Civics and Citizenship PDF

Civics and Citizenship Begin Close to Home Chapter 1: Becoming Civically Engaged in Your Communities Chapter 2: Community Involvement and Municipal Government Chapter 3: Your Rights and Responsibilities  Chapter 3 Learning Goals In this chapter we learned to devel...

Civics and Citizenship Begin Close to Home Chapter 1: Becoming Civically Engaged in Your Communities Chapter 2: Community Involvement and Municipal Government Chapter 3: Your Rights and Responsibilities  Chapter 3 Learning Goals In this chapter we learned to develop an understanding of our rights and responsibilities as Canadians determine the importance of the judicial system in a democracy build on our understanding of how to be informed and active citizens  Chapter Introduction Canadians have a responsibility to follow the laws, to stand up for our rights and the rights of others, and to be informed and engaged citizens. This chapter outlines some of our key rights and responsibilities.  Spotlight On: Gay-straight Alliances In 2012, the Ontario government passed the Accepting Schools Act, which paved the way for all schools to have a gay-straight alliance club (GSA). GSAs can provide a voice for students who have sometimes been subject to bullying and misunderstanding encourage democratic values such as equality and freedom of speech  Spotlight On: Gay-straight Alliances There are times when one group’s rights conflict with the rights of another group. For example, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of belief, thought, and expression. However, the Charter also guarantees freedom of religion. The Catholic religion holds certain beliefs and some people think that GSAs conflict with Catholics’ freedom of religion. It is sometimes difficult to decide how to balance everyone’s rights.  Rights Rights and responsibilities define the relationship between individuals and governments. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms outlines a number of rights and freedoms that Canadians enjoy. Quick Facts: these rights are legally guaranteed these rights are not absolute; they have “reasonable limits” your rights extend as far as someone else’s The Charter of Rights and Freedoms Which rights do you think are the most important? Why?  Voting Rights One important right is the right to vote. For part of Canada’s history, voting was reserved for white men. Voting rights have expanded over time.  Responsibilities In addition to rights, members of a democracy also have responsibilities. Responsibilities are duties or actions that citizens are expected to perform important to maintain a healthy and functioning democracy Canadians often feel proud that they live in a country that guarantees certain rights. We can feel equally proud when we fulfill our civic responsibilities.  Formal Responsibilities In Canada, citizens’ formal responsibilities include: obeying the law paying income tax serving on juries voting in elections Governments also have a formal responsibility to be accountable to their citizens.  Informal Responsibilities In Canada, citizens informal responsibilities include: being informed (e.g., about laws, policies, and social issues) expressing opinions respecting different perspectives treating people equitably (fairly) contribute to communities protecting rights  Research & Inquiry Using Sources Information comes from either primary sources or secondary sources. To use information well, you need to determine purpose point of view bias credibility Use these indicators to help you analyse sources for possible bias. In Class Activity Complete the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Worksheet, you may work with a partner Homework 1. Read pages 68-70, complete questions 1-3 on page 68  Digital Rights and Responsibilities It is important to understand the rights, responsibilities, and policies that exist in the digital world. Which rights and responsibilities do you think are most important?  Multiple Perspectives Privacy and Safety Some Canadians are concerned that too much privacy has been given up in the name of safety. Some Canadians are willing to give up a certain degree of privacy so they can be kept safe. Canada has laws and organizations that attempt to find a balance between privacy and safety. Which right do you think is more important? Why?  Standing Up for Our Rights Being an engaged citizen means taking action. Sometimes people who engage in civic action are called activists. It is easy to understand why people engage in civic action to protect their own rights, but what makes people stand up for the rights of others? At what point would you decide to stand up for someone else’s rights?  Fulfilling Our Responsibilities Fulfilling our responsibilities can be a day-to-day part of our lives. Some responsibilities you can work on fulfilling every day include: respecting other points of view voicing your opinions contributing to your communities becoming informed about the issues Being informed will be helpful when it comes time to vote, get involved in politics, or take civic action.  How To Become Informed If there is an issue you are interested in, you need to become informed about it in order to take action. Tips: 1. Gather qualitative and quantitative information. 2. Assess your sources and consider different perspectives. Being informed empowers you to participate in collective or individual actions that you believe will improve the common good.  An Interview With… Rights Activist: Pardeep Singh Nagra Nagra was banned from competing as a boxer because he refused to shave his beard. Having a beard is an important religious practice for Sikhs. Nagra argued his case in court, and the court ruled that he be allowed to compete without having to shave his beard. Now Nagra is a rights activist, speaker, and teacher. Digital Citizenship Are you a good digital Citizen? Complete the Handout about Digital Citizenship Homework 1. Complete the Digital Citizenship Handout 2. Read pages 74-78 a. Definitions: Rule of Law, Appeal, Party, Jury, Rehabilitate, Sentencing Circle, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), Non-Profit, Social Enterprise  Justice and Rights The basic principle of the judicial system (or justice system) is the rule of law. A society has the rule of law if everyone is accountable under the law laws are clear and applied consistently the judicial process is fair the people who work in the judicial system are competent, ethical, and reflect the communities they serve  Laws Canadian Laws can be divided into three types: Constitutional law is at the top of the triangle because all other laws in Canada are subject to it. The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is part of constitutional law. How do Laws Affect me Activity -Identify Laws on the Handout provided that affect your everyday life The “Super Parent”? ◻ In some ways, government acts as a super-parent. How? 1. Like a parent, the government should be concerned with everyone’s well being and “best interests”. 2. Like a parent, the government sets the laws (i.e., rules). The “Super Parent”? continued 3. A person may disagree with the laws of the government, just like a child might disagree with the rules set by their parents. 4. Finally, a person (or people) may be able to convince the government to change the law(s), just like a child might get their parents to change the rules.  Thinking Civically Objectives and Results An objective is a goal we want to achieve. The results are the effects of our actions. Thinking about objectives and results is about measuring the success of our efforts. Any policy, law, or civic action can have a range of complex effects on different groups and individuals. Sometimes actions have unintended results. Think about a goal that you have had. What were the results? Were you successful?  The Courts The judicial system aims to resolve disputes, and protect the safety, rights, and freedoms of Canadians. The judicial system comes to life in the courts. These are the main types of courts in Canada.  The Supreme Court of Canada The Supreme Court is the highest court of appeal in the country. The purpose of the Supreme Court is to interpret and explain laws for other courts. The decisions judges make can affect our rights and influence the nature of our society. How should judges be chosen?  Civil Law and Criminal Law Civil law exists to resolve disputes between private parties, and is more about compensation than punishment. Criminal law relates to crimes, or acts that cause intentional harm to another person or another person’s property.  Trials, Inquests, and Public Inquiries Trial A trial is an examination of facts and legal issues related to a dispute between two parties. In a trial a decision is often made by a jury. Inquest An inquest is a court investigation ordered by a medical examiner in cases when a person dies under questionable circumstances Public inquiry A public inquiry explores the causes and facts of an issue and then makes recommendations Compare this image of a criminal trial to the courtrooms you see on TV.  Sentencing At the end of a criminal trial, the judge decides a sentence. Judges can consider four main goals when they decide a sentence: keeping the public safe from harm deterring others from breaking the law rehabilitating the offender punishing the offender How do the goals of sentencing relate to rights and responsibilities?  Criticisms of the Judicial System Although the Canadian judicial system exists to resolve disputes, keep us safe, and protect our rights, it is a complex and imperfect system. Criticisms of the justice system include: legal language is difficult to understand the process can be slow the process can be costly perhaps we should give victims more power perhaps we should focus more on rehabilitation more disputes could be solved outside the courts (alternative dispute resolution)  Social Organizations In addition to the justice system, our society also has many social organizations that work to promote justice, such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) non-profits social enterprises What all social organizations have in common is that they use the money they raise to invest in their social mission. Homework 1. Continue work on Scrapbook. Remember to bring what you have next class