Ms. FowlerSocials 11
ELECTIONS IN CANADA
WHEN ARE ELECTIONS CALLED?
1.Regularly —> gov’t cannot sit (be in session) longer than 5 years
Traditionally, elections held every 4 years
Or...
2.When P.M. decides to call an election (at his/her discretion) —> i.e. less than 4 years
Or...
3.A vote of non-confidence defeats the government
Or...
4.Prime Minister resigns/retires/dies and a new person is selected by the governing party to be head of the party (and thus becomes Prime Minister) —> Can only sit as P.M. for up to a year before election must be called to confirm her/him as P.M.
If any of the above occurs, the P.M. goes to the Governor General to ask to dissolve Parliament —> The Governor General authorizes the issuing of “writs of election” to each riding (the “writ” is said to be “dropped”).
* Although in 2007, a fixed-date election was amended the Canada Elections Act (3rd Monday in October every 4 years), dissolution of Parliament as above is still possible.
Provincial Elections are as above, except provincial Premier requests the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the Legislature. “Writs” are issued and follow the same procedure as above. Votes of non-confidence are not typical at the provincial level however, as most legislatures are comprised mostly of two parties. Smaller parties typically do not hold the balance of power.
Municipal Elections in B.C. are fixed events held every four years in November.
First Passed the Post
In Canada (like many countries), a party does not need to win a majority either in the country or in any riding in order to be declared “the winner.”
A party need only win MORE VOTES THAN ANY OTHER PARTY.
Election Results Example:Remember, each riding (appx. 100,000 people) gets one M.P.
Riding A / Riding B / Riding C40,000 Con.
39,000 Lib.
21,000 NDP / 35,000 Con.
34,000 NDP
21,000 Lib. / 70,000 Lib.
25,000 NDP
5,000 Con.
Winner? / Winner? / Winner?
Which party:
Forms Government?Which party forms the Opposition?Which party gets no seats?
How Democratic are the Results?
What is the popular vote? Total number of votes?
Liberals:Conservatives:NDP:
*Note: The scenario above has occurred frequently.
Majority vs. Minority Governments
majority government – a kind of gov’t in which the party that received the most votes (either in Parliament or a provincial legislature) has more than half of the seats
Parliament has 335 seats –> therefore, one party needs at least 165 seats for a majority
B.C. Legislature has 85 seats –> therefore, 43 needed for a majority
minority government – a kind of government in which the party that received the most votes has fewer than half of the seats
Critical Thinking:
How democratic is a majority government really??? Think critically about what a majority gov’t might be capable of doing. In the case of a minority government, what would the Prime Minister and the governing party HAVE to do in order to stay in power?
Majority Government:
Advantages / DisadvantagesMinority Government:
Advantages / Disadvantages***Some of Canada’s greatest advancements, including universal health care the Canada Pension Plan, and improvements to citizen’s rights have occurred when minority governments were in power.
Ms. FowlerSocials 11 – KEY
ELECTIONS IN CANADA
First Passed the Post
In Canada (like many countries), a party does not need to win a majority either in the country or in any riding in order to be declared “the winner.”
A party need only win MORE VOTES THAN ANY OTHER PARTY.
Example:Each riding (appx. 100,000 people) gets one M.P.
Election Results:
Riding A / Riding B / Riding C40,000 Con.
39,000 Lib.
21,000 NDP / 35,000 Con.
34,000 NDP
21,000 Lib. / 70,000 Lib.
25,000 NDP
5,000 Con.
Winner? / Winner? / Winner?
Which party forms the Government? Conservatives
Which party forms the Opposition? Liberals
Which party gets no seats in Parliament? NDP
How Democratic are the Results?
What is the popular vote? Total number of votes?
Liberals: 130,000Conservatives: 80,000NDP: 80,000
*Note: The scenario above has occurred frequently.
Majority vs. Minority Governments
majority government – a kind of gov’t in which the party that received the most votes (either in Parliament or a provincial legislature) has more than half of the seats
Parliament has 308 seats –> therefore, one party needs at least 155 seats for a majority
B.C. Legislature has 85 seats –> therefore, 43 needed for a majority
minority government – a kind of government in which the party that received the most votes has fewer than half of the seats
Critical Thinking:
How democratic is a majority government really??? Think critically about what a majority gov’t might be capable of doing. In the case of a minority government, what would the Prime Minister and the governing party HAVE to do in order to stay in power?
Majority Government:
Advantages / DisadvantagesGov’t can do whatever it wants —> in some ways a dictatorship —> can OUTVOTE other parties in Parliament
Minority Government:
Advantages / DisadvantagesMost democratic —> Gov’t must be accountable, responsible; Must compromise / Could have more frequent elections
Views of all MP’s and all Cnds represented
***Some of Canada’s greatest advancements, including universal health care the Canada Pension Plan, and improvements to citizen’s rights have occurred when minority governments were in power.