The list of electors took considerable time to compile. It is maintained and updated on a regular basis.Įlection campaigns once took about 60 days. Since the 1997 federal election, elections have been conducted from a permanent electoral register. Generally, a person’s name must appear on an official list of voters to vote. ( See also Human Rights Women’s Suffrage.) ( See also Voting Rights Collection.) Now, subject to only a very few special constraints, any Canadian citizen at least 18 years old may vote. It has been expanded at times by Parliament in response to social pressures and at other times by courts interpreting the right to vote as it is expressed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Over time, the right to vote has become more universal. Even then, only those who met a property qualification were able to do so. Until 1918, only men over the age of 21 had the right to vote in Canada. Canada’s electoral process is now national the same basic rules are in force throughout the country.Ī reimagined advertisement for the mock parliament held at Walker Theatre, January 1914, in which Nellie McClung took part and helped advanced the cause of women's suffrage. This laid the foundations for the present system. The first national election provisions were enacted in 1885. They largely followed the rules and practices that the various provinces had inherited from pre-Confederation days. The general election campaigns of 1867, 18 were conducted in a highly decentralized manner. With Confederation in 1867, campaigns had to be extended over a vast geographical area. In the federal election of 1867, an average of fewer than 1,500 votes was cast in each constituency. ( See Political Corruption Conflict of Interest.) The small size of the electorates facilitated a more personal approach to campaigning than is possible today. Voting was by a show of hands rather than by secret ballot bribery and intimidation were therefore a common and more-or-less accepted aspect of campaigns. Within each riding, voting might extend over two days. This increased their odds of retaining a seat. Party leaders and other notable figures often were candidates in more than one constituency. Opposition strongholds were left to the last so as not to discourage supporters of the government. This created a bandwagon effect that might persuade voters in more doubtful ridings to support the incumbents. This enabled the government to schedule the polling in its safest ridings at an early date. Different ridings voted on different days. ( See Local Government.) Unlike their modern counterparts, early elections did not lead up to a single polling day they were spread over several weeks. The goal was to elect as many of them as possible.Įarly election campaigns were largely a series of individual efforts in local constituencies. Once responsible government was achieved, recognized government officials and opposition leaders attempted to coordinate the campaigns of their followers. Until responsible government was established in the mid-19th century, the governor of each colony, as the appointed representative of the British Crown, frequently intervened in electoral campaigns they ensured the election of members who would co-operate with them and make the necessary funds available to their administration. ( See also Nova Scotia: The Cradle of Canadian Parliamentary Democracy.) ( See also Crown.) Representative political institutions were established in the British North American colonies of Lower Canada, Upper Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick before the end of the 18th century. They are represented by the governor general at the federal level and by a lieutenant-governor in each province. The head of state is the British monarch. Historical BackgroundĬanada is a constitutional monarchy. Notice of federal election in Canada in May 2011. Courtney, and Garth Stevenson, Accessed July 02, 2023, "Canadian Electoral System," by Terence H. Article published FebruLast Edited December 11, 2020. "Canadian Electoral System." The Canadian Encyclopedia.
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