Student projects on government in Ontario
Suggestions to get you thinking

If you're like I was when you're studying government, the first thing you think when you are asked to do a project is, "Where do I start?"

This web site probably can't get you a good mark. Only some research and imagination on your part can do that. But it can help you find something interesting to research for a class project. Try these suggestions and see where the topic takes you:

Industry and political leaders

A government runs something like a large company. Profile two or three people in a large company, and the same number of people, at a similar level, in government. Contrast what they do and what kind of department (private sector) or ministry (government) that each person manages. Get more details.

Winning issues through the years

When a party runs to form a government, or a government runs for re-election, the voters are asked to support a plan that the party (or government) will implement if elected, or re-elected. Research some of the elections in Ontario through the years, identify the issues on which the governing party was re-elected – if they were re-elected, or on which the opposition party toppled the government and came into power. Draw a conclusion on the importance of a winning issue. Get more details.

Different systems of electing members to government

In 2007, the people of Ontario considered whether or not to change the traditional, Canadian first-past-the-post system in favour of a Mised-Member Proportional system. Compare and contrast the two different systems of electing representatives. Compare how our system works with other countries. Draw tables outlining the advantages and drawbacks of each. Imagine you are helping people make a better-informed choice.

How do people get on the ballot

Each election, people go to the polls and mark an "X" beside their candidate of choice. How do those people get their names on the ballot? How do people become candidates for the recognized parties? Do a project on the first part of the vote. How old do you have to be to choose a party's candidate? What does this mean for the potential of the youth vote in Ontario? Looking into this project might surprise you. Pleasantly.