Reference no: EM133493502
Question A
What are political parties, and what are their functions in Canadian democracy?
What are the main differences between an election run with a plurality single-member constituency or "first past the post / winner-take-all" electoral system and any proportional representation electoral system? What are some differences in their usual electoral outcomes?
In "Unit 2: Democratic Participation," we reviewed four analytical perspectives on the study of how interest groups influence politics. Provide a brief summary of these perspectives.
Explain briefly what a "free press" is and why it is considered a necessary ingredient for the effective functioning of a modern democracy such as Canada.
Question B
Answer two of the following questions:
What has been the role of protest parties in Canadian politics? How is their emergence related to brokerage politics? Make sure you define all concepts in the questions and illustrate your answer with examples.
Some critics accuse the Canadian electoral system of distorting the preferences of voters, since it was originally designed for two-party races and Canada has been a multi-party democracy (i.e. more than two viable parties with significant support from at least some part of the country) for nearly a century now. This frequently results in one party winning a majority of seats in the House of Commons even when this party may not have gotten a majority (or even a plurality) of overall votes. Do you think that adopting a system of proportional representation would enhance Canadian democracy? Why or why not?
Discuss the evolution of how parties in Canada have had access to the resources and money they need to operate and contest elections. Do you think the current regulations on party funding advance Canadian democracy, or were previous regulations any better? Why or why not? Make sure that you check the latest legislation on this topic.
What is lobbying? What determines the success or failure of lobbying by interest groups in Canada?
Explain what Canadian content (CanCon) regulations are and discuss whether they are still necessary or effective in today's media landscape. If they aren't, how might they be reformed or what might be consequences of abolishing them?
Explain what is meant by the concept of "filters" that influence the products of the mass media and discuss their possible political biases in a Canadian context. How have they changed over time? Illustrate and support your answer with examples from your media journal.