidence convention
   3. responsible government
   4. ministerial responsibility

True or False Questions

1. To maintain a majority government at the federal level, the governing party must control at least half the seats in both the House of Commons and the Senate.
2. Historically, the basis for appointing senators was loyalty to the party in power.
3. The number of seats in the House of Commons is fixed and cannot change.
4. Coalition governments are common in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.
5. In general, members of the legislature cannot sue each other for things said on the floor of the chamber.
6. Earned majorities are more frequent than manufactured majorities at the federal level.

1. Some of Canada’s most enduring and significant policy milestones were developed in minority government situations.
2. Coalition governments are very common at the federal level in Canadian politics.
3. There have been more than two coalition governments at the provincial level.
4. The speaker typically behaves in a partisan manner, taking an active role in legislative debates and caucus meetings.

1. Members of the opposition must respond to questions from government ministers during Question Period.
2. While floor crossing is prevalent in other Commonwealth countries, it is has only occurred once in Canadian history.
3. In general, the number of sitting days of Parliament is increasing.

1. Parliament committees consist solely of members of the governing party.
2. The only time the federal Parliament lasted for more than five years was during a coalition government.

1. All provinces have unicameral legislatures.
2. Canadians must submit an online application if they wish to be considered for an appointment to the Senate.
3. A manufactured majority is one in which the governing party fails to elect members of the legislature from every province.
4. The whip is a highly partisan position.
5. The auditor general is an independent officer of the legislature responsible for scrutinizing public spending.
6. Prorogation is always a controversial affair in Canadian politics.
7. The typical Canadian legislature passes well over half of the private members’ bills introduced for First Reading.
8. All provincial legislatures (except Quebec’s National Assembly) are bicameral, allowing for the representation of regional interests in the upper house.
9. The House of Commons and Senate were built on opposite ends of Parliament Hill to signify their adversarial relationship: the Senate atop the hill (as the upper chamber), and the House of Commons at the bottom (the lower house).
10. The leader of the second-largest party in the House of Commons must serve as the leader of the official opposition.
11. Dissolution always precedes a general election.
12. Standing orders exist to constrain the ability of the Crown to act without the legislature’s approval.
13. Performances in Question Period are highly spontaneous, not scripted.
14. In Canada, a bill introduced by a backbencher is less likely to be passed than one introduced by a cabinet minister.
15. Closure is to a filibuster as prorogation is to a parliamentary session.

Short Answer Questions

1. Does the Canadian Senate have a public image problem? How and why (not)?
2. Does the House of Commons have more power than the Senate? How and why (not)?
3. Why was the second-place finish by the Bloc Quebecois in the 1993 federal election seen as ironic from the perspective of parliamentary democracy?
4. How does having a majority government impact the legislative process?
5. Why are coalition governments rare in Canada at both the federal and provincial level?
6. What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of party discipline in Canada?
7. What are some of the factors to consider when determining how much elected officials should be paid for their work?

1. What is Question Period and what function should it serve in Canadian democracy?
2. What are the main functions of the House of Commons?
3. What are the main functions of the Senate, and how are those functions met at the provincial level?
4. What are the differences between the way legislatures operate in minority versus majority government situations?
5. Compare the role of the speaker with the role of the auditor general.
6. What role do backbenchers play in parliamentary democracy?
7. What is the purpose of a legislative committee and how is it comprised? Provide an example.
8. Describe three ways in which government budgets and spending are monitored in Canada.
9. How does the relatively small size of provincial legislatures affect the way they function compared to the House of Commons?
10. How has the #MeToo movement impacted the operations of parliament?
11. What is the purpose of a speech from the throne?
12. Compare the role of ad hoc and standing committees in the legislative process.
13. Explain the general process through which a bill becomes a law in Canada.

Essay Questions

1. While federal, provincial, and territorial legislatures share many similarities, there are many key differences among them. What are the consequences of those differences for the quality of democracy at the various levels?
2. Why do critics argue that the Senate needs reform? Do you agree or disagree with these criticisms?
3. Once presented to the legislature, how are government bills passed into law?

1. Some of Canada’s most notable public policy initiatives have occurred under a minority government. Why? What are some of these notable policy achievements?
2. What is party discipline, and what is its impact on Canadian legislatures and democracy?
3. When it comes parliamentary government in Canada, what lessons can we take from the Coalition Crisis of 2008?
4. When it comes to party discipline, what lessons can we take from the legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada?