Vox populi

Gaining the support of the Canadian people is one of the concerns of elected officials seeking to form a responsible government that hopes to stay in power. When a new government is to be elected, all Canadian citizens aged 18 and over can exercise their right to vote by secret ballot in one of the 308 federal electoral districts. This right is guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which is enshrined in the Constitution. The Charter cannot be amended by Parliament alone or by a provincial legislature alone.

A parliamentary term cannot extend beyond five years. Generally, elections are held every four years. The prime minister can call an election by asking the governor general to dissolve Parliament.

In Canada, the candidate with the most votes in an electoral district wins the seat. The number of votes for the winner may be less than 50% of the total votes cast.

Every 10 years, commissions are established to make necessary changes to electoral boundaries based on demographic and socio-economic factors. These boundaries are set in such a way that each elected member will represent roughly the same number of voters.

The mandate to conduct an election or referendum at any time has been assigned to Elections Canada, an independent and non-partisan body that reports directly to Parliament. It is headed by the Chief Electoral Officer, who acts as an ombudsman in applying the Canada Elections Act. The Chief Electoral Officer supervises elections and keeps a register of political parties, in addition to registering them according to the provisions of the law. To be registered, a party must field at least 50 candidates in a general election.