Ch. 12 Flashcards
In Canada, who oversees the Federal Elections?
- Elections Canada
What is the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer commonly known as?
- Elections Canada
What is Elections Canada’s mission?
- Ensuring that Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and be a candidate
What kind of agency is elections Canada?
- Independent, non-partisan agency
Who does elections Canada report to?
- Directly to parliament
What should elections Canada always be prepared for?
- to conduct a federal general election, by-election or referendum
What does Elections Canada do with the political financing provisions of the Canada Elections Act?
- They administer them
Who monitors compliance with the Electoral Legislation?
- Elections Canada
Who conducts public-information campaigns on voter registration, voting, and becoming a candidate?
Elections Canada
What are the core values of Elections Canada?
- A knowledgeable and professional workforce
- Transparency in everything we do
When are elections called?
- When the PM decides
- Must be within 5 years of the previous election
- New Fixed Election date: 3rd Monday of October every 4 years
- When government is defeated in a no-confidence vote
How many governments have been defeated in a non-confidence vote?
- 6 since 1867
Who was originally allowed to vote in Canada following the British North American Act?
- Men >21y who owned land
What did the Indian Act of 1876 do for voting rights?
- Forced Indigenous people to give up their status to vote
What did the Wartime Elections ACt and Military Voters Act of 1917 do for voting rights?
- Allowed all men and women serving overseas to vote
- Allowed female relatives of soldiers to vote
When was the first time some women, first nations, and men under 21 were able to vote?
- Wartime Elections Act and Military Voters Act 1917
What happened in 1918 for voting rights?
- Women allowed to vote if they met same requirements as men
What was the Dominion Elections Act of 1920 and what did it do for voting rights?
- Appointed Chief Electoral Officer
- Added women to federal voting list
When were Inuit disqualified from voting?
1934
When did Asian Canadians gain the right to vote in Federal Elections?
- 1948
When did Inuit gain the right to vote?
- 1950
When did First Nations Women and Men gain the right to vote in federal elections without giving up their status?
- 1960
When was the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? and what does it do for voting rights?
1982
- Affirms the right of every Canadian citizen to vote and stand as a candidate
How often is there a reallocation of seats?
- Every 10 years following the decennial census
What is the equation for seat reallocation?
Provincial Population / Electoral Quotient = Initial Provincial Seat Allocation
What is the Senatorial Clause?
- Province’s seat in House of Commons cannot fall below number of seats in senate
What is the Grandfather Clause?
- Province’s seat in the House of Commons cannot fall below the number of seats in the 43 election (2019)
How do MPs get nominated for the lead of there electoral district?
Electoral district association hold candidate nomination contests
- Candidate with majority votes wins
When are elections held?
- On Mondays
What are employers required to do on election day?
- allow 3 consecutive hours off work to vote
Who oversees the elections in each electoral district?
- The Returning Office (RO)
Who oversees the ballot count?
- Election Canada’s Returning Officers
- Poll Clers
- PArty Scrutineers
Who wins the seat in each electoral district?
- The candidate with the most votes
What does the electoral system determine?
- How votes are translated into seats in the House of Commons
What is the Single Member plurality System also known as?
- First Past the Post
- Winner Takes All
Explain a First Past the Post or Single Member Plurality System.
- non-proportional electoral system
- % of votes won by a party is often not the same to the % of seats won by the party
What does the SMP/FPTP system often lead to?
- Discrepancies between the % of votes a party receives & the % of seats the party wins
What are the Pros of SMP/FPTP?
- Easy to understand
- Often leads to a majority government
- Offers clear representation
Why is SMP/FPTP easy to understand?
- Candidate with most votes wins
- Party with most seats wins
Why are majority governments considered a pro?
- More effective and efficient
- More stable
How does SMP/FPTP offer clear representation?
- 1 MP per Electoral district
What are some disadvantages of the SMP/FPTP?
- Outcomes considered unfair
Why are the results of SMP/FPTP considered unfair?
- A party’s share of the vote seldom reflects its share of seats
What are some disadvantages of SMP/FPTP?
- Votes wasted
- Over-reward major parties, with concentrated support
- Fewer women candidates are selected
- Losing candidate’s votes do not count at all
How are votes wasted in the SMP/FPTP?
- winning candidate only needs one more vote than their opponent to win
what party benefits from concentrated support in the SMP/FPTP system?
- BQ
What did Justin Trudeau promise about the electoral process after the 2015 election?
- Electoral Reform (no more FPTP)
Who is the Chief Electoral Officer?
- Overseas the election
- Impartial
Who are the returning Officers (RO)?
- Oversee administration of elections in each of the electoral districts
What happened post-2006 for the ROs?
- Must be impartial
How is the voters’ list formed?
- Through government information sources
What categories do the different types of electoral systems fall into?
- Proportional
- Non-Proportional
what category does SMP fall under?
- Non-proportional electoral system
What was the Election Finance Law from 1974-2003 meant to do?
- Make the system more equitable, transparent, and participatory
What did the Election Finance Law state? (4)
- Ceiling placed on party & candidate spending
- Contributions of $100 or more disclosed
- Tax Credit provisions
- Candidates with 15% or more of vote would have expenses subsidized
What is the Post-2003 Election Finance Law revisions?
- Restrict corporate & union contributions
- Limit individual contributions to $5000/year
- Compensate parties for loss of contributions they received a $1.75 per vote subsidy
What were the Post-2003 election finance law revisions meant to do?
- Reduce financial inequity between parties
- Address scandal to do with corporate donations to parties
What were some changes from the Federal Accountability Act, 2006?
- Candidates who receive 10% votes reimbursed 60% for election expenses
- Parties receive 50% rebate of election expenses
What was the per vote subsidy changed to in 2008?
- $2
What was the per vote subsidy changed to in 2011?
- Reduced by 1/3 for 2012-2015
- Phased out post-2015
Post 2015: Describe the reimbursements for political parties?
If comply with financial reporting provisions of Canada Elections Act and receive 2% federal vote or 5% electoral district vote: 50% reimbursement of paid election expenses & 90% reimbursement for paid accessiblity expenses up to $250k
Are there any pre-election spending restrictions? Why might this be an issue?
NO
- benefits large party
What are some reforms to party and election finance since 2006?
- Ban on corporate and union contributions
- Individual contributions limit of $1650/year
- Contributions eligible for 75% tax credit for contributions up to $400
- Contributions of $200 or more disclosed
What did the Elections Act, 2000, impose on third-party advertising during campaigns?
- $150k limit
What was the third-party advertising during campaign limit adjusted to in 2011?
- $188k
