Canada’s Elections; if you can’t be the Prime Minister, vote for people who can

Moreover, Canada’s election is held for self-governing First Nations and many other public and private organizations. The municipal elections in Canada can be for both upper-tier, regional municipality and county, and lower-tier, town, village, or city governments. 

All Canadian citizens aged 18 or older are qualified to vote in federal elections until the polling day. In other levels of elections, additional residency and ownership may be required. For instance, in some municipal elections, both residents and non-resident landowners can vote.

Canada’s Federal (national) Elections

Legislations have been passed in the federal government and most of the provinces and territories in Canada that set a fixed date so that elections occur on a regular cycle and usually every four years and the forthcoming election’s date is publicly known. 

Even so, the governor-general, the provincial lieutenant governor, and the territorial commissioners have the authority to change Canada’s election date on the advice of the relevant first minister at any point before the fixed date. By-elections for filling legislature vacancies are not affected by selected election dates.

Canada’s Federal Elections step by step 

All Canadians who are at least 18 years old on Election Day can vote, but many steps must be taken before voters go to the polls. The federal election process is mentioned in the following steps:

Dissolution of Parliament

Before candidates start their campaign activity, all businesses in Parliament and voters go to the polls. The process of stopping parliamentary business to be prepared for an election is the dissolution of Parliament. First, the governor-general dissolves Parliament on the advice of the prime minister. Then the governor-general directs for issuing the writs of election (a formal written order to the officers of election for holding an election) by the chief electoral officer.

A preliminary list of voters is sent to the returning officer’s by-elections, which tell them who is registered to vote. Canada’s Elections Act has been provided for a general election since 2007 to be held on a fixed date which is the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year following the previous general election.

Nomination of Candidate

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protected holding a federal election. Each political party needs to choose candidates to run in an election. When election writs are issued, each party must decide who will be its candidate. Also, an independent candidate can run for election without being affiliated with a party.

This right is protected by what are the basic requirements to become a candidate? You must be a Canadian citizen and be at least 18 years old on Election Day. You must not be a member of a province or territories legislative assembly, the Chief Electoral Officer, an election officer, a person imprisoned in a correctional institution, or the governor-general acting on the advice of the Cabinet.

In addition, submitting either a Nomination Paper or an online nomination form to Elections Canada is required. The party affiliation has also been included in ballots since 1970. 

Campaigning

Candidates start their campaigning when the election writs are issued. The campaign period must be at least 36 days and no more than 50 days. The goal of the parties and candidates during the campaign is to convince voters that they are the best party or person for the job. To do this, they must promote their platform, tell voters about their goals, ideas, and principles, meet with voters, and participate in debates with candidates of other parties.

Voting

Only Canadian citizens who have at least 18 years old on Election Day can vote. You can vote on Election Day, at any Elections Canada office, or vote by mail. The most common voting option is in-person voting at polling stations. The average number of polling stations across Canada is 20,000. 

Everyone has the right to choose their preferred candidate. They vote in secret and without the influence of anyone. The voting process is as follows:

• For voting, all voters must show proof of their identity and address.
• Everyone gets a ballot from the Canada’s election officers.
• They take the ballot behind a voting screen and mark an X beside their preferred candidate’s name.
• They place their ballot in a ballot box.