Canadian federal elections

What is a federal election?

In a federal election, Canadians choose who will represent them in the House of Commons. The results decide which party forms the government and who becomes prime minister.

Canada uses a parliamentary system, so voters do not vote for the prime minister directly. They vote for a local candidate in their riding.

Ridings and MPs

Canada is divided into electoral districts called ridings. Since the 2025 election there are 343 ridings, each electing one Member of Parliament (MP). Ridings are redrawn after each census so they have roughly similar populations, although rural and northern ridings are often smaller in population.

How the voting system works

Canada uses first-past-the-post, also called single-member plurality.

• In each riding, the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they did not get more than half.
• The party that wins the most ridings usually forms the government.

Notice that 60% of voters chose someone else, but Party A still wins. Because of this, a party can win a majority of seats with well under half of the national vote. Critics argue this is unfair to smaller parties; supporters say it gives clear results and a strong local link between MPs and their communities.

Majority and minority governments

To form a majority government, a party needs more than half the seats: 172 of 343.

• In a majority government, the governing party can usually pass its bills on its own.
• In a minority government, the governing party has the most seats but not a majority. It needs support from other parties to pass bills and survive confidence votes.

When are elections held?

• The Charter says no House of Commons may last longer than five years without an election.
• Federal law sets a fixed election date: the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year after the previous election.
• However, elections can happen earlier if the prime minister asks the Governor General to dissolve Parliament, or if the government loses a confidence vote.
• An election campaign lasts at least 36 days and no more than 50 days.

Political parties

A political party is a group of people with shared ideas who run candidates and try to form government. Canada has several major federal parties, as well as smaller ones, and some candidates run as independents. Parties publish a platform explaining what they would do if elected.

Who can vote?

• Canadian citizens aged 18 or older on election day
• Voters must prove their identity and address
• Voters can vote on election day, at advance polls, by mail, or at an Elections Canada office

Each voter marks a paper ballot in private. The secret ballot protects voters from pressure.

Elections Canada

Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that runs federal elections. It:

• registers voters and sets up polling stations
• counts votes and reports results
• enforces rules on campaign spending and donations
• educates the public about voting

After the election

The Governor General invites the leader most likely to have the confidence of the House to form a government, usually the leader of the party with the most seats. That person becomes prime minister and chooses a Cabinet.

Try it yourself

1. Find out the name of your riding and your current MP.
2. Using the sample results table, explain how a party can win with less than half the votes.
3. Compare first-past-the-post with a proportional system. Which would you choose and why?
4. Hold a classroom election with ridings and see how the seat results compare with the total vote.

Quick recap

• In federal elections, Canadians elect one MP per riding.
• First-past-the-post means the candidate with the most votes wins.
• A majority needs more than half the seats; a minority needs other parties’ support.
• Elections must happen at least every five years and usually follow a fixed date.
• Elections Canada runs fair, non-partisan elections.