First-year courses · Social sciences

Canadian government and politics

Canadian politics flashcards: Constitution Acts 1867 and 1982, the Charter, federalism, Parliament, the Crown, elections, courts and the notwithstanding clause.

41 cards6 topicsAbout 15 minutes a roundTypical first-year Introduction to Canadian Politics or Canadian Government

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About this deck

This deck covers the building blocks of a first-year Canadian politics course: the two main constitutional documents, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, how powers are divided between Ottawa and the provinces, how Parliament and the Crown work together, how elections are run, and the role of the courts.

Start by fixing a few anchors in memory. The Constitution Act, 1867 created the federation and divided powers. The Constitution Act, 1982 brought the constitution fully under Canadian control and added the Charter and section 35. Much of how government actually works, including the office of prime minister and cabinet, rests on unwritten conventions rather than written text, so expect exam questions that ask you to separate law from convention.

Study by linking each card to a real event you have read about, such as a recent federal election, a minority Parliament, or a provincial use of the notwithstanding clause. Keep the description neutral: the goal is to understand how institutions work, not to judge particular parties or decisions.

Watch for these common mix-ups. The Governor General represents the monarch federally; lieutenant governors do so in the provinces. Senators are appointed, not elected. The notwithstanding clause can only override section 2 and sections 7 to 15 of the Charter, and each use lapses after five years unless renewed. And first-past-the-post does not require a majority of votes, only more votes than any other candidate in the riding.

Before you start: None; a high school civics or social studies course is helpful.

All 41 cards

Cover the definitions with a sheet of paper and test yourself, or use the study modes above.

Constitution

Constitution Act, 1867: Founding statute, first called the British North America Act, that united the colonies in a federation and set out the institutions and division of powers.Example: It took effect on July 1, 1867, joining Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
Constitution Act, 1982: Statute that ended the need for British approval of constitutional changes, added domestic amending formulas, the Charter and recognition of Aboriginal and treaty rights.Example: Proclaimed in Ottawa on April 17, 1982; the Quebec government did not agree to it.
Patriation: The process of bringing full legal control over Canada's constitution home from the United Kingdom Parliament.Example: Completed in 1982 through the Canada Act passed at Westminster.
Constitutional convention: An unwritten but binding political practice that guides how institutions operate, though courts do not enforce it directly.Example: The Governor General acts on the advice of the prime minister.
General amending formula: The usual rule for changing the constitution: approval by Parliament and at least seven provinces with at least 50% of the provincial population.Example: Often called the 7/50 rule.
Unanimity rule: Constitutional changes to certain matters, such as the office of the monarch, require consent of Parliament and every provincial legislature.Example: Changing the composition of the Supreme Court is one such matter.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Part I of the 1982 constitutional statute that protects fundamental freedoms, democratic, mobility, legal, equality and language rights against government action.Example: It applies to governments and their laws, not to private disputes between individuals.
Section 1 (reasonable limits): Charter clause allowing governments to limit rights if the limit is prescribed by law and can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.Example: Hate speech laws have been upheld as justified limits on expression.
Oakes test: The Supreme Court's 1986 framework for deciding whether a rights limit is justified: a pressing objective, a rational connection, minimal impairment and proportional effects.Example: Courts apply it after finding that a law infringes a Charter right.
Notwithstanding clause: Section 33 of the Charter, letting Parliament or a provincial legislature declare a law operates despite section 2 or sections 7 to 15, for up to five years at a time.Example: A declaration must be renewed every five years or it lapses.
Fundamental freedoms: Section 2 Charter rights: conscience and religion; thought, belief, opinion and expression including the press; peaceful assembly; and association.Example: Protesting peacefully outside a legislature.
Equality rights: Section 15 Charter guarantee of equal treatment and equal benefit of the law without discrimination; it took effect in 1985.Example: Listed grounds include race, religion, sex, age and disability; courts have added others such as sexual orientation.
Minority language educational rights: Section 23 Charter right of qualifying parents to have their children educated in English or French where they are the provincial minority.Example: Francophone school boards in Alberta exist under this protection.

Federalism

Federalism: System in which sovereign authority is constitutionally divided between a central government and regional governments, each supreme in its own areas.Example: Ottawa handles national defence; provinces run hospitals and schools.
Section 91: Part of the 1867 constitution listing federal law-making powers, such as criminal law, banking, currency, national defence and the postal service.Example: The Criminal Code is federal law under this list.
Section 92: Part of the 1867 constitution listing provincial law-making powers, such as property and civil rights, hospitals and municipal institutions.Example: Provincial landlord and tenant laws rest on this list.
Section 93: Part of the 1867 constitution giving provinces authority over education, subject to certain protections for denominational schools.Example: Each province sets its own school curriculum.
Peace, order and good government (POGG): Opening words of section 91 giving Parliament residual power over matters not assigned to the provinces, and over national concerns or emergencies.Example: Courts have used it to uphold federal laws on matters of genuine national concern.
Concurrent powers: Areas where both orders of government may legislate, with federal law prevailing in a conflict for some of them; agriculture and immigration are examples.Example: Old age pensions are concurrent, but provincial law prevails in that area.
Equalization: Federal program, with its principle written into the 1982 constitution, that makes payments so provinces can offer reasonably comparable services at comparable tax levels.Example: Payments depend on each province's capacity to raise revenue.

Parliament and the Crown

Constitutional monarchy: System in which a monarch is head of state but exercises power according to the constitution and on the advice of elected ministers.Example: King Charles III is King of Canada.
The Crown: The institution of the monarchy as the legal source of executive authority, in whose name government acts and laws are made.Example: Criminal prosecutions are brought in the name of the King.
Governor General: The monarch's representative in Canada, appointed by the monarch on the prime minister's advice, who summons Parliament and grants Royal Assent.Example: This person reads the Speech from the Throne at the opening of a session.
Lieutenant governor: The monarch's representative in a province, appointed by the Governor General on the prime minister's advice.Example: Gives Royal Assent to bills passed by the provincial legislature.
Royal Assent: The final formal step that makes a bill passed by both houses into law.Example: Granted by the Governor General or a deputy.
Responsible government: Principle that the executive (cabinet) must keep the confidence of the elected lower house to stay in office.Example: Won in Nova Scotia and the Province of Canada in 1848.
Confidence vote: A vote in the House of Commons that tests whether the government still has majority support; losing one usually leads to resignation or an election.Example: Votes on the budget are normally treated this way.
Prime minister: Head of government, usually the leader of the party able to command the confidence of the House of Commons; the office rests largely on convention.Example: Chooses cabinet ministers and advises the Governor General.
Cabinet: Group of ministers, chosen by the prime minister and mostly drawn from the House of Commons, who direct government departments and decide policy collectively.Example: Cabinet solidarity means ministers publicly support decisions once made.
House of Commons: Elected lower chamber of Parliament where government must hold confidence; it has 343 seats under the representation order first used in 2025.Example: Money bills must start in this chamber.
Senate: Appointed upper chamber of Parliament with 105 seats, meant to give sober second thought and regional representation; members serve until age 75.Example: Appointed by the Governor General on the prime minister's advice.
Official Opposition: The party with the second-largest number of seats in the House of Commons, which leads scrutiny of the government.Example: Its leader receives a residence, Stornoway, in Ottawa.
Minority government: A government whose party holds fewer than half the seats in the Commons and must win support from other parties to pass laws and survive confidence votes.Example: Canada had minority Parliaments after the 2019, 2021 and 2025 elections.

Elections

First-past-the-post: Electoral system where each riding elects the candidate with the most votes, even if that is less than half.Example: A candidate can win a riding with 38% of the vote if opponents split the rest.
Electoral district: A geographic area that elects one member to the House of Commons; also called a riding.Example: Boundaries are reviewed after each ten-year census by independent commissions.
Elections Canada: Independent, non-partisan agency that runs federal elections, by-elections and referendums.Example: It maintains the National Register of Electors.
Fixed-date election law: Federal rule setting general elections for the third Monday in October of the fourth year after the last one, though an earlier dissolution remains possible.Example: The 2025 election was held early, on April 28.

Courts

Supreme Court of Canada: Final court of appeal for all of Canada, made up of nine judges, at least three of whom must come from Quebec.Example: It hears appeals in both civil and criminal matters.
Judicial review: The power of courts to strike down or limit laws and government actions that conflict with the constitution.Example: Courts struck down the federal assisted dying ban in 2015.
Reference case: Question referred by a government to a court for an advisory opinion on a legal or constitutional issue.Example: The 1998 Quebec Secession Reference.
Judicial independence: Principle that judges must be free from interference by government, protected by security of tenure, financial security and administrative independence.Example: Judges cannot be removed simply because a government dislikes a ruling.