Scroll down to see CA’s Brief Backgrounder on “Canadian Elections & What You Need to Know!”
To no one’s surprise, Prime Minster Mark Carney met with the Governor-General to seek a dissolution of the current Parliament and the issuing of the writs for a general election. Canadians will therefore be going to the polls on Lundi, Avril 28th, to elect Members of Parliament in some 343 constituencies across Canada (up from 338 in the current Parliament). This election is being viewed as one of the most consequential of our times – probably the most important since the free trade election of 1988 – as it is occurring during the opening rounds of a tariff and trade war initiated by Donald Trump and the U.S. and under Trump’s oft repeated threat to annex Canada and turn us into “the 51st state”. It is expected at this point that the issue of who is best to deal with Trump and the tariff/trade war will dominate the campaign.
In his remarks announcing the election, Prime Minister Carney stated that “We are now over the shock of the betrayal, but we shall never forget the lessons!” All other party leaders echoed a similar sentiment pledging to fight for Canadian sovereignty.
CA will continue to update you during the election period on issues and developments that will be of particular interest to our industry.
Backgrounder to Canadian Elections
What Is Up for Election & Who Can Vote?
By way of background, the general election is being conducted to elect Members of Parliament for 343 electoral districts (commonly known as constituencies or ridings) spread across the country. Members are elected by a “first past the post” electoral system. To vote, an elector must be a Canadian citizen, 18 years of age or older on the day of the election and have their principal residence in the electoral district in which they are voting (with some exceptions for students and people working abroad).
What Are the Limitations of Campaign Donations & Expenses?
Strict campaign finance laws are in place which restrict how much individuals (and you must be a Canadian citizen to contribute). For 2025, these are set at a maximum of $1,750 in total to all political parties, and $1,750 in total to all riding associations and individual candidates. Political parties and candidates are also limited to what they can spend during an election period (which we are now in). For political parties, there are limits as to what can be spent on their national campaign including limits on paid advertising. For individual candidates, they are restricted in campaign spending on an amount based on the number of electors in their districts. Estimates for the 2025 election suggest this amount is ~$125,000 or less depending on the number of electors in a riding. Candidates and parties are entitled to rebates of eligible expenses. For a candidate, they will receive a rebate of 60% of their eligible expenses if they receive 10% of the votes cast. Parties will be rebated 50% of their eligible expenses if they get 2% of the note nationally or 5% of the votes in the districts in which they have candidates.
Third parties are also restricted in what they can spend on “regulated activities” , which includes paid advertising, to $602,700 overall, and $5,166 in a given electoral district.
This means that unlike U.S. elections, running for office in Canada is much more affordable for both candidates and parties, nor are campaigns as likely to be influenced by third party interventions or paid advertising.
Political Parties, Seats, and Competitiveness?
There are currently five parties with MPs in Parliament who elected the following number of MPs in the last election in 2021: the Liberals (160), Conservatives (119), New Democrats (25), Bloc Quebecois (32), and Greens (2). Since 2021, there has been redistribution of districts based on the latest census with the total increasing to 343 from 338. The re-distribution of boundaries was conducted by independent boundary commissions in each province rather than legislatures or parliament and so they are not considered to have been gerrymandered. The majority of districts are considered competitive by at least two, if not more, of the parties.
Who Emerges as the Winner (the Government) in a Multi-Party Parliamentary Democracy (the Westminster Model)?
A party will require 172 seats to form a majority government in which their leader becomes Prime Minister.
Should no party elect 172 or more MP’s, then the party which can secure the support of 172 or more MPs for motions of confidence and support will get to form the government with its leader becoming Prime Minister. The leader of the party with the most seats, but not a majority, would not automatically get to form a government. In some circumsatnces this may not get settled until Parliament returns and the incumbent government puts the question of “confidence” to the newly elected House. If they are sustained, they continue in government. If not, the leading opposition party is asked to try and form a government that can have the confidence of a majority in Parliament. (As would be the case in the U.K. Parliament at Westminster.)
