1. Canadian Electoral System

2. A Mock Vote
An exercise for exploring how different voting systems work.
Follow the instructions and have fun with it!

3. What is “First Past the Post”?
Voting Systems: FPTP
What is “First Past the Post”?

4. Voting Systems: FPTP
“First Past the Post” gets its name from the early days of horse racing, when the first horse “past the post” won the race.
The winner gets the prize and the other candidates get nothing. That’s why FPTP is also called a “winner take all” system.
Whichever candidate gets the most votes is elected. The winning candidate doesn’t have to have a majority (half the votes) to win.

5. Voting Systems: FPTP
In Canada, all the major elections (including federal and all provincial elections) use the FPTP system.
Canada did not actively choose to use FPTP. It was inherited from the days of the British Empire.
FPTP is used mostly in the United Kingdom and by countries which are former British colonies.
FPTP was only intended to work in a 2 party system (Canada now enjoys more parties)

6. Voting Systems: PR
In democratic countries, there are two major types of voting systems: winner-take-all systems (like FPTP) and proportional systems.
There are several types of proportional systems. Together these are usually referred to as “proportional representation” or PR.
About 90 democratic nations use some form of PR for their electoral system.

7. Voting Systems: PR
PR is based on a very simple principle: The percentage of seats a party earns in government is equal to the percentage of people that voted for that party.
If 30% of electors vote for Party A, Party A gets 30% of the seats in the government. If 10% vote for party B, Party B gets 10% of the seats, etc..
In a proportional system, almost everybody casts a ballot that helps elect someone from the party they most want to represent them.

8. FPTP in Canada
“First Past the Post” is technically called a Single Member Plurality system.
Single member means that in every electoral division (usually called “ridings”) there can only be one winner to represent the entire constituency.
Plurality means that the person with the most votes wins, no matter what percentage of people voted for him or her.
The winner does not need a majority of votes.

9. FPTP in Canada
Canada is divided up into 338 federal ridings. In each riding, an election is conducted on a winner- take-all basis.
The candidate with the most votes (though often not a majority) in that riding gets a seat in Parliament.
The party with the most seats usually forms the government, no matter what percentage of voters cast ballots for that party.
If a party wins over half of the seats in Parliament, there will be a “majority” government.

10. Issues with Canada’s Elections
Low voter turn-out / voter apathy.
Young people don’t vote.
Strategic voting (aka tactical voting) vs. sincere voting.
“Tight races” and “safe seats”.
Negative campaigns & questionable tactics.

11. Real Canadian Election Results
Official Results of the 42nd General Election, 2015
Number and Percentage of Seats, by Party
Party
# of Seats
% of Seats
Conservative Party of Canada 99 29
New Democratic Party 44 13
Liberal Party of Canada
184 54
Bloc Quebecois 10 3
Green Party 1
0.3

12. Real Canadian Election Results
Official Results of the 42nd General Election, 2015
Percentage of Votes and Seats
Party
% of Vote
% of Seats
Conservative Party of Canada
31.9 29
New Democratic Party
19.7 13
Liberal Party of Canada
39.5 54
Bloc Quebecois
4.7 3
Green Party
3.4
0.3

13. Real Canadian Election Results
Quebec Provincial Election, 1998
The “wrong” result?
Party
# of Seats
% of Seats
% of Vote
Parti Quebecois 76
60.8
42.87
Liberal Party 48
38.4
43.55
Action-Democratique 1
0.8
11.81
Other
1.77

14. Real Canadian Election Results
The Bloc and the Greens, 2015
Are all votes equal?
605,864 votes = 1 seats
818,652 votes = 10 seats

15. Real Canadian Election Results
The New Brunswick Liberal Sweep, 1987
The missing opposition!
Party
# of Seats
% of Seats
% of Vote
Liberal Party 58
100
60.39
Progressive Conservative
28.59
NDP
10.55
Independent
0.47

16. Real Canadian Election Results
The 35th General Election, 1993
Party
# of Seats
% of Seats
% of Vote
Liberal Party of Canada
177
60.0
41.2
Bloc Quebecois 54
18.3
13.52
Reform Party 52
17.6
18.69
New Democratic Party 9
3.1
6.88
Progressive Conservative 2
0.7
16.04
Other 1
0.3
3.67

17. Comparing FPTP & PR Majority Majority Threshold Threshold (155 seats)

18. Comparing FPTP & PR
Distribution of seats based on the 2015 Federal Election results, under FPTP and PR
Party
FPTP PR
Conservative Party of Canada 99
108
New Democratic Party 44 68
Liberal Party of Canada
184
135
Bloc Quebecois 10 17
Green Party 1

19. Find out more about PR
It’s your country. Canada’s future belongs to you.