Federal Elections Flashcards
What do we vote for?
We vote for people who we want to represent us in the house of commons
Members of House of Commons= MPs
When Are Elections
They are on the 3rd Monday in October, Every 4 years
Prime Minister can ask Governot General to call an earlier election
Electoral districts
- 308 of them
- Called ridings/constituencies
- Each is a geographical area represented by am MP
- Any canadian of 18 years or older can run
Voting
Can vote ig you are:
- Canadian citizen
- 18 or older
- On voter’s list
Voter’s list produced from a database called National Register of Elections
We have the right to Secret Ballot- No one sees it
After Elections
- Leader of the party with the most seats gets appointed Prime Minister by governor general
Majority government: Party in power holds at least 1/2 of the seats
Minority government: Party in power does not hold the 1/2 of the seats
- They can only be in power if they have confidence of majority of MPs
- When there’s an important vote (like a budget), if they lose, tehy have to resign
What Does the Prime Minister Choose
Ministers of the Crown
- Run the government
- Prime minister+ ministers= cabinet. They:
- Make budget
- Propose laws
Opposition
- Not in power
- They try to improve government proposals
Parties:
- Conservative
- Liberal
- New Democratic Party
Municipal Government
Have a council that passes by-laws that only count in local community
- Have a mayor/reeve
- Also have councillors/aldermen
- Responsible for:
- Urban/ regional planning
- Streets+ roads
- Sanitation
- Snow removal
- Firefighting
- Ambulance + emergency services
- Recreation facilities
- Public transport
- Some health + Social Services