Social Studies 9 Exploring Government

Social Studies 9 Exploring Government

Social Studies 9
Exploring Government

Introductory Webquest
Part ONE

I can:

….use the internet to find information

….identify the three branches of the federal government:

….locate information on the roles of responsibilities of :

  • Governor General
  • Prime Minister
  • The Cabinet
  • Members of Parliament
  • Senators
  • The House of Commons
  • The Supreme Court

Using the internet and your awesome information-hunting skills as resources, answer the following questions. Use the website provided to help you. All the information you need is located somewhere on the websites and in your text. Good luck and happy searching.

Federal Government

Executive Branch:

The Executive Branch in Canada consists of the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and the Cabinet.

Governor General?

1. Who is the current Governor General? ______

2. Where does the Governor General live and work? ______

3. Where was the current Governor General born? ______

4. In your own words describe 3 roles/responsibilities of the Governor General

______

______

______

Prime Minister:

5. Who is the current Prime Minister? ______

6. Which political party does he represent? ______

7. How many Prime Ministers have represented Canada? ______

8. What are 3 of the 5 priorities of Stephan Harper and his government?

______

______

______

The Cabinet: (look under The Canadian Ministry to find individual

Cabinet Ministers)

9. How many Cabinet Ministers are there in the current Canadian government? ______

10. What political party do the Cabinet Ministers belong to? ______

11. Who is currently:

  • The Minister of Justice? ______
  • Minister of Finance? ______
  • Minister of National Defence? ______

Legislative Branch:

A. Members of Parliament: (have seats in the House of Commons)

12. There are currently ______total MP’s in the House of Commons.

13. Using “Finding your MP” : Who is the MP that represents the riding where your house is? You will need your postal code: ______

14. Is your MP part of the current government? YES NO

Click under “Party Standing”

16. How many seats in the House of Commons are held by:

a)Conservatives ______

b)Liberals______

c)NDP______

d)Bloc______

e)Other ______

Go into “Customizable Reports” Under Parliament click on 41st Parliament

17. How many MP’s currently represent Alberta? ______

18. Which political parties are represented by Alberta MP’s?

______

19. How many MP’s currently represent Ontario? ______

20. How many MP’s currently represent Quebec? ______

House of Commons ( elected by the people of Canada to represent them)

20. Which political party is the Official Opposition? (the party with the second most

number of seats). ______

21. Use the following link to find out who the leader of the Official Opposition is. ______

22. Who is the Speaker for the House of Commons? ______

Senate: (appointed by the government in power)

Go back to the homepage: click on “Standings in the Senate”

23. There are currently ______total senators in the Senate.

24. The ______party has the most senators with ______members.

Click on Sort by:

A. Province:

25. How many Senators does Alberta have? ______

Judicial Branch:

26. Who is the Chief Justice of Canada? ______

27. How many judges make up Canada’s Supreme Court? ______

Exploring Government
Reflections
Part TWO

Using the information between pages 16-45 in your text and the resource section, answer the questions that follow. Answer in complete sentences!

1. As prime minister, how could you use cabinet positions to respond to issues about government that concern Canadians?

2. What is a political party? How do political parties help Canadian citizens influence the political system?

3. Does the current electoral process adequately meet the needs of all Canadians, or does it require changes?

4. What impact does the popular vote have on the results of an election?

5. In your opinion, which system represents voters more effectively - regional representation OR representation by popular vote? Explain.

6. How does the structure of the Senate represent Canadians in a different way than the House of Commons? What do you think about the spending abuses by many of the current Senators? What should be done?

7. How does the judicial branch connect to peace, order and good government for all Canadians?

8. How does the Federal Accountability Act contribute to good government for all Canadians?

9. How does the process of passing a law create opportunities to build Canada as a society where people of many perspectives and views belong? What challenges does this process create, in your opinion?

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