The Machinery Of Government Chapter 9 Verified Test Bank

CHAPTER 9

The Machinery of Government

Multiple Choice Questions

1. How many branches of government are there in the Canadian federal government?
   1. Four
   2. Three
   3. Two
   4. Seven
   5. Five
2. Which of the following is part of the Canadian bureaucracy?
   1. Senate
   2. Cabinet
   3. Crown Corporations
   4. Monarch
   5. Supreme Court of Canada
3. What is the legislative branch of government responsible for doing?
   1. Making laws
   2. Debating public issues and providing a forum for competition between political parties
   3. Representing the people and being accountable to them through periodic elections
   4. All of the above
   5. None of the above
4. What is the executive branch of government responsible for doing?
   1. Implementing the laws
   2. Interpreting the law's meaning
   3. Ensuring that the public's business is carried out efficiently, accountably, and in accordance with the law
   4. Both A and B
   5. None of the above
5. Which branch of government is meant to be non-partisan and free from interference by the government?
   1. Legislative
   2. Judicial
   3. Bureaucratic
   4. Executive
   5. None of the above
6. Who is the top bureaucrat in the federal public service?
   1. The prime minister's chief of staff
   2. The Deputy Minister of Finance
   3. The Chief Clerk of the Privy Council
   4. The Clerk of the House of Commons
   5. The Governor General's top legal aide
7. What political system does Canada use?
   1. Democratic Parliamentary
   2. Democratic Monarchy
   3. Constitutional Republic
   4. Constitutional Monarchy
   5. Parliamentary Republic
8. Who refused Mackenzie King's request for a new election in 1926?
   1. Robert Borden
   2. Arthur Meighen
   3. Vincent Massey
   4. Lord Byng
   5. Queen Elizabeth
9. What did Stephen Harper ask the governor general for late in 2008?
   1. Dismissal
   2. Dissolution
   3. Prorogation
   4. To Resign
   5. Veto
10. What two parties agreed to a coalition pact in late 2008?
    1. Conservative and BQ
    2. NDP and Green
    3. Liberal and NDP
    4. Liberal and Conservative
    5. NDP and BQ
11. Who currently embodies the authority of the Canadian state?
    1. The cabinet
    2. The prime minister
    3. Prince Harry
    4. Queen Elizabeth II
    5. The Supreme Court
12. According to David Docherty's study, what does the average MP spends most of his or her time doing?
    1. Election preparation
    2. Party work
    3. Constituency work
    4. Legislative work
    5. Policy and issue development
13. Who was the governor general from 1999 to 2005?
    1. Lord Byng
    2. Michaëlle Jean
    3. Adrienne Clarkson
    4. Romeo LeBlanc
    5. John Ralston Saul
14. What did Queen Elizabeth II avoid during her 2010 summer tour of Canada?
    1. Canadians
    2. Water
    3. Quebec
    4. The prime minister
    5. Ottawa
15. How did Quebeckers respond to a 2009 visit to Montreal from Prince Charles and Lady Camilla Parker-Bowles?
    1. Eggs and chants
    2. Fireworks
    3. Tea Parties
    4. Parades
    5. Rewarding the Order of Quebec
16. Who selects cabinet ministers?
    1. The governor general
    2. The Supreme Court
    3. The Senate
    4. The monarch
    5. The prime minister
17. Who is at the centre of the policy-making process?
    1. The prime minister and cabinet
    2. The monarch and governor general
    3. Central agencies
    4. The Supreme Court
    5. None of the above
18. Who are the only individuals that can introduce any legislation or other measure that involves the raising or spending of money?
    1. Cabinet ministers
    2. Governors general
    3. Backbenchers
    4. Senators
    5. Supreme Court justices
19. Which of the following is not among the expectations of the judicial branch of government?
    1. To implement the law
    2. To be non-partisan
    3. To interpret the law's meaning
    4. Not to substitute its preferences for those of elected public officials
    5. All of the above are expectations
20. It is understood that the person who leads the dominant party in the House of Commons has the power to decide which of the following matters?
    1. When a new election will be held
    2. The administrative structure and decision-making process of government
    3. Who will be appointed to, or removed from, cabinet
    4. All of the above
    5. None of the above
21. Who is the head of government in Canada?
    1. The governor general
    2. The Queen
    3. The Clerk of the Privy Council
    4. The Speaker of the House
    5. The prime minister
22. Which of the following is not generally considered to have central agency status?
    1. The Department of Finance
    2. The Privy Council Office
    3. The Treasury Board Secretariat
    4. The House of Commons Finance Committee
    5. All of the above have central agency status.
23. Which of the following is staffed primarily by partisan employees?
    1. The Department of Finance
    2. The Treasury Board Secretariat
    3. The Governor General's office
    4. The Privy Council Office
    5. The Prime Minister's Office
24. How does the influence of a Canadian prime minister compare to that of an American president?
    1. Much weaker
    2. Incomparable
    3. Considerably stronger
    4. Roughly equal
    5. Depends on the governor general
25. How is judicial independence protected?
    1. The establishment of judicial salaries and conditions of service by law
    2. The requirement that judges relinquish formal ties to the political parties of their choice, including prohibitions on making monetary contributions to parties
    3. The inability for governments to single out any particular judge for special reward or punishment
    4. Both A and C
    5. All of the above
26. The federal Minister of Finance often has connections to whom?
    1. Toronto or Montreal corporate elite
    2. American Treasurer
    3. British Chancellor of the Exchequer
    4. Governor general
    5. Provincial treasurers
27. In order to overcome opposition to the GST, what did Brian Mulroney do in 1988?
    1. Authorized an advertising campaign
    2. Appointed temporary Senators
    3. Appointed a bipartisan cabinet
    4. Called an election
    5. Entered into a coalition government
28. What has been the range in cabinet size in recent decades?
    1. 20-40 ministers
    2. 5-10 ministers
    3. 10-15 ministers
    4. 40-80 ministers
    5. 15-20 ministers
29. Which term refers to the excessive centralization of power in the hands of the prime minister and marginalization of the House of Commons?
    1. Substantive equality
    2. The democratic deficit
    3. Royal assent
    4. The Westminster System
    5. Legitimation
30. What is the name of the highest court in Canada?
    1. Court Martial Appeal Court
    2. Military Court
    3. Supreme Court
    4. Federal Court of Appeal
    5. Provincial Superior Court
31. In the formal organization of the Canadian Government, which of the following is not contained in the executive?
    1. Senate
    2. Monarch
    3. Bureaucracy
    4. Cabinet
    5. All of the above are contained in the executive.
32. Despite holding a majority of the province's seats, which prime minister who served from 1957 to 1963, was never perceived as particularly sensitive to Quebec's interests?
    1. Louis St. Laurent
    2. John Diefenbaker
    3. Mackenzie King
    4. Lester Pearson
    5. Pierre Trudeau
33. Who was the British prime minister who led the Conservative-Liberal Democratic coalition government from 2010 to 2015?
    1. Boris Johnson
    2. David Cameron
    3. Tony Blair
    4. Gordon Brown
    5. Theresa May
34. What issue did Governor General Julie Payette raise and land her in controversy in 2017?
    1. Foreign Affairs
    2. Health Care
    3. Gun Control
    4. Climate Change
    5. Balanced Budgets
35. In attempting to reshape the public role of the governor general, what message did Adrienne Clarkson send in 2001?
    1. A warning to members of parliament on decorum
    2. A message to the prime minister on democracy
    3. A phone call to the American President on Canadian foreign policy
    4. A congratulatory message to a same-sex couple who wed in Toronto
    5. A note to the Queen about Canada's independence
36. What province did Michaëlle Jean suggest should share their "unprecedented prosperity"?
    1. Nova Scotia
    2. Manitoba
    3. Ontario
    4. Quebec
    5. Alberta
37. What is another name for the revenue budget?
    1. Expenditure budget
    2. Assets
    3. Economic statement
    4. Debits
    5. Estimates
38. What does an expenditure budget do?
    1. Provides the government's analysis of the state of the economy and where the government plans to steer it
    2. Represents the government's spending plans for the forthcoming fiscal year
    3. Outlines the government's plans to change the tax system
    4. All of the above
    5. None of the above
39. What does a revenue budget do?
    1. Represents the government's spending plans for the forthcoming fiscal year
    2. Provides the government's analysis of the state of the economy and where the government plans to steer it
    3. Outlines the government's plans to change the tax system
    4. Both B and C
    5. None of the above
40. What did Prime Minister Kim Campbell abolish in cabinet?
    1. Inner and outer cabinet
    2. Swearing
    3. Opposition members
    4. Senators
    5. Heritage Minister position
41. What is seen by many as the most powerful committee in cabinet?
    1. Expenditures
    2. Estimates
    3. Priorities and Planning
    4. Policy and Plans
    5. PM's Power Circle
42. Who was the principle author of the 2000 Clarity Act?
    1. Jean Chrétien
    2. Stephen Harper
    3. Preston Manning
    4. Stéphane Dion
    5. Paul Martin
43. What is the main or only purpose of central agencies?
    1. They are parts of the bureaucracy that support the decision-making activities of the Prime Minister.
    2. They are parts of the bureaucracy that support the decision-making activities of the courts.
    3. They are parts of the bureaucracy that support the decision-making activities of cabinet.
    4. They are parts of the bureaucracy that support the decision-making activities of the Senate.
    5. None of the above
44. What does the Department of Finance do?
    1. Has final say over how much money is printed each year
    2. Has final say over all spending decisions of the Bank of Canada
    3. Creates the annual budget
    4. Plays the leading role in the formulation of economic policy
    5. Both A and C
45. What is the Privy Council Office?
    1. The cabinet's secretariat
    2. The nerve centre of the federal public service
    3. A principal source of policy advice to the Prime Minister
    4. Both A and C
    5. All of the above
46. What title does Donald Savoie argue is a misnomer because the individual reports to the prime minister and not the cabinet as a whole?
    1. Minister of Finance
    2. Clerk of the Privy Council
    3. President of the Treasury Board
    4. Secretary General
    5. Chief of Staff
47. What happens during the third reading phase of passing a bill?
    1. Vote is taken on the entire bill, with amendments
    2. Governor general signs the bill
    3. Bill is tabled in either the House of Commons or the Senate
    4. Debate on both principles and details of the bill and vote on any amendments
    5. Debate takes place on the principles of the bill and a vote is taken
48. What does the term "prime ministerial government" reflect?
    1. Criticisms of Canada's system of government
    2. Criticisms of any nation with a prime minister as the head of government
    3. Observations that power is centralized with the prime minister
    4. Both A and C
    5. All of the above
49. Which of the following is not a counterweight to the prime minister's power?
    1. Provincial capitals
    2. The media
    3. The judiciary
    4. Parliament
    5. None of the above is a counterweight to his or her power.
50. What is the final stage of passing a bill?
    1. Tabling
    2. Debating
    3. Voting
    4. Hearing of witnesses
    5. Royal assent
51. What section of the Constitution Act, 1867 requires that any legislation or other measure that involves the raising or spending of public revenue must be introduced by cabinet?
    1. Section 33
    2. Section 92
    3. Section 15
    4. Section 91
    5. Section 54
52. What have all senators been appointed as since 2016 (to at least 2019)?
    1. New Democrats
    2. Independents
    3. Members of Parliament
    4. Liberals
    5. Conservatives
53. How many seats did the federal Liberal party win in Saskatchewan in the 2015 federal election?
    1. Nine
    2. Zero
    3. One
    4. Four
    5. Two
54. How many seats did the federal Liberal party win in Alberta in the 2015 federal election?
    1. Zero
    2. Four
    3. One
    4. Two
    5. Nine
55. What was the name of Justin Trudeau's most powerful cabinet committee?
    1. Operations
    2. Economic Affairs
    3. Social Affairs
    4. Agenda, Results and Communications
    5. Priorities and Planning
56. Who was Canada's chief representative on free trade negotiations with the United States during the 2015-2019 Justin Trudeau Liberal government?
    1. Stephen Harper
    2. Paul Martin
    3. Justin Trudeau
    4. Chrystia Freeland
    5. Jane Philpott
57. How many people approximately work for the Department of Finance (2018)?
    1. 50
    2. 5,000
    3. 250
    4. 1,500
    5. 750
58. What decade has the Department of Finance been dominant since?
    1. 1860s
    2. 2010s
    3. 1960s
    4. 1990s
    5. 1930s
59. What position has become a rival to the Department of Finance in terms of economic advice?
    1. Parliamentary Budget Officer
    2. Independent Officer
    3. Speaker of the House
    4. Solicitor-General
    5. Minister of Economics
60. Which cabinet committee is in a sense, the "guardian of the [federal government's] purse strings"?
    1. Priorities and Planning
    2. Social Affairs
    3. Economic Affairs
    4. Operations
    5. Treasury Board

True or False Questions

1. The Canadian Government's legislative branch is responsible for interpreting the law's meaning.
2. The Canadian Government's judicial branch is nonpartisan and independent of government intervention.
3. The prime minister of Canada is advised by the Queen on who to appoint as the governor general.
4. The governor general and lieutenant-generals sometimes refuse to pass legislation if the Queen dislikes it.
5. The prime minister is not directly elected by the Canadian people.
6. Most of the legislation passed in Parliament is introduced by the cabinet.
7. When voting on legislation, Members of Parliament regularly break with the party to represent their constituents better.
8. The prime minister and cabinet regularly use mass media to communicate their policies to Canadians.
9. The Canadian revenue budget must be presented every year.
10. The Prime Minister's Office is staffed by elected members of government.
11. Provincial cabinets are somewhat larger than federal cabinets.
12. Between 2016 and 2019 Independent senators have voted with the Liberal government 95 per cent of the time.
13. Pierre Trudeau had a simple system of cabinet committees.
14. Canada stopped being a constitutional monarchy in 1982.
15. There are clear written rules about the selection of the prime minister and the dissolution of Parliament.
16. Normally, the prime minister's request that Parliament be dissolved and a new election held will be granted automatically.
17. In 1926, Governor General Lord Byng refused Prime Minister Mackenzie King's request for new election.
18. The Byng precedent suddenly and rather unexpectedly became relevant several weeks after the 2015 election.
19. Each new session of Parliament begins with the Speech from the Throne, in which the prime minister reads a statement explaining the government's legislative priorities.
20. Every winter, usually around late February, the Minister of Finance tables the estimates in the House of Commons.
21. The Clarity Act is a good example of ministerial control.
22. Central agencies are parts of the bureaucracy that mainly support the Senate.
23. The Privy Council Office is the cabinet's secretariat and a principal source of policy advice to the Prime Minister.
24. The Privy Council Office employs close to 10,000 people.
25. The Prime Minister's Office is staffed chiefly by career public servants.

Short Answer Questions

1. Are the roles of the three branches of governments found in "watertight" compartments? Explain your answer.
2. What happened during the King-Byng affair and what was its historic significance?
3. What is the role and significance of cabinet representation?
4. What is the structure of cabinet decision-making?
5. What role does the Department of Finance play as a central agency?
6. What role does the Privy Council Office play as a central agency?
7. What role does the Treasury Board play as a central agency?
8. What are the differences between the powers of the House of Commons and those of the Senate?
9. What is the democratic deficit?
10. Do Canadian prime ministers have more or fewer restrictions on his power in government than American presidents? Explain your answer
11. How does Canada's constitutional monarchy work in the modern political era?
12. What powers does the person who leads the dominant party in the House of Commons have?
13. How did Prime Minister Justin Trudeau approach senate appointments after he became prime minister?
14. What does each new session of Parliament begin with?
15. What is the role of Question Period in Parliament?

Essay Questions

1. The Parliament of Canada consists of the House of Commons and the Senate, the prime minister and cabinet, and the head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, whose functions are performed by the governor general. Explain the relationships between these institutions of Parliament.
2. Some commentators argue that Canada has developed a system of "prime ministerial government" in which the prime minister far overshadows other members of the government and where power is too concentrated. Is this true and are fears occasionally expressed about the prime ministers becoming overly powerful justified?
3. What are the sources of prime ministerial power?
4. What are the functions of the central agencies that support the activities of the prime minister and cabinet?
5. Some critics have referred to the Canada's legislature as a law-passing, rather than a law-making body. Why you think this characterization is mainly accurate or mainly wrong?
6. How do weak Canadian political party organizations reinforce the dominance of the PM and cabinet?
7. How does the relationship between the government and the media reinforce the dominance of the PM and cabinet?
8. What is the difference between the expenditure budget and the revenue budget?
9. How has cabinet committee system design contributed to the evolution of agenda-setting at the centre of Canadian government?
10. How influential are cabinet ministers in relation to the prime minister?