Canada has strict election law so there is no campaign outside of the 30 - 50 day window, but that window has officially been opened so get ready to kiss some babies!
There are six major parties running in this election, though only the Liberal and Conservative really matter.
According to CBC’s Canada Poll Tracker, an aggregation of all publicly available polling data, the Conservatives and Liberals are now deadlocked, after the Tories had enjoyed a lead stretching back to February and the start of the SNC-Lavalin affair.
The Liberals are at this moment projected to win the most seats — but whether any party can secure a majority after the 40-day campaign remains to be seen.
That makes the fight for third place especially interesting to watch.
The NDP, which is fighting against sinking polling figures and a diminished war chest, is trying to pitch itself as a viable alternative to the two front-runners and appeal to progressive voters embittered by the Liberals’ last four years in office.
Party leaders blast Trudeau for skipping the first debate.
Candidate for the Green party drops out of local race due to facebook post criticizing Muslims.
Liberal promise to expand first time home buyer program (Housing market is insane in Canada many younger people can’t afford to buy average price is 480,000)
NDP promise new healthcare funding in Ontario for Hospitals.
a pressing issue in Quebec is their secularism law which ban public employee the right to wear religious clothing at work.
we keep it simply with paper ballets, there will be 2-6 names on the ballet depending on the number of parties running in your district names are in alphabetical order with party listed beside it. You simply fill in the circle next to the name (they are big circles so you can’t mess up)
Election Canada an independent agency is in charge of Federal election Parliament has no control over district mapping.
Canada has automatic voter registration, so you simply need to provide ID proving your name, age, address at the polling station to vote.
Thanks CJ. We use pencils and paper as well. In the Senate for NSW and Victoria the ballot paper is measured in feet rather than inches. We have preferential voting in the House of Reps so the names are drawn randomly on the ballot paper and you need to number from 1 upwards to the maximum. In some cases that can be upwards of 10.
We have a similar arrangement where we have a federal and states electoral commission that control the drawing up of the boundaries and conduct of the election. We don’t have automatic registration but by law when you turn 18 you are required to enrol. You can enrol in some circumstances at 16 but you can’t vote unless you are 18. We also have compulsory attendance at a polling place but no ID is required.
Do you have an upper house as well? Also, do you have a TV and radio embargo in the last day before voting?
I think most Canadian would commit suicide if we had to live in the U.S election cycle, my co-workers and friends are already complaining that 5 weeks is to long.
Unfortunately, the First Amendment would make an election embargo impossible in the United States.
I wish formal campaigning could be limited to the 33rd day before the election to the 3rd day before the election, with campaigning prohibited outside that period.
At least that way we would only have to be tormented for a relatively limited period with campaign ads.
