POLI 221 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Responsible Government, Unanimous Consent, John Diefenbaker
14 Sep 2016
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Topic 2: the constitution as a master institution. Institutions are sets of rules that define roles for political actors. First institution to look at doesn"t have any specific actors in it. Rule book for the conduct of political life. Defines key relationships between executive, legislature and judicial institutions. Between levels of government (provinces and federal government) The most comprehensive and fundamental rule book for the parameters of life . The concepts of levels of governments suggests a hierarchy. Constitution is meant to set out the powers of the orders of government. Also set out powers among branches of government. Always grounded in the fundamental nature of politics itself, and sometimes the nature of the community it is in . Canadian constitution begins with whereas the provinces ; focusing on the welfare of the provinces, nothing about the values, or the relationship between the citizens and their government. Doesn"t say much specifically about the branches of government either.
