Page 560 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 11 AND 12 | Canadian and World Studies
community/communities. A group of people who have shared histories, culture, beliefs, and/or values. Communities can also be identified on the basis of shared space, ethnicity, religion, and/ or socio-economic status. A person may belong to more than one community (e.g., a school community, town, ethnic group, nation, etc.).
Confederation. The federal union, in 1867, of British North American colonies into the Dominion of Canada.
constitution.* A set of rules that define the political principles, the institutions, the powers, and the responsibilities of a state. The Canadian Constitution is made up of three elements: written constitution, legislation, and unwritten constitu- tion (rules of common law and conventions). See also Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; constitutional convention.
constitutional convention.* Well-established customs or practices that have evolved over time and are integral aspects of the Canadian system of government even though they are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution. See also constitution.
constitutional monarchy.* A form of government in which executive (Crown) powers are exercised by or on behalf of the sovereign and on the basis of ministerial advice. Canada is a constitutional monarchy.
consumerism. An ideology that encourages people to acquire goods and services in increasing amounts.
Corn Laws. Nineteenth-century British laws that set duties on grain imported from outside the British Empire. Farmers in colonial Canada benefited from preferential duties until the repeal of the Corn Laws in the 1840s.
coureurs de bois. French fur traders in New France who lived on the frontier rather than in formal settlements, they were the middlemen in the fur trade between French merchants and First Nations trappers.
Crown corporations.* Corporations in which the government, be it at the national or provincial level, has total or majority ownership. Organized on the pattern of private enterprises, they have a mandate to provide specific goods and/or services.
Crown land.* Land belonging to the government, whether in the national or provincial jurisdiction.
culture. The customary beliefs, values, social forms, and material traits of an ethnic, religious, or social group.
death rate. The number of deaths per thousand people in one year.
deforestation. The destruction and removal of a forest and its undergrowth by natural or human means.
democracy. A form of government in which laws are made by a direct vote of the citizens (direct democracy) or by representatives on their behalf (indirect democracy). In an indirect, or representative, democracy such as Canada, elected representatives vote on behalf of their constituents.
demographics. Statistics describing the charac- teristics of an area’s population, including those relating to age, sex, income, and education.
desertification. The process by which arable land becomes desert, as a result of factors
such as a decline in average rainfall over time, deforestation, and/or poor agricultural practices.
digital footprint. A trail of information a person leaves when using digital devices. It enables third parties to access data such as an individual’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, the Internet sites that person has visited, and comments he or she has made.
digital representations. Computer-based representations of the world in which spatial characteristics are represented in either 2D or 3D format. These representations can be accessed and applied using online mapping software or interactive atlases.
558