Canadian elections are based on a system of ridings spread across the countries. The party or coalition that controls the majority of those ridings forms the government.
Canadian elections differ significantly from those held by the USA. In order to understand the Canadian government, you should realize some key differences in our political strucutre.
Canadian governments operate on three distinct levels. The House of Commons is an elected body of 301 members that come from 301 ridings spread across Canada. The governing party will usually select people from its elected members (very rare cases exist where a member is drawn from the ruling party--such as Brian Tobin) to form a cabinet. This cabinet will form the main decision making body of the government. The Prime Minister is the elected head of the ruling party. All three levels are handled within the same election.
No elections are held for the Senate. Its members are appointed on a case-by-case basis by the government of the day.
Once an election is called, the Prime Minister asks the Governor-General of Canada to dissolve parliament. The Governor-General, as the Queen's representative, acts as a constant figure during the period of transition. She (in this case - Her Excellency A. Clarkson) will basically dissolve parliament and the date of the election will be announced.
The House of Commons is divided into 301 seats, based on the ridings spread across Canada. Two scenarios exist in the formation of the government. A majority government is formed when the winning party wins 151 (50%+1) seats. If the leading party does not win 151 seats, it can form a minority government. By forming an alliance with other parties, the party with the most seats can form the government.
Each seat represents one riding. Of the total 301 seats (ridings), Ontario controls 103. These include 24 in Toronto. Quebec contributes 75 seats with 21 in Montreal. The maritime region contributes 32 seats (Nova Scotia - 11, Prince Edward Island - 05, New Brunswick - 10, Newfoundland - 07 ). The west contributes 88 seats (British Columbia - 34, Alberta - 26, Saskatchewan - 14 and Manitoba - 14). Each territory (Yukon, NWT, and Nunavut) sends one representative.
A variety of parties can run within each riding. The main parties are the Liberals, Progressive Conservatives, Alliance and New Democrats. These parties are only allowed to run one candidate in each riding. Several smaller parties, or even fringe parties, can also field candidates.
On the night of the election, people will report to their respective polling stations to vote. Under the Elections Act, people are allowed three consecutive hours away from work to vote. For those who cannot reach the polling stations, a special ballot can be sent in. For those who are serving abroad, a mail in ballot is usually provided. A great deal of effort is expended to ensure each citizen has every opportunity to vote. A moratorium is placed on reporting results until the last polls close on the west coast.
Ballots are marked by filling in an "x" beside the candidate's name. There are no punch machines or other equipment used in the ballot counting process. The ridings will elect one person that will sit in the house. This is done based on which candidate has the highest number of votes.
Once the members of the House have been selected the Prime Minister will choose his or her cabinet. These people (including the Prime Minister) work as the government policy makers and their constituents' representative. One this has been done, the business of running the nation carries on.
