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Themes:
- Political Culture, Political Participation, Political Socialization
- Is a particular kind of political culture needed to develop and sustain a democratic political system?
- Does Canada have a distinctive political culture?
- Do you think you will vote in the next national, provincial, and local elections? Why do you think that younger voters are less likely to vote than older voters? Is voting a civic duty that all citizens have a responsibility to perform?
- Do you have the same basic political values, beliefs and orientations as your parents, other family members, or your friends? How would you explain the similarities and differences?
- Political Parties
- Is there a particular party (or more than one party) that seems to reflect your viewpoints, interests, or identity, or do you feel that none of the major parties really represent you?
- Are parties' programs becoming more difficult to distinguish from each other? Are they becoming less 'ideological?"
- Are all of the major interests and viewpoints in Canada adequately represented by the major Canadian parties?
- Is the common good better served by two parties with a broad appeal or by a multiparty system in which a variety of different societal interests and ideological perspectives are represented?
- Are political parties a necessary and desirable feature of democratic politics?
- Elections and Electoral Systems
- Are Canadian elections free and fair? Should voting be modernized to reflect present realities - by the adoption of electronic or internet voting?
- Should Canada change its single-member plurality electoral system? If so, what is the best alternative? If not, explain why not.
- What criteria will you use in deciding how to vote? Should you vote for the best leader, the best party, or the best local candidate?
- Do voters generally make intelligent choices in elections?
- Should greater participation of the people be encouraged in democratic countries such as Canada? If so, how should this be achieved?
- Discuss the character of the American Electoral System and whether it is 'undemocratic', whether it is in need of reform, and why such reform might well be difficult.
- Should greater participation of the people be encouraged in democratic countries such as Canada? If so, how should this be achieved?
- Does it matter if there are great disparities in the size of constituencies electing representatives to the same legislature? Why?
- Legislatures and Legislators
- Should Canada replace the monarchy with an elected head of state? Discuss.
- Does the Canadian parliamentary system give too much power to the prime minister?
- Should party discipline in Parliament be loosened?
- Is the Westminster system of parliamentary government the best way to achieve the common good?
- Assess the arguments in favour of presidential and parliamentary systems. Do the experiences of states that have made the transition to democracy provide any evidence that would justify one choice or the other?
- Is there an appropriate balance between legislative and executive power in the United States?