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Canadian Election Procedures
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Thursday, 15 January, 15
How do the MP’s win their seats in Parliament?
Thursday, 15 January, 15
• General election = a nation-wide or province wide election in all ridings/constituencies.
• By-elections - fill vacancies between regularly scheduled elections.
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Our elections are now scheduled every 4 years
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Procedures• 1. Gov General (Lieutenant-Gov / provincial)
dissolves parliament
• 2. Candidates are nominated in ridings (Nomination by acclamation means no one contested).
• 3. Enumeration - preparation of voter’s list
• 4. Campaigning (person previously holding seat & re-campaigning is called the incumbent)
• 5. Polling stations
• 6. Tabulation - counting the votes
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Then What?• The party who won the most seats forms the
government
• That party has the mandate to govern the country / province for 4 years.
• the leader of that party is the prime minister
• He / she forms the cabinet (ministers) by appointing cabinet positions.
• The cabinet members each get a portfolio (department or area of responsibility)
• The Governor-General (Lieut-Gov) reads the Speech from the Throne outlining the governments plans.
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Canada’s Federal House of CommonsCanada’s Federal House of Commons
Canada’s Federal House of Commons after May 2, 2012 General Election
Party ElectedCONSERVATIVE 167NDP 102LIBERAL 34BQ 4
GREEN 1Total 308
The conservatives have a majority government because the other parties cannot outnumber them in a vote.
IE 102 + 34 + 4 + 1 = 141
Thursday, 15 January, 15
First past the post system vs.
Proportional Representation
• First past the post system = the person with the most individual votes represents the riding in Parliament.
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Elizabeth May, our single Green Party MP, won her “seat” in the Saanich-Gulf Islands at the last general election.
Candidate Party Votes
Green Elizabeth May 31890
Conservative Gary Lunn 25544
NDP Edith Loring-Kuhanga 8185
Liberal Renée Hetherington 4208
Total turn-out from eligible voters 68 987 / 91 673 (75%)
How many voters are not represented in Ottawa?(Round to nearest 1000).
Answer = almost 39 000
6346morevotes
than Lunn
Thursday, 15 January, 15
1996 Provincial Election
Party
NDP
Liberal
Seats won VotesPopular vote
(share of individual votes %)
39 624,395 39%
33 661,929 42%
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Proportional Representation • Whatever % of the population
votes for a party across the country = the same % of seats that
party gets in Parliament.
• Eg: House of Commons = 100 seats
• 50% of voters vote NDP50 seats go to NDP
• 25% of voters vote Liberal 25 of seats go to Liberals
• 25% of voters vote Green25 seats to Green
... a proposed solution
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Thursday, 15 January, 15
Parliamentary debate can be lively
Thursday, 15 January, 15