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The Canadian electoral system is based on a parliamentary system of government modelled on that of the United Kingdom.
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The Canadian electoral system is based on a parliamentary system of government modelled on that of the United Kingdom.
The Parliament of Canada consists of:
Elections Canada is the non-partisan agency responsible for the conduct of elections in Canada, including federal elections, by-elections and referendums. It is headed by the chief electoral officer.
Representation in the House of Commons is based on electoral districts, also known as constituencies or ridings. Each riding elects one member to the House of Commons, and the number of ridings is established through a formula set out in the Constitution of Canada.
Riding boundaries are established by independent commissions, and take into account:
New commissions are set up every ten years to make any necessary revisions to existing boundaries, following criteria defined in the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act . The process of redefining electoral boundaries is called redistribution , and the results are recorded in a "representation order". The Representation Order of 2003 set the number of ridings at 308. The 2012 redistribution set the number of ridings to 338.
Canada's electoral system, sometimes referred to as a "first-past-the-post" system, is formally referred to as a single-member plurality system. The candidate with the most votes in a riding wins a seat in the House of Commons and represents that riding as its member of Parliament (MP). When a party wins a majority of seats, the governor general asks the party leader to form a government; that leader becomes prime minister. When no party is given a majority, the current prime minister may resign immediately, or choose to stay in office and attempt to win the confidence of a majority of the House. If they resign (either immediately or following a vote of no confidence), the governor general will invite the leader of the opposition party most likely to enjoy the confidence of the House to form a government. The largest party by seat count that is not the government or part of a governing coalition becomes the Official Opposition. That party receives more finances and prestige than the other opposition parties.
An absolute majority of the votes cast in the last election is not needed to have power, and is rarely achieved. As well, the party in power does not need to have a majority of seats in the House of Commons – and under the current multi-party system, quite often does not have that. However to pass bills, the governing party must have support of a majority of MPs. Without majority support, the government falls and a new party is named government or an election has to be held. Only the Liberals and Conservatives (Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942), Progressive Conservatives and modern Conservatives) have formed the federal government in Canada.
Voter turnout fell dramatically between 1962 (79%) and 2011 (61.4%). The Gallagher Index of disproportionality for Canadian federal elections in that period has ranged from 6.26 to 20.91, in line with some of its comparables — Australia, New Zealand (prior to adoption of MMP in 1992) and United States (presidential electoral college), but significantly higher than many others, for example Belgium, Germany, Ireland, United States (House) and the Scandinavian countries. [1]
Voter turnout rose higher in 2015 to 68.5%, and to 66% in 2019.
Historically, the prime minister could ask the governor general to call an election at virtually any time, although one had to be called no later than five years after the return of the writs under section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms . In 2007, the Conservative Parliament passed an act requiring fixed election dates in Canada every four years. [2] This law does not curtail the power of the governor general to dissolve Parliament at any time, as was done for the 2008 election at the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
If a government loses a confidence motion, traditionally the prime minister will ask the governor general to call an election. The governor general when approached by the prime minister who has lost a vote of confidence will traditionally call an election. However, it is not assured as some assume. The governor general also has the right to call the leader of the party they think would be most likely to be able to form a government and ask them if they can form the government. This happened in 1926 and is referred to as the King-Byng Affair.
Any number of candidates may run for election in an electoral district, but each candidate may only run in one district, either independently or under the banner of a political party. Each party may endorse only one candidate per riding. Candidates who run for election without party affiliation may be designated as independent or as having no affiliation.
A political party is a group of people who together:
To obtain the right to put the party name on the ballot, under the names of the candidates it endorses, a political party must register with the chief electoral officer. As of 2022 [update] , there were 22 registered political parties operating at the federal level in Canada.
After an election, the party with the most elected representatives usually becomes the governing party. The leader of this party is then summoned by the governor-general and sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada shortly after the election concludes. The party with the second largest number of MPs is called the Official Opposition. Each of the elected candidates has a seat in the House of Commons, where they debate and vote on draft legislation (called bills) and thus attempt to have an influence on government policy. A party having a majority of the seats can pass what it wants despite any opposition from the group(s) holding the minority of seats, but the imperative to be re-elected and any moral pressure the opposition can impose may temper its legislative agenda
All citizens (18 years and older) have the right to a voice in choosing their parliamentary representatives. Canada's electoral law requires the chief electoral officer to inform the public about the system and about individual rights under that system and to remove obstacles that may make voting difficult for some.
During an election, Elections Canada informs Canadians about their right to vote, how to get on the National Register of Electors and the voter's list, and where and how they can vote. Its public information activities include
Between elections, the agency publishes additional background information for the public, keeps its telephone enquiries centre and website open to answer questions, and works with educators to encourage young people to vote when they become eligible (18 years and older).
Helping to remove obstacles to voting is an important part of Elections Canada's work. Voters who are not able to vote on polling day can vote at the advance polls. A mail-in special ballot is available for Canadians who are away from their ridings, travelling or temporarily resident overseas. Even Canadians in their own ridings during the election period may use the special ballot if they do not wish to go to a polling station. In special cases, electors with a disability may vote at home, in the presence of an election officer. Mobile polls serve voters living in certain institutions, such as nursing homes for people who are elderly or who have a disability.
Wherever possible, election officers at polling stations speak both official languages (English and French). In addition, a deputy returning officer can appoint and swear in an interpreter to help communicate with a voter.
All votes are made on the same standard heavy paper ballot, which is inserted in a standard cardboard box, furnished by Elections Canada. The ballot and the box are devised to ensure that no one except the elector knows the individual choice that was made.
As of 2021, [update] Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in favour of adopting a ranked voting system also referred to as instant-runoff voting or preferential voting. [3]
Trudeau promised electoral reform in the 2015 campaign but was unable to get a consensus with the other political parties. He did not implement electoral reform, saying all parties were not in agreement. Each party had different suggestions, one or more even wanting to stick to first past the post.[ citation needed ]
The politics of Canada functions within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy where the monarch is head of state. In practice, executive authority is entrusted to the Cabinet, a committee of ministers of the Crown chaired by the Prime Minister of Canada that act as the executive committee of the King's Privy Council for Canada and are responsible to the democratically elected House of Commons.
The House of Commons of Canada is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada.
The 1993 Canadian federal election was held on October 25, 1993, to elect members to the House of Commons of the 35th Parliament of Canada. Considered to be a major political realignment, it was one of the most eventful elections in Canada's history. Two new regionalist parties emerged, finishing second and third in seat count. Most notably, the election marked the worst defeat for a governing party at the federal level and among the worst ever suffered by a governing party in the Western democratic world. In a landslide, the Liberal Party, led by Jean Chrétien, won a majority government.
The 2004 Canadian federal election was held on June 28, 2004, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 38th Parliament of Canada. The Liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin lost its majority but was able to continue in office as a minority government after the election. This was the first election contested by the newly amalgamated Conservative Party of Canada, after it was formed by the two right-of-centre parties, the Progressive Conservative Party and the Canadian Alliance.
The politics of Alberta are centred on a provincial government resembling that of the other Canadian provinces, namely a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The capital of the province is Edmonton, where the provincial Legislative Building is located.
The 1867 Canadian federal election was held from August 7 to September 20, 1867, and was the first election of Canada. It was held to elect members representing electoral districts in the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario and Quebec to the House of Commons of the 1st Canadian Parliament. The provinces of Manitoba (1870) and British Columbia (1871) were created during the term of the 1st Parliament of Canada and were not part of this election.
The 1968 Canadian federal election was held on June 25, 1968, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 28th Parliament of Canada.
During the history of Canadian politics, thirteen minority governments have been elected at the federal level. There have also been two minority governments resulting from governments being replaced between elections, for a total of fifteen federal minority governments in thirteen separate minority parliaments. There have been historical cases where the governing party had fewer than half of the seats but had the support of independents who called themselves members of the party; these cases are not included, as there was never any serious chance of the government falling.
Canada holds elections for legislatures or governments in several jurisdictions: for the federal (national) government, provincial and territorial governments, and municipal governments. Elections are also held for self-governing First Nations and for many other public and private organizations including corporations and trade unions. Municipal elections can also be held for both upper-tier and lower-tier governments.
The 1917 Canadian federal election was held on December 17, 1917, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 13th Parliament of Canada. Described by historian Michael Bliss as the "most bitter election in Canadian history", it was fought mainly over the issue of conscription. The election resulted in Prime Minister Sir Robert Borden's Unionist government elected with a strong majority and the largest percentage of the popular vote for any party in Canadian history.
The 1926 Canadian federal election was held on September 14, 1926, to elect members of the House of Commons of Canada of the 16th Parliament of Canada. The election was called after an event known as the King–Byng affair.
The 2006 Canadian federal election was held on January 23, 2006, to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 39th Parliament of Canada.
The 2004 Alberta Senate nominee election, formally the 3rd Alberta Senate nominee election of Alberta was held on November 22, 2004, to nominate appointments to the Senate of Canada. The Senate nominee election was held in conjunction with the 2004 Alberta general election.
The Politics of British Columbia involve not only the governance of British Columbia, Canada, and the various political factions that have held or vied for legislative power, but also a number of experiments or attempts at political and electoral reform.
There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local elections, mayoral elections, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections. Within each of those categories, there may also be by-elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday, and under the provisions of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 the timing of general elections can be held at the discretion of the prime minister during any five-year period. All other types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the devolved assemblies and parliaments can occur in certain situations. The five electoral systems used are: the single member plurality system (first-past-the-post), the multi-member plurality, the single transferable vote, the additional member system, and the supplementary vote.
The 2015 Canadian federal election held on October 19, 2015, saw the Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, win 184 seats, allowing it to form a majority government with Trudeau becoming the next prime minister.
The 42nd Canadian federal election was held on October 19, 2015. The incumbent Conservative Party of Canada of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, in office since 2006, was defeated by the Liberal Party of Canada under the leadership of Justin Trudeau. The Liberals rebounded from third place in the House of Commons with 36 seats to a strong majority government with 184 of the 338 seats in the expanded Commons. The Liberals picked up 148 seats, easily the biggest numerical increase for a Canadian party since Confederation.
This article is the Electoral history of Stephen Harper, the twenty-second prime minister of Canada. Harper served as prime minister from February 6, 2006 to November 4, 2015, having won three general elections.
This article is the Electoral history of Justin Trudeau, the twenty-third and current Prime Minister of Canada. Trudeau has served as prime minister since November 5, 2015, having won three general elections.
The 2025 Canadian federal election will take place on or before October 20, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament. The date of the vote is determined by the fixed-date provisions of the Canada Elections Act, which requires federal elections to be held on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year after the polling day of the previous election, though a current government bill proposes to postpone the date to October 27, 2025, to avoid conflicting with Diwali. In addition to the statutory fixed election date provisions, Canada has a constitutional requirement specified in both section 50 of the Constitution Act, 1867 and section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that elections for the House of Commons must be called no more than five years after the writs for the preceding election are returned.
