Elections in Canada

This review article describes the electoral system in Canada at the federal and provincial level.

Basics

The Canadian Parliament consists of the monarch, the lower house (English House of Commons, French Chambre des Communes ) with 308 seats elected members and the Senate ( Senate german, French Senate ) with 105 appointed members.

The parliamentary seats are allocated according to the relative majority vote. It receives the one candidate the seat, who has scored the most votes, an absolute majority is not important. Elections are held every four years, unless the government is forced by a motion of censure. According to the traditions of the Westminster system, the government could previously within a certain time frame (usually five years) to set the election itself. In each of the provinces and at the federal level since 2006, however, fixed election dates apply.

For the conduct of elections at the federal level, the nichtparteiische Authority Elections Canada is responsible, at the provincial level, there are similar authorities. The division of the constituencies will be made every ten years based on the census results of independent commissions. This directs its recommendations in terms of population as well as for social and economic ties.

General Election

Although five parties are currently represented in Parliament, but is dominated by two political events: Since the founding of the country in 1867, always changed the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party in government from.

Any Canadian citizen who is 18 years or older, has the right to participate in elections. The only exceptions are appointed by the House chairman of the electoral authority (Chief Electoral Officer ) and his deputy ( Deputy Chief Electoral Officer ). Prison inmates who were serving a sentence of more than two years were also excluded from the elections, but on 31 October 2002, the Supreme Court lifted the relevant provision, since he violated section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Between regular general election, by-elections can also be recognized in individual constituencies, when the seat is vacant. The Prime Minister may specify the date itself, but must be held to choose between the 11th and 180th day after the notification of the Chief Electoral Officer.

The length of election campaigns may vary, but must be in accordance with the Canada Elections Act ( election law ) at least 36 days. A maximum period shall not be required. The general election must necessarily take place on a Monday (or on a Tuesday, if Monday is a public holiday ). Customarily, the choice of the Prime Minister so that the campaign is as short as possible because the electoral law, the expenditure of the parties strictly limits. So were the elections of 1997, 2000 and 2004 all at the earliest possible date.

The following table provides an overview of the most recent elections in the provinces and territories. The result of the victorious party is marked in bold and marked with the color box next to the selection date (the latter comply with the official party colors). In several cases, the provincial parties are not organizationally connected with the mother parties at the federal level and contribute to the divergent part name.

None of the existing conservative parties (which call themselves "progressive - conservative " ) is formally linked with the Conservative Party of Canada. This binding was formally dissolved with the dissolution of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. The newly created federal party has never asked for a formal ties to the provincial parties. In most provinces, however, there are informal relations, and membership lists are pretty similar.

In British Columbia and Quebec, the Liberals are completely independent of the Liberal Party of Canada at the provincial level. Their political spectrum is different to some extent and in some cases contradict their positions to those of the federal party. The other liberal parties are an autonomous province, but there are formal ties with the federal party.

In contrast, all provincial parties of the New Democratic Party are fully integrated into the federal party.

Note: In Nunavut and the Northwest Territories there are no political parties.

Referendums

The federal government can also carry out state-wide referendums on important issues, but this very rarely happens. The last time a referendum on a federal level in 1992 was carried out, was concerned constitutional amendments in accordance with the Charlottetown Accord. In seven out of ten provinces previously also referendums were held.