POL101Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Clarity Act, Formula 4, Distinct Society
8 Oct 2015
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Document Summary
Constitutions: what is a constitution, a constitution contains or embodies the basic rules of the game, it is often referred to as fundamental law of a political system rather than everyday legislation. 5 functions (first 2: structure of government, 3rd: relationship between state and citizen: defines the structure of the major institutions of government. What is a prime minister and its duties, how they"re elected/appointed etc: allocates power and responsibility. Horizontally: allocates between legislative, executive and judicial parts of government. Vertically between federal and provincial powers: regulates relations between citizens and the state, and sets out rights of citizens and minorities. Fundamental principles that governments respect while pursuing their agenda. Most general structure between government and citizen: serves as a political symbol, sets out the rules for changing the rules: amending the constitution, modern constitution, there are almost no ancient constitutions left in the world (unwritten constitutions)
