Bundeswahlen

This chapter explains how Canadians choose the people who represent them in Ottawa, and what happens once the votes are counted. Test questions here are usually practical: who may vote, who may run, what the voter information card is for, how the secret ballot works, and how a government is formed.

When elections happen

Federal law sets general elections for the third Monday in October, four years after the previous general election. The Prime Minister can still ask the Governor General to call an election earlier, so the gap between elections is sometimes shorter.

Ridings and candidates

• Canada is divided into electoral districts, also called ridings or constituencies. Each riding elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons. Provinces with more people have more ridings, but every riding still sends just one member.
• Any Canadian citizen aged 18 or older may be a candidate. Most run for a political party; others run as independents.
• The candidate with the most votes in the riding wins. More than half of the votes is not required, and there is no second round.
• An MP represents everyone in the riding, including people who voted for someone else.

Senators, judges and Lieutenant Governors are appointed, not elected.

Who can vote

Elections Canada runs federal elections. It is independent and non-partisan, so no party controls the vote. It keeps the National Register of Electors, a database of eligible voters, and uses it to prepare the voters’ lists. It never records how anyone voted. If you are not on the list, you can be added at any time — even at the polling station on election day, with proof of identity and address.

The voter information card

Once an election is called, Elections Canada mails a voter information card to each person in the National Register. It tells you when and where to vote, including advance polls, and lists a number to call if you need an interpreter or other help. It does not tell you whom to vote for and is not proof of citizenship. If you are eligible but no card arrives, contact Elections Canada — you can still vote.

How to vote

1. Bring your card and proof of identity and address to your polling station.
2. Behind the voting screen, mark an X in the circle next to the candidate you choose. Never sign the ballot.
3. Fold the ballot. The poll official tears off the ballot number, and you put the ballot in the box yourself.

If you cannot vote on election day, use an advance poll or a special ballot. Thanks to the secret ballot, no one — family, employer or anyone else — may watch you vote or force you to reveal your choice, although you are free to tell people if you wish. Counting starts as soon as the polls close, and the results are made public.

After the election

• The Governor General normally invites the leader of the party with the most seats to form the government. That leader becomes Prime Minister.
• Majority government: the governing party holds at least half of the seats in the House of Commons. Minority government: it holds fewer than half and needs votes from other parties to pass its plans.
• A government stays in office only while it keeps the confidence of most MPs. Losing a key vote, such as on the budget, usually leads to an election.
• The opposition party with the most seats becomes the Official Opposition, also called His Majesty’s Loyal Opposition. Opposition parties peacefully question and try to improve the government’s proposals.

Provincial, territorial and local elections

Provinces and territories hold their own elections, also by secret ballot, but dates and procedures can differ. Their elected members are usually called MLAs — MPPs in Ontario, MNAs in Quebec and MHAs in Newfoundland and Labrador. In municipalities, voters elect a mayor (or reeve) and councillors (or aldermen), who pass local by-laws. First Nations bands elect chiefs and councillors.

Common mix-ups

• Third Monday in October — not a Tuesday in November, which is the American custom.
• Permanent residents can neither vote nor run in federal elections; both require citizenship.
• 18 is the age for voting and for running — not 21 or 25.
• Most votes wins in a riding, even below 50%.
• The Governor General, not Elections Canada, invites a leader to form the government — and the choice depends on seats, not on a national vote for the leader.
• A minority government still has the most seats; it is not the Official Opposition.
• The voter card says when and where to vote — it is not ID and not proof of citizenship.
• Losing confidence usually means an election, not an automatic hand-over to the opposition.