Canada Elections Are More Fascinating Than You Think!

Canada elections take place in several jurisdictions. They are for the federal government, provincial and territorial governments, and municipal governments. Canada elections also take place for many other private and public sectors.

Canada Elections – All You Need To Know About!

Formal elections have been held in Canada since 1792, and all Canadian citizens aged 18 or above can vote. The recent election was the Canadian federal election on October 21, 2019.

Apart from the rules and regulations followed in the election, there are other interesting facts regarding the Canada elections. Let us see what they are. 

The facts regarding the Canada elections are not limited to this. There are many more exciting facts about the votes that you know. Here are some of the most recommended ones.

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1. Working in the Electoral System

The Canadian elections take place according to a first-past-the-post electoral system.  

It is a plurality voting method used in systems with single-member electoral divisions. In the first-past-the-post electoral system, voters cast a vote for their candidate of choice.  

The candidate getting the most votes wins the election, even if it is less than half of the votes. 

2. Political Parties Participating

In the Canadian elections, five main parties participate. 

  • The Liberal Party, headed by Prime Minister Trudeau,
  • The Conservative Party, headed by Andrew Scheer
  • The Green Party, led by Elizabeth May, 
  • The New Democratic Party, led by Jagmeet Singh and, 
  • the Bloc Quebecois, was directed by Yves-Francois Blanchet. 

Also readhttps://icycanada.com/the-story-of-justin-trudeau/

3. Election Day

The Canadian elections had a limited time for a long time. The Prime Minister and his government decided it. 

In recent years, the government has decided to change the democratic system for reformation. The fixed dates for the election were a plan in this decision. 

So as part of the recovery, the elections were decided on specific dates during October. Also, in most provinces, this takes place on a Monday. 

The 2019 federal election in six minutes

4. Electoral Commission

The electoral commission conducting the Canada elections is one of the world’s oldest and first independent electoral commissions. 

It is an electoral system that has constantly been growing. Since the formation of Canada, many changes in law and order have taken place, resulting in the current electoral system. 

Election officials now control the electoral system. Earlier it was controlled by political parties and had a lot of political intervention. 

But later, this was given to the other officials, and all the political parties were taken from charge. This was one of Canada’s elections’ most significant and crucial decisions.

5. Ways of Voting

In the Canadian elections, there are many ways in which the voters can cast their votes

This includes voting on the day of the election, in advance polling days which are held on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday the week before the vote, by mail or in person at any Elections Canada office across the country. 

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By Marc Bruxelle/Shutterstock.com

6. History of Ballot Boxes

Many years ago, there were no ballot boxes during the election. People used to speak out the name of the person they would like to elect, and the count was recorded. 

But later on, ballot boxes were introduced along with the secret ballot. The ballot boxes introduced in Canada for the Canadian elections were made of wood ad had a lock and key. 

After this, it was gradually changed to recyclable cardboard, so they do not need to be stored between elections. This was along with the introduction of a secret ballot in 1874. Later, they became metal during the period between 1988 and 1992.

7. The Oldest and The Youngest

The Canadian elections witnessed the oldest and youngest sitting Members of the Parliament. The most former sitting MP during the 2015 federal election was David Tilson. 

He was 74 years and 11 months when he won the election. William Anderson Black remains the oldest ever, having first been elected to the House of Commons at 76 years and winning his last election when he was 83. 

The youngest sitting Member of Parliament in Canada ever was Pierre-Luc Dusseault. He was only 19 years old when he was elected in the 2011 federal election. He was sworn in just two days after his 20th birthday. 

He was re-elected in 2015 and remained the youngest sitting MP ever in Canada. 

8. Secret Voting

During the reform, to extend voting rights and develop the election procedures, they also knew that a democratic election demanded a secret ballot.  

This idea was first advocated in the Australian state of Victoria and passed the first secret ballot law in March 1856. In Canadian elections, the first secret ballot was enacted by Canada’s newest province, British Columbia, in February 1873.  

Ontario and the federal government followed it in 1874, and Québec and Nova Scotia in 1875. Prince Edward Island brought the secret ballot in 1877, rescinded it in 1879 but refused to adopt it permanently until 1913

Canada Election Date
by Element5 Digital/Unsplash-copyright 2021

9. Eligibility to Vote

In the colonies later formed as Canada, voting eligibility was limited only to a small population. Women were not allowed to vote, and only men were supposed to vote.  

There was filtering in this category too. To be eligible, a man must have properties and assets of a specific value and pay a certain amount as tax. 

This law in power during the earlier time of Canadian elections also restricted people from certain religious groups from voting. So, in short, after filtering all these sorts of groups, only a small population had the right to vote.  

This was difficult as only a small group consented to who should rule the country. The changes in the right to vote needed to be in order and consistent. 

 First, the eligibility to vote based on property ownership changed over time. Because of this, some people would be taken of their rights and will be returned to them some years later.  

Also, laws were brought in the right to vote so that some people who enjoyed the right would suddenly be deprived of it. The rules now are very different today. One must only be a Canadian citizen of age 18 or more to be eligible to vote.

10. Electoral Funding

Canada elections have strict electoral funding laws. According to this law, no unions or corporations can contribute to political parties and candidates. 

But if, and only if, a Canadian party needs voter support, they can receive public campaign funds amounting to 1.75 dollars per vote.

When the Canada elections take place, the most crucial source of funding for the political parties is the expense reimbursement that subsidizes 50% of the national campaign expense that obtains at the most 2 per cent support from the whole country or 5 per cent from the electoral districts in which their candidates are presented. 

The loans given to political parties and candidates will also be able to determine how much public money they will receive. Because of this system, the more a party spends, the more it will be subsidized. And due to these subsidies, the public funds will be magnified. 

During the 2008 Canada elections, the Conservative party spent the most, and, as a result, they received the most substantial reimbursements under this public subsidy in 2009.

11. Head of State

It is exciting to know that Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the State of Canada. 

Isn’t that strange? She is represented by the Governor-General of Canada, David Johnston, who handles various other important political roles like signing legislation into law, calling elections, and so on. 

Queen Elizabeth II is shared with 15 other countries as their Head of State. She has been the Head of the State of Canada since February 6, 1952. 

canada elections
Photo by Chelsey Faucher on Unsplash

12. Magna Carta and Free Elections

Even though the electoral system of Canada elections is governed and controlled by the ParliamentParliament and legislature of each province, the rules followed are based on the scriptures of the Magna Carta followed around 800 years ago in England. 

The Magna Carta stated that the king had no right to decide the advisors’ group he wanted to preside in the new House of Commons. 

He only had the right to issue what are called writs today and summon the people who won the most votes in each province or district. 

From then onwards, federal and provincial elections are organized according to the dropping and returning of writs of the vote in each section or region. This principle was brought from the British to Canada.

13. Candidate Nomination

All the candidates participating in the Canada elections are supposed to file their nomination papers before the nomination day. Most of the time, the political parties choose the candidates before the writ period begins. 

It does not consider whether a candidate decides to stand for a part or as an independent candidate or whether the candidate is selected before or after the writ period starts. 

And because of this, it has been legal that the expenses of the political party before the writ period will not be considered eligible expenses. 

The nomination forms usually enquire about details like the name of the candidate, contact information, and a picture for identification enclosed with a letter of selection by the leader of the part they are representing. 

14. Restriction of Media

The Canadian elections prohibit media from broadcasting public opinion polls on the day before or immediately after the elections. 

They also prevent them from announcing the results of places like new Brunswick where the polls close before the rest of the country. 

During the writ period, advertisements of the political parties are also restricted. Their activities are closely associated with the chief electoral officer. But because of the rising of social-media journalism, this has been challenging to enforce. 

A separate official independent of the government handles the violations. Also, these offences are followed by law limitations so that no legal action can be taken after a certain period.  

Canada
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15. The Great Canadian Federal Election of 2019

The Canadian Federal Election (2019) was held on October 21, 2019, to elect the members for the 43rd Canadian Parliament of the House of Commons. Governor General Julie Payette issued the writs of the election on September 11, 2019. 

The Liberal Party, led by the then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, won 157 seats forming a minority government but lost the majority the party won in 2015

By dropping the popular votes to the Conservatives, this is the second time in Canadian history that a governing party is forming a government by receiving less than 35% of the national popular vote. 

This was also the first time in Canadian history that no single party won more than 35% of the national popular vote. Two months before the election, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pulled back again into the SNC levelling scandal, where he interfered in a judicial matter. It was a scandal that significantly blew his administration and threatened his hopes of re-election. 

According to the scandal reports, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said that Prime Minister Trudeau pressurized his former attorney general last year to help SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. settle the corruption charges out of court for federal benefits. 

Also, the Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer commented on Trudeau being the first prime minister in Canada to be found guilty of breaking federal ethics laws and asked the police to investigate the matter. 

On February 11, 2019, due to the immense pressure from the Conservative Party and other major political parties in Canada, Mario Dion, the Parliament of Canada’s Ethics Commissioner, launched a federal investigation into the issue.

The purpose of the ethics review is to look into any possible infringement of rules that would prohibit public office holders from using their position to interfere in the issues of the judiciary or likewise. 

Later on December 18, 2019, the company pleaded guilty to the charges of bribing Libyan officials. Also, due to the scandal, Canada has been listed in the list of corrupt countries, according to Transparency International. 

They also say that Canadian elections are becoming an increasingly popular place for money laundering through shell companies so that paying taxes could be avoided. 

Conclusion

The single-member plurality system accurately describes Canada’s federal elections electoral system, occasionally referred to as a “first-past-the-post” system.

The candidate who receives the most votes in a riding is elected to the House of Commons and serves as that riding’s representative in Parliament (MP).

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Last Updated on by Priyanshi Sharma

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