Canadian electoral system

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The Canadian electoral system is based on a parliamentary system of government modelled on that of the United Kingdom.

Federal parliament

The Parliament of Canada consists of:

• The sovereign (represented by the governor general)
• An upper house (the Senate), the members of which are appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
• A lower house (the House of Commons), the members of which are chosen by the citizens of Canada through federal general elections.

.

Representation in the House of Commons

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:

• population
• social links
• economic
  links

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.

Electoral method

Single-member plurality

Canada's

asks the leader of the party whose candidates have won the most seats to form a government; that leader becomes prime minister. The party whose candidates win the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition. That party gets 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. Four parties have achieved power at the federal level in Canada's history – the original Conservatives, the Liberals, the Progressive Conservatives and the modern Conservatives.

Turnout

Voter turnout fell dramatically between 1962 (79%) and 2011 (61.4%). The

Voter turnout rose higher in 2015 to 68.5%, and to 66% in 2019.

Timing of election

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

.

Running for office

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

or as having no affiliation.

A political party is a group of people who together:

• Establish a
  by-laws
• Elect a leader and other officers
• Endorse
  candidates
  for election to the House of Commons.

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.

Governing party

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

) 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

Right to vote

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.

Information to voter

During an election, Elections Canada informs Canadians about their

, 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

• News releases.
• Advertisements in newspapers and on television and radio, brochures, posters.
• A
  toll-free
  telephone inquiries center.
• A website.
• Meetings with community and
  ethnocultural
  groups.

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).

Voting accommodations

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

. 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.

Voting reform

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]}

See also

• Fair Vote Canada
• Federal political financing in Canada
• List of Canadian federal electoral districts
• National Register of Electors
• International Register of Electors

References

External links

• Elections Canada