PowerPoint 5: Ridings and Local Candidates

Opening Discussion Have you ever voted for something before? How was the winner decided? Did you think the process was fair? Why or why not?

What is a political ideology? A political ideology is a set of shared ideas or beliefs about how politics and government should function. Common ideologies include liberalism, conservatism, and socialism. Others include communism and fascism.

What is a political party? A political party is a group of like-minded individuals with a shared vision and common political ideology. Anyone above the required age can be a member of a political party — for most parties, that age is 14. Party members work together to achieve power through an election, form government and create meaningful political change. Each party also selects a leader, usually through a leadership contest or vote.

Federal Political Parties There are 20 registered political parties in Canada. Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada Bloc Québécois Canadian Action Party Christian Heritage Party of Canada Communist Party of Canada Conservative Party of Canada Democratic Advancement Party of Canada Forces et Démocratie Green Party of Canada Liberal Party of Canada Libertarian Party of Canada Marijuana Party Marxist-Leninist Party of Canada New Democratic Party Party for Accountability, Competency and Transparency Pirate Party of Canada Progressive Canadian Party Rhinoceros Party The Bridge Party of Canada United Party of Canada

What is a party platform? A series of declared principles and policies on jurisdictional issues concerning government and the public. While all the political parties may agree that education is a priority, they may have different ideas about how to improve the system or which aspects to focus on. Political parties announce their platform through announcements, advertising and events, and share their ideas to attract support from voters.

Conservative Party

New Democrat Party

Liberal Party

Green Party

How does a party form government? The party that elects the most number of representatives or wins the most seats usually forms government. At the federal level, the leader of the party that forms government becomes the prime minister. After the 2011 federal election, the Conservative Party formed government with 166 out of 308 legislative seats.

2011 Federal Election Results Political PartyCandidates Elected Conservative Party of Canada166 New Democratic Party103 Liberal Party of Canada34 Bloc Québécois4 Green Party of Canada1 Other affiliations0

2011 Federal Student Vote Results Political PartyCandidates Elected Conservative Party of Canada130 New Democratic Party113 Liberal Party of Canada47 Bloc Québécois6 Green Party of Canada5 Other affiliations0

What is a riding? A riding, also known as an electoral district or constituency, is a geographical area represented by an elected official. The size of a riding is determined by population size and geographical features. Urban ridings are small and densely populated, while rural ridings are large and sparse.

What is an MP? At the federal level in Canada, the elected official is called a Member of Parliament (MP). MPs represent the needs and interests of their constituents (people living in their riding) and address issues at the local level. Canadians will elect 338 MPs in the current federal election.

What is an electoral system? An electoral system is the way that citizens’ choices, expressed as votes, are translated into legislative seats. All electoral systems have three basic elements: –District magnitude: the number of members elected per riding –Ballot type: the way in which choices are presented to voters –Electoral formula: the method for determining which candidate gets elected

What is Canada’s electoral system? Canada uses a system called First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) or Single-Member Plurality. Citizens elect one member per riding. Citizens can only choose one candidate on the ballot. The winning candidate must receive at least one more vote than any other candidate. This is also known as a plurality.

How does First-Past-The-Post work? An example of FPTP, in a riding with 100 ballots cast. CANDIDATENUMBER OF VOTES Leila (Banana Party) 40 Mohamed (Pear Party) 15 Emma (Apple Party) 11 Thomas (Independent) 34 Leila wins because she has the most votes (40), even though most voters chose someone else (60 voters).

How does someone run for election? Elections Canada is the independent, non-partisan agency responsible for conducting federal elections. A person running for election is called a candidate. Any person who wants to run in the federal election must file nomination papers with Elections Canada by the nomination deadline (21 days before election day – September 28). Political parties select candidates to run for their party in ridings across the country. Candidates can also run as an independent or without any association to a party. Elections Canada posts the names of the candidates on their website:

Your Own Political Views Your political views are developed from your experiences, personal values and opinions. Your views are also shaped by talking to people whose opinions you respect, researching media and by reflecting on your values.

Getting to know the Candidates There are many ways to gather information about your local candidates: town hall meetings or candidate debates, radio and television, newspaper and magazines, websites and social media, and campaign offices and events. To make an informed decision, it is helpful to reflect on how you feel about the topics discussed throughout the campaign.

Andrew Saxton, Conservative Some items from the Conservative platform: Promise to balance the budget this fiscal year. Passed Bill C-51, with broad new powers to the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) to expand surveillance and actively disrupt threats to national security. Agreed with other G7 nations to move to a low-carbon economy by 2050 and eliminate use of fossil fuels by the end of the century.

Carleen Thomas, NDP Some items from the NDP platform: Create $15-a-day national child care program, and create or maintain one million affordable child care spaces across Canada. Repeal Bill C-51, the anti- terrorism act. Immediately decriminalize marijuana, where users aren’t criminally prosecuted

Jonathan Wilkinson, Liberal Some items from the Liberal platform: Make amendments to anti- terrorism Bill C-51 Put a price on carbon pollution that allows provinces to design their own carbon pricing policies. Legalize pot and allow it to be sold – and taxed – in approved outlets.

Claire Martin, Green Some items from the Green platform: Accelerate construction of green infrastructure, ensuring a majority of Canada’s energy needs come from renewable sources by Ban unpaid internships Repeal all the government’s criminal laws creating mandatory minimum sentences.

Laurence Watt, Libertarian Some items from the Libertarian platform: End all forms of corporate welfare Repeal section 91 and 92 of the Criminal Code to make responsible gun possession legal End the war on drugs by legalizing cannabis and immediately decriminalizing the consumption and possession of drugs.

Payam Azad, Independent This candidate is running as an independent. While he has signs up throughout North Vancouver, we were unable to find a website or information on his platform.

When do federal elections take place? Canada has fixed-date election legislation and, as required by the Canada Elections Act, a general election is to be held on the third Monday of October in the fourth calendar year following the polling day for the preceding general election. The 42 nd Canadian general election will take place on October 19, 2015.

Who is eligible to vote? You are qualified to vote in a Canadian federal election if: –You are a Canadian citizen, –You are at least 18 years of age on election day, –You can prove your identity and address. In order to cast a ballot in the election, you must be registered to vote.

How do I get registered to vote? You can call Elections Canada or visit to check, update or complete your registration. You can also register at the polling station on election day or at your returning office in advance Once registered, your contact information will be added to the National Register of Electors, which is used to create the voters list for each election. If you are on the voters list, you will receive a Voter Information Card (VIC) in the mail that tells you when, where and how to vote.

How do I confirm my identity and address? To vote, you need to prove your identity and address. You have three options: 1.Show one piece of government-issued ID with your photo, name and address. 2.Show two pieces of ID. Both pieces must have your name, and one must also have your address. 3.Show two pieces of ID with your name and have someone who knows you confirm your address.

How does the voting process work? 1.When you enter the polling place, an election worker greets you and shows you to the right table. 2.At your table, show your proof of identity and address. 3.The election worker will initial, fold and hand you a ballot. 4.Go behind the voting screen, mark and refold your ballot to keep it secret. 5.Return your ballot to the worker so they can tear off the tab. 6.Put your ballot in the box.

How do I mark my ballot? A ballot lists the names of the candidates running in your riding and their party association. Voting is done by secret ballot. No one except the voter knows the choice that was made. The voter must clearly mark the ballot with a single preference for it to be valid (e.g., checkmark, X, shading in).

Final Thoughts Are you ready to vote? Why or why not? What else do you want to know or research before making your decision? How can you encourage eligible voters who you know to cast their ballot?