scholarly journals Unfulfilled promise: How and why citizen initiative was created in British Columbia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Trevor Ritchie
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Initiative Process ◽  
Citizen Initiative ◽  
Policy Alignment ◽  
Citizen Initiatives ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
Elected Representatives

Democracy serves as a governing philosophy where decisions are made by a vote of the population. Due to the large numbers of citizens who live in modern democracies, this is mainly done through elections to legislative assemblies as a form of representative democracy. But representative democracy does not always ensure policy alignment between citizens and elected representatives. Citizen initiatives serve as a means of promoting greater policy alignment by allowing citizens to propose their own legislation, to be voted on by the electorate. This thesis investigates why British Columbia chose to enact citizen initiative alone among Canadian provinces, and also why British Columbia’s policy was written with the provisions and constraints that elected representatives chose to include. The research shows that key individuals in power used their influence to advocate for citizen initiative in the province, and that British Columbia’s citizen initiative process was written to accommodate constitutional requirements and public opinion on what citizen initiative should look like.

A tooth of Mammuthus primigenius from Chestermere Lake near Calgary, Alberta, and the distribution of mammoths in southwestern Canada

1978 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1272-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Harington ◽  
D. M. Shackleton
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North American ◽  
Mammuthus Primigenius ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
Woolly Mammoth

A well-preserved molar of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) was recovered from deposits at Chestermere Lake near Calgary. It is probably of late Wisconsin age, and is one of several mammoth fossils collected from Pleistocene sediments in the Calgary area.The Chestermere Lake specimen is considered in relation to 94 records of mammoth cheek teeth from the western Canadian provinces. Of the 94 records, 5 are from Manitoba, 35 are from Saskatchewan, 37 are from Alberta, and 17 are from British Columbia. In addition to specimens of woolly mammoths, remains of Columbian (Mammuthus columbi), imperial (Mammuthus imperator), and southern mammoths (Mammuthus meridionalis) have been collected from Pleistocene deposits of southwestern Canada. Some problems concerning the relationships of North American and Eurasian mammoths are mentioned.

Religious Enthusiasm and Separatism in Colonial New England

1945 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 111-140
Author(s):  
Maurice W. Armstrong
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
New England ◽  
Modern Democracy ◽  
English History ◽  
Beliefs And Practices ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Liberty Of Conscience ◽  
Colonial New England ◽  
Established Church

Thomas Underhill, a citizen of London during the Commonwealth, described that period of English history as “Hell Broke Loose.” Partly as a result of Anabaptist influence, and partly as a continuation of the indigenous Lollard movement, large numbers of persons in every part of England separated themselves from the Established Church and formed themselves into independent religious societies. Some of these groups were very eccentric in their beliefs and practices. Thomas Edwards, their bitter opponent, made a Catalogue of “the Errors, Heresies, Blasphemies and Pernicious Practices … vented and acted in England” between the years 1642 and 1646, which he called, Gangraena. In it he distinguishes no less than two hundred and ten errors which were held by one or other of the sixteen groups into which he divides the sectaries. The sixteen were, “Independents, Brownists, Chiliasts or Millenaries, Antinomians, Anabaptists, Manifestarians or Arminians, Libertines, Familists, Enthusiasts, Seekers and Waiters, Perfectists, Socinians, Arians, Anti-Trinitarians, Anti-Scripturalists, Sceptics and Quietists.” The Parliamentary army especially abounded with men whose “great religion” was “liberty of conscience and liberty of preaching.” G. P. Gooch and others have shown how deeply the roots of modern democracy are embedded in the religious struggles of these seventeenth century sects. Most of them disappeared with the Commonwealth, or were absorbed in the rising Quaker movement, but certain fundamental principles for which they stood continued to exist and to mold public opinion.

scholarly journals Intergenerational governance: problems of legislation

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sir Geoffrey Palmer QC
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
Select Committee ◽  
Public Servants ◽  
General Elections

It is true to say that the language of politics is the language of priorities. Whatever else the Cabinet members do or do not do, they determine the priorities. They determine the order in which issues will be addressed and the resources that will be devoted to the issue. Many policies require legislation and the ministers, with the advice of public servants and the drafting of parliamentary counsel, design the legislation. Parliament passes the bills into law after select committee scrutiny. In the New Zealand democracy these ministers are connected to the voters through triennial general elections, voters to whom they are ultimately accountable through the institutions of representative democracy. Thus, ministers will be wary of public opinion and take it into account both in determining their priorities and in designing the legislation.

scholarly journals The Wilsonian Moment of the Azerbaijani Delegation in Paris (1919-1920)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Pommier
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
League Of Nations ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Archival Documents ◽  
History Of ◽  
Personal Archives ◽  
Paris Peace Conference

The delegation of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan to the 1919 Paris Peace Conference fought for the international recognition of its country and for admission to the League of Nations. The analysis of mostly unpublished archival documents from the personal archives of head of delegation Əlimərdan Ələkbər oğlu sheds new light on the history of Azerbaijani diplomacy. Topçubaşov could rely above all on the tools of influence of public opinion, such as books, publications and magazines which were written in large numbers in Paris. The adoption, in Azerbaijani political communication, of languages and contents adapted to the Wilsonian culture was meant to justify the aspiration to self-determination, as other anti-colonial non-European elites attempted to do during the Paris Peace Conference.

Lampetra macrostoma, a New Species of Freshwater Parasitic Lamprey from the West Coast of Canada

1982 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 736-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Beamish
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
New Species ◽  
West Coast ◽  
Related Species ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Vancouver Island ◽  
The West ◽  
Large Disc ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
A New Species

Lampetra macrostoma n.sp., a freshwater parasitic lamprey, is distinguished from related species L. tridentata, L. lethophaga, L. folletti, L. minima, and L. similis by its parasitic habit and very large disc. Other characters distinguishing the species from L. tridentata are its longer prebranchial length, large eye, weakly pigmented velar tentacles, and its ability to remain in freshwater. The recently metamorphosed form readily survives in freshwater and probably is non-anadromous even though it can survive in salt water. The new species has been discovered in two lakes on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, where it attacks large numbers of resident salmonids. Because of its ability to survive and feed in freshwater, it poses a definite threat to freshwater fishes.Key words: lamprey, new species, non-anadromous lamprey, salmonid parasitism

Checklist of oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) of Canada and Alaska

Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4666 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
VALERIE M. BEHAN-PELLETIER ◽  
ZOË LINDO
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Nova Scotia ◽  
New Brunswick ◽  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Prince Edward Island ◽  
National Park ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Large Numbers

This checklist of the oribatid fauna of Canada and Alaska (excluding Astigmata) includes 580 identified species in 249 genera and 96 families. The known fauna of Canada includes 556 identified species in 247 genera, and that of Alaska includes 182 species in 95 genera; 39 of the 42 oribatid superfamilies are represented. We further list ~ 300 species that are currently unidentified, and possibly undescribed. In addition, we list 42 genera that are represented only by unidentified and probably undescribed species. For each species we give combinations and synonymies, specific locations in Alaska and the Provinces and Territories of Canada, habitats, and biogeography.                There are 182 identified species known for Alaska, 152 for Yukon, 122 for Northwest Territories, 58 for Nunavut; 210 for British Columbia, 213 for Alberta, 15 for Saskatchewan, 84 for Manitoba, 167 for Ontario, 210 for Québec, 110 for Nova Scotia, 77 for New Brunswick, 84 for Newfoundland and 6 for Prince Edward Island. The known fauna of Canada is smaller than that of Austria, and is approximately equivalent to that of the Czech Republic. As these countries are much smaller in size than Canada and less ecologically diverse, we consider the Canadian and Alaskan fauna are at most 25% known. The paucity of these data reflects the absence of taxonomic and faunistic studies on Oribatida in State, Provinces or Territories, and especially in the Canadian and Alaskan National Park systems and the hundreds of Provincial Parks.                Despite the almost 90% increase in described species since the catalogue of Marshall et al. (1987), there is a need for focussed, coordinated research on Oribatida in the natural regions throughout Canada and Alaska, and for monographs on families and genera with large numbers of undescribed species, such as Brachychthoniidae, Damaeidae, Cepheidae, Liacaridae, Oppiidae, Suctobelbidae, Hydrozetidae, Phenopelopidae, Scheloribatidae, Haplozetidae and Galumnidae. 

Crowdsourcing Investigations

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 60-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea H. Tapia ◽  
Nicolas J. LaLone
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Sentiment Analysis ◽  
Ethical Dilemmas ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Approval ◽  
Online Groups ◽  
The Public ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Boston Marathon Bombing ◽  
Boston Marathon

In this paper the authors illustrate the ethical dilemmas that arise when large public investigations in a crisis are crowdsourced. The authors focus the variations in public opinion concerning the actions of two online groups during the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing. These groups collected and organized relief for victims, collected photos and videos taken of the bombing scene and created online mechanisms for the sharing and analysis of images collected online. They also used their large numbers and the affordances of the Internet to produce an answer to the question, “who was the perpetrator, and what kind of bomb was used?” The authors view their actions through public opinion, through sampling Twitter and applying a sentiment analysis to this data. They use this tool to pinpoint moments during the crisis investigation when the public became either more positively or negatively inclined toward the actions of the online publics. The authors use this as a surrogate, or proxy, for social approval or disapproval of their actions, which exposes large swings in public emotion as ethical lines are crossed by online publics.

Solar Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure among Outdoor Workers in Three Canadian Provinces

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 679-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl E Peters ◽  
Elena Pasko ◽  
Peter Strahlendorf ◽  
Dorothy Linn Holness ◽  
Thomas Tenkate
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Solar Ultraviolet Radiation ◽  
Sun Safety ◽  
Outdoor Workers ◽  
Exposure Limit ◽  
Canadian Provinces ◽  
Solar Ultraviolet

AbstractIntroductionSolar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) exposure places outdoor workers at risk of skin cancer and exposure is difficult to control. In response, the Sun Safety at Work Canada (SSAWC) project was undertaken (2014–2016). The purpose of this substudy was to characterize the UVR exposure levels of outdoor workers in the SSAWC project.MethodsThirteen workplaces in the provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia participated in an exposure monitoring campaign (late summer/early fall 2016). Study participants were workers from power utilities and municipalities. Participants wore a UVR measurement badge (light-sensitive polysulfone plastic) on their wrist, shoulder, or hardhat. Badge calibration and absorbance measurements were performed in the AusSun Research Lab. Personal UVR doses are presented as standard erythemal doses (SED) and compared with the internationally recommended exposure limit (1.3 SED), as well as to the total available UVR by date. Generalized linear models were used to examine determinants of solar UVR for personal UVR dose (for both SED and percent of ambient UVR). Models considered badge placement, date, province, industry, main job task, and the hours spent outdoors.ResultsMean personal UVR dose of participating workers was 6.1 SED (nearly 5× the recommended limit). Just 14% of workers experienced ‘acceptable’ levels of solar radiation; 10% were exposed at >10 times the limit. In univariate analyses, workers in Ontario had the highest levels (mean 7.3 SED), but even in the lowest exposed province (British Columbia), the mean personal UVR dose was 4.5 SED. Utility workers had double the exposure of municipal workers (10.4 and 5.5 SED, respectively). In the determinants of exposure models, the differences by province were muted, but utility line workers and those in general maintenance had higher predicted exposures. Those who wore their badge on their hardhat also had higher values of SED in the fully adjusted determinants models.ConclusionsSolar ultraviolet overexposure among outdoor workers is a concern, even in a country like Canada with relatively low ambient UVR. Implementation of sun safety programs should be supported in an effort to reduce exposure in this vulnerable group of workers.

What Is a Consultative Referendum? The Democratic Legitimacy of Popular Consultations

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
Carlo Invernizzi Accetti ◽  
Giulia Oskian
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Representative Democracy ◽  
Specific Role ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
The Political ◽  
Normative Significance ◽  
Empirical Point ◽  
Elected Representatives ◽  
Conceptual Work

We examine the democratic legitimacy of popular referendums asking whether they should be understood as bypassing or complementing representative institutions. To answer this question, we focus on the distinction between legislative referendums and consultative ones, noting that even though referendums of the latter kind are by far more prevalent from an empirical point of view, their specific role in democratic decision-making remains under-theorized in the existing literature. We therefore focus on consultative referendums as a possible way of reconciling the referendum procedure with representative democracy. First, we clarify the specific conception of representative democracy that underscores our study; second, we develop the idea that consultative referendums are to be understood to specify the political mandate of elected representatives; finally, we apply the results of this conceptual work to the case of the Greek bailout and the Brexit referendums, aiming to dispel some lingering misconceptions concerning the normative implications of their results and thereby clarifying the normative significance of our theory.

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