Canadian citizenship test · Discover Canada chapter 6 · 4 min read

Fixed election dates, electoral districts, who may vote and run, the National Register of Electors, how to vote step by step, the secret ballot, forming a government, majority and minority governments, the opposition and local government. Study notes for the Canadian citizenship test.

Why this chapter matters

The guide gives a step-by-step account of voting, and the test often checks the practical details: who can vote, what to bring, how to mark a ballot and what happens after the count. It also covers how a government is formed and the other levels of government.

When and where elections happen

• A law passed by Parliament sets federal elections for the third Monday in October, four years after the last general election. The Prime Minister can still ask the Governor General to call an election sooner.
• Canada is divided into electoral districts, also called ridings or constituencies. Each is a geographic area that elects one MP to the House of Commons. (The guide's edition gives a total of 308 districts; the number is set by law and has changed since.)
• Canadian citizens aged 18 or older may run as candidates. The candidate with the most votes in a district becomes its MP.

Who can vote

To vote in a federal election or referendum you must be:

• a Canadian citizen;
• aged 18 or older on voting day; and
• registered on the voters' list.

The voters' lists come from the National Register of Electors, kept by Elections Canada, a neutral agency of Parliament. If you are missing from the Register, you can still join the list at any time, even on election day.

Voting step by step

1. Voter information card: Elections Canada mails one to each elector in the Register. It confirms you are on the list and says when and where to vote.
2. No card? Call your local elections office, or Elections Canada.
3. Advance poll or special ballot: if you cannot or do not want to vote on election day, you can vote earlier at an advance poll or by special ballot.
4. On election day: go to your polling station and bring your card plus proof of identity and address.
5. Mark the ballot: put an "X" in the circle next to the candidate you choose.
6. Voting is secret: you mark the ballot behind a screen, then fold it.
7. The ballot box: the poll official tears off the ballot number and hands the ballot back; you place it in the box yourself.
8. Results: every ballot is counted when the polls close, and results are made public on television and on the Elections Canada website.

The secret ballot

The law protects your right to a secret ballot. Nobody may watch you vote or look at how you voted. You may tell others if you wish, but no one, not even family, your employer or your union representative, can insist that you tell them.

After an election

• Normally the leader of the party with the most seats is invited by the Governor General to form the government and becomes Prime Minister.
• Majority government: the governing party holds at least half of the seats. Minority government: it holds fewer than half.
• The government stays in office while it has the confidence of a majority of MPs. A vote on a major issue such as the budget is a matter of confidence. If the government is defeated, the Prime Minister usually asks the Governor General to call an election.
• The Cabinet (Prime Minister and ministers) runs federal departments, prepares the budget and proposes most new laws. Most ministers come from the House of Commons.
• Parties not in power are opposition parties. The largest is the Official Opposition, also called the Loyal Opposition. Their role is to peacefully oppose or try to improve government proposals.

Other levels of government

• Municipal councils pass by-laws for the local community. A council usually has a mayor (or reeve) and councillors (or aldermen).
• Municipalities usually handle planning, streets, garbage, snow removal, firefighting, emergency services, recreation, public transit and some local health services.
• Provincial, territorial and municipal elections also use a secret ballot, but their rules differ from federal rules.
• First Nations have band chiefs and councillors responsible for housing, schools and other services on reserves.

Check yourself

1. On which day are fixed-date federal elections held?
2. What three conditions must you meet to vote federally?
3. How do you mark a federal ballot?
4. What is the difference between a majority and a minority government?
5. Who leads a municipal council?