POLI 204 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Jean Lapointe, Responsible Government, Visible Minority
12 Feb 2017
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De nition: the fundamental law of a political system. All other laws have to be consistent with the constitution. Sets the relationship between citizens and the state. De ning what the state does and the limits on the state. Distributes power between di erent parts of the state. Establishes a shared condition among those who live in the country. All canadians, for example, know that they share the rights and freedoms de ned in the charter. Particularly important in the british case because their constitution is not written. Ways of doing things on which we collectively agree but that aren"t written anywhere. Debates over whether courts can rule on them. Current ruling holds that they are not o cially part of the constitution and therefor the courts cannot. No clear answer for what happens if someone violates a convention. Nobody knows if anyone has the power to enforce conventions.
