B3. Understanding Context: Roles and Responsibilities of Government and Citizens
Specific Expectations
B3.1
describe the major rights and responsibilities associated with citizenship in Canada (e.g., rights: equal protection under the law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to vote; responsibilities: to respect the rights of others, to participate in the electoral process and political decision making, to improve their communities)
- What are the major rights of a citizen in Canada? Why might some Canadians have the same rights on paper but not in practice? Why did some people in Canada not have full citizenship rights in the past? What role did race and gender play in this denial of rights?
- What does it mean to be a good citizen?
- What are your responsibilities as a member of our class at our school? As a citizen of Canada?
- What impact have past laws had on the right of First Nations to participate in the electoral process?
- What are some ways in which laws have limited the rights of Indigenous women?
B3.2
describe the jurisdiction of different levels of government in Canada, as well as of some other elected bodies (i.e., federal, provincial, territorial, and municipal governments; band councils; school boards), and some of the services provided by each (e.g., health services, education, policing, defence, social assistance, garbage collection, water services, public transit, libraries)
- Which level or levels of government provide funding for public libraries?
- Which level of government has the responsibility for public education? Why?
- What is the jurisdiction of a band council?
B3.3
describe some First Nations, Métis, and Inuit governance structures that currently exist in Canada (e.g., with reference to the Métis Nation of Ontario, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, the Chiefs of Ontario, the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, the Union of Ontario Indians, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy)
- In what ways is the governance model of the Métis Nation of Ontario based on the provisional government of Louis Riel?
- How did Inuit efforts to reclaim their lands lead to the development of governments in Nunavut?
- What are some of the political structures of First Nations in Canada that were established because of the Indian Act? Within these structures, how are leaders chosen? How has the system of First Nations governance under the Indian Act undermined traditional governance systems?
- How strong is the voice of youth on the Provisional Council of the Métis Nation of Ontario? How strong is the voice of youth in the government of Ontario or Canada? Why would having such a voice be important in addressing issues that are important to Métis youth?
- What is the significance of the medicine wheel or clan system to some First Nations governance models?
- How are decisions made in some different Indigenous governance models? How have some past federal and/or provincial laws affected these governance models?
B3.4
describe the shared responsibility of various levels of government for providing some services and for dealing with selected social and environmental issues (e.g., services/issues related to transportation, health care, the environment, and/or crime and policing)
- What is the relationship between provincial and federal governments in the area of health care?
- Why are there both provincial and federal ministries of the environment or natural resources?
- Why must different levels of government cooperate in addressing Indigenous land claims?
- How does the Nishnawbe Aski Nation [NAN] Education Unit work to provide education for the First Nations communities it represents? How does NAN work on educational issues with the provincial and federal governments?
- How are services provided for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities and individuals in different regions across Canada? How have treaties and the Indian Act affected access to services?
B3.5
describe different processes that governments can use to solicit input from the public (e.g., elections, town hall meetings, public hearings, band council meetings, Métis general assemblies or community council meetings, commissions of inquiry, Supreme Court challenges, processes for granting easements, referendums, nation-to-nation discussions with First Nations and/or Inuit governments), and explain why it is important for all levels of government to provide opportunities for public consultation
- How might a city government solicit the opinions of residents?
- What is a royal commission? How does it provide an opportunity for members of the public to provide input on an issue?
B3.6
demonstrate a basic understanding of what is meant by the federal and provincial governments’ having a duty to consult and accommodate First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities, and describe some circumstances in which this constitutional right for Indigenous peoples might apply (e.g., when considering proposals to run pipelines through traditional territory or mining development projects that would affect First Nations communities; when developing agreements about the extraction of natural resources on treaty land)
- What is the “duty to consult”? Who is bound by this duty?
- How might the duty to consult and accommodate help transform the relationship of the federal and provincial governments with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities?
- What does the “honour of the Crown” mean in the context of the federal government’s duty to consult with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit individuals and communities?
B3.7
describe key actions taken by governments, including Indigenous governments, to solve some significant national, provincial/territorial, and/or local issues (e.g., federal policies relating to the effects of climate change in the Arctic or the issue of sovereignty in Canadian waters; provincial policies around child mental health issues; municipal recycling and waste diversion programs; government action to relocate elk from the town of Banff, Alberta; existing laws that affect traditional Indigenous harvesting, hunting, and fishing rights; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit community projects and strategies to preserve Indigenous languages)
- What programs are in place in our community to reduce the amount of garbage going to landfill?
- What are some national and provincial parks and regional conservation authorities in Canada? What is their purpose?
- What actions have First Nations taken to protect salmon spawning grounds or old growth forests?
B3.8
explain why different groups may have different perspectives on specific social and environmental issues (e.g., why oil industry representatives, farmers, environmentalists, and the Alberta government might differ on development of the oil sands; why the federal government and First Nations band councils might have different perspectives on housing problems on reserves
- Why might farmers, land developers, residents, and environmentalists all have different perspectives about development on the Oak Ridges Moraine or the Niagara Escarpment?
- Which groups might have different perspectives on the idea of changing the school year? Why?
- What are some ways in which people’s values can affect their perspectives on an issue?
- How might specific cultural values and teachings influence the perspectives of Indigenous peoples on an environmental issue?
- Why might a forestry company, a local community, and a First Nations, Métis, or Inuk harvester of animals and plants have different perspectives on a plan to open logging in a specific area?
B3.9
describe some different ways in which citizens can take action to address social and environmental issues (e.g., by determining the position of their local candidates on various issues and supporting/voting for the one whose position they agree with; through the court system; by organizing petitions or boycotts; by volunteering with organizations that work on specific issues; by writing to their elected representatives or to the media; by creating or participating in art projects that bring attention to an issue)
- How can a person determine the position of local candidates or party leaders on issues of importance?
- How could you become more active in your community?