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Canadian Federal Elections: How It Works

A guide to sources of information on the federal election

Overview

For a General Election, the following steps are taken. For more information, go to the More About How It Works page.

  1. The Prime Minister begins the process of calling an election by giving the Governor General an Instrument of Advice recommending that Parliament be dissolved.
  2. The Governor General issues a Proclamation dissolving Parliament.
  3. The Prime Minister presents an Order in Council recommending that Writs of Election be ordered.
  4. The Governor General issues a Proclamation for the Issuance of Writs of Election.
  5. The Chief Electoral Officer issues Writs to each Returning Officer ordering that an election be held in the riding for which the returning officer is responsible.
  6. The Writs state the date of the election and a deadline by which the Returning Officers must return the Writ to the Chief Electoral Officer with the name of the successful candidate written on the back.
  7. Within four days of the issue of the writ, each returning officer signs and issues a Notice of Election.
  8. Nominations open when the Notice of Election is issued and close at 2PM on Monday, the 21st day before polling day.
  9. At the close of voting, an election officer assigned to a polling station counts the votes in the presence of another election officer and either representatives of the candidates or, in their absence, two voters.
  10. The ballots, ballot boxes, and the results are given to the Returning Officers who confirm the results and return the Writs by a deadline stated in the Proclamation for the Issuance of Writs of Election.
  11. The Chief Electoral Officer receives the Writs and causes the names of the winners to be published in the Canada Gazette, Part I.