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Political Instituions

  • Today, Canada is considered a constitutional monarchy:
  • Queen of England is the technical head of the Canadian government
  • Government consists of a Prime Minister and Cabinet, a Parliament and a National Court System.

Economy

Canada

  • According to the CIA Factbook, Canada is a “high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class
  • As of 2015, Canada’s GDP is $1.632 trillion
  • Agriculture products include:
  • Wheat
  • Barley
  • Oilseed
  • Tobacco
  • Forest products
  • Industries include:
  • Transportation equipment
  • Processed and unprocessed minerals
  • Wood and paper products
  • Petroleum
  • Natural Gas
  • Poverty rate as of 2015 is 6.9%
  • As of 2014, in $1.491 Billion in debt (Ranked 13th in the world)

Branches of Government

  • Federal
  • Called Government of Canada
  • 4 Parts:
  • Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada: Canada’s formal Head of State
  • Governor General represents the Queen of Canada and carries out her duties
  • House of Commons: Makes Canada’s laws
  • Canadians elect members - called Members of Parliament (MPs)
  • Each MP part of a political party - the political party with the largest number of MP’s forms the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister
  • Senate: Reviews laws introduced by House of Commons
  • Prime Minister chooses Senators
  • Prime Minister: Head of Government - chooses MPs to serve as ministers in the Cabinet
  • Ministers for: Citizenship, Immigration, Justice, National Defense, etc.
  • Provincial
  • Provincial & Territorial Governments
  • Example: Province of Quebec
  • Responsible for: Education, Healthcare, Highways
  • Municipal (local)
  • Cities & Towns of Provinces
  • Example: Municipal government of Quebec
  • Responsible for: Local matters (such as firefighting, police, city streets)

Political History

Overview

  • 1534-Discovered by the French who begin to colonize
  • 1642-City of Montreal is founded
  • Seven Years War 1756-1763- British fight the French and ultimately win control over all Canadian territories
  • 1867- British North America Act divides Canada into provinces and creates the Dominion of Canada
  • 1931- the Statute of Westminster 1931 is enacted in Britain recognizing Canada’s independence

  • Capital: Ottawa
  • Most populated province: Ontario, than Quebec
  • Official languages: English and French (considered a bilingual country)
  • Government: Federal Parliamentary Democracy (Parliament of Canada) → Believes that the law is the “supreme authority”
  • GDP: $1.552 trillion (2015 estimate)
  • Currency: Canadian dollar
  • Similar to the US in that they have a market-oriented economic system
  • Queen Elizabeth II is the formal Head of State, and is represented by the Governor General

Current Challenges

Quebexit:

  • Quebexit

  • Medical Care:
  • Overview of Canadian Medical Care:
  • Medical care is free, and covers everything but prescription drugs, eyeglasses, and dental care
  • Drugs stay inexpensive by negotiating at a federal level with pharmaceutical companies
  • However, when compared to the United States, 33% of Canadian patients waited 6 or more days to see a specialist, contrasted with 19% of Americans

Health Care:

Venezuela

Overview

  • Chief of state is President Nicolas Maduro (2013-present)
  • Part of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela
  • The economy is dependent on oil revenue (it accounts for ½ of total government revenue)
  • GDP: $515.7 billion (2015 estimate)
  • Capital: Caracas
  • Shares a border with Colombia, Brazil, and Guyana
  • Is home to the world’s largest waterfall (Angel Falls)

Citations

Economy

Political History

  • 1498-Discovered by Christopher Colombus
  • 1521-Colonization by the Spanish begins
  • 1821-Gran Colombia (containing Venezuela) gains independence
  • 1830 -Venezuela becomes independent of Gran Colombia
  • 1958-Coup results in the nation’s first democratic election
  • 1958-Punto Fijo Pact
  • 1998-Chavez is elected to power and launches the Bolivarian Revolution
  • 2013-Chavez dies and Maduro is elected

  • GDP: $515.7 billion
  • Economy currently in decline
  • Unwise government spending and fiscal deficits
  • Shortage in basic consumer goods
  • Poverty rate: 29.2%
  • South America Rank: 3rd of 12 countries
  • Worldwide Rank: 60th
  • Currently the leading nation in hyperinflation
  • Inflation rate of 62.17%
  • Dates back to the 1980 but has since been doubled since 2013
  • Venezuela is the largest province of proved oil reserves in the Western Hemisphere

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html

http://www.parl.gc.ca/marleaumontpetit/DocumentViewer.aspx?Sec=Ch01&Seq=2&Language=E

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ve.html

http://www.studycanada.ca/english/government.htm

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/canada/#canada-playing-hockey.jpg

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/09/201292121430533264.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-19652436

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ca.html

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/28/world/americas/venezuela-fast-facts/

http://xpatnation.com/things-you-might-not-know-about-venezuela/

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/10/what-if-america-had-canadas-healthcare-system/381662/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-36319877

http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/15/americas/venezuela-slide-into-crisis/

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-35753327

http://settlement.org/ontario/immigration-citizenship/canadian-government/canadian-political-system/what-is-canada-s-political-system/

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/458611/26892759/1456971732300/Google+Trump.jpg?token=ISb4ozt1Nv0cDs9Rva%2FJz6Ph9as%3D

Political Institutions

  • Government type: Federal republic, with five branches of government: executive, legislative, judiciary, electoral, and citizen.
  • Executive
  • President Hugo Chavez Frias preceeded by Nicolas Maduro Moros
  • The Council of Ministers
  • Legislative
  • Unicameral National Assembly or Asamblea Nacional
  • 165 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; three seats reserved for the indigenous peoples of Venezuela
  • Judicial
  • Supreme Tribunal of Justice
  • Electoral Branch
  • National Electoral Council administers all elections, including those held within civil society.
  • Citizen Branch
  • This branch ensures that citizens and government officials follow the countries laws.

Current Challenges

  • February 12, 2016: Protests began
  • May 13, 2016: Declared a state of emergency in response to the economic crisis
  • Economic crisis as a result of:
  • Low oil prices
  • It is likely that the economic situation is not going to get better soon:
  • They owe $120 billion to foreign creditors
  • This crisis led to nationwide shortages in basic goods (example: bread)
  • Lack of political unity because the National Assembly and the President are at odds
  • December 2015: Opposition parties won a majority of seats in the National Assembly
  • May 2, 2016: Petition for a recall referendum was handed in with 1.85 million signatures

Canada vs Venezuela:

Discussion Questions

1.) Do you believe the young age of the Venezuelan electoral system is a key factor for explaining why they face their current political disunity or does the prevailing economic crisis make these challenges unavoidable?

2.) Do you think a strong feeling of nationalism, or a lack thereof, was a deciding factor in the Quebexit debate? If so, how is this nationalist sentiment similar or different in comparison to Brexit or the 2014 Scottish referendum?

3.) How have the respective referendum processes in Venezuela and Canada been different or similar in regards to the lead up to and reactions of the government to the referendums?

A Profile Analysis

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