Federal Elections: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.How are Members of Parliament (MPs) chosen?

• Appointed by the Prime Minister
• Elected by voters in their local constituency (riding)
• Chosen by the provincial premiers
• Appointed by the Governor General

Answer: MPs are elected by the voters in their local electoral district, also called a riding or constituency. The candidate with the most votes wins.

Q2.Who is eligible to vote in a Canadian federal election?

• Anyone living in Canada
• A Canadian citizen who is at least 18 years old on voting day and on the voters' list
• Only property owners
• Permanent residents over 18

Answer: To vote federally you must be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old on voting day, and on the voters' list.

Q3.In Canada, are you obliged to tell anyone how you voted?

• Yes, you must tell your employer
• Yes, you must tell election officials
• No — the ballot is secret and no one can make you reveal your vote
• Only if you are asked by police

Answer: Canadian law guarantees a secret ballot. No one — not family, employers, or union reps — has the right to insist you reveal how you voted.

Q4.After a federal election, which party usually forms the government?

• The party chosen by the Senate
• The party with the most seats in the House of Commons
• The party with the most votes nationally regardless of seats
• The party selected by the Governor General's preference

Answer: Normally the party with the most seats in the House of Commons is invited by the Governor General to form the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister.

Q5.What is the difference between a majority and a minority government?

• A majority government has a female PM
• A majority government holds at least half the seats in the House of Commons; a minority holds fewer
• A minority government is appointed, not elected
• There is no difference

Answer: If the governing party holds at least half the seats in the House of Commons it is a majority government; if it holds fewer than half, it is a minority government.

Q6.An electoral district in Canada is also known as a:

• Province
• Riding or constituency
• Municipality
• Ward only

Answer: An electoral district — the area represented by one MP — is also called a riding or a constituency.

Q7.Under fixed-date legislation, federal general elections are scheduled for which day?

• The first Monday in July
• The third Monday in October, every four years
• January 1 every five years
• Any day the Senate chooses

Answer: Federal elections are set for the third Monday in October every four years, though the Prime Minister may ask the Governor General to call an earlier election.

Q8.What is the name of the independent agency that runs federal elections and maintains the voters' list?

• Statistics Canada
• Elections Canada
• The Senate
• The RCMP

Answer: Elections Canada is the neutral agency of Parliament that runs federal elections and maintains the National Register of Electors.

Q9.What is the role of the opposition parties?

• To run the government departments
• To peacefully oppose and try to improve government proposals
• To appoint the Cabinet
• To count the votes

Answer: Opposition parties peacefully oppose or try to improve government proposals. The largest is the Official Opposition (His Majesty's Loyal Opposition).

Q10.When you arrive to vote at your polling station, what do you do?

• Announce your choice aloud
• Go behind a screen and mark an X next to the candidate of your choice on a secret ballot
• Hand cash to the official
• Vote by show of hands

Answer: You go behind a screen to mark your secret ballot with an X beside your chosen candidate, then deposit it in the ballot box.

Q11.Besides federal elections, at which other levels of government do Canadians elect representatives?

• Only municipal
• Provincial/territorial and municipal (local) governments
• Only the Senate
• International bodies only

Answer: Canadians vote in three kinds of elections: for federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal (local) governments.

Q12.What is the minimum voting age in a Canadian federal election?

• 16 years old
• 18 years old
• 19 years old
• 21 years old

Answer: To vote in a federal election you must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on election day.

Q13.What is a by-election?

• A second vote held to break a tie
• An election in a single riding to fill a seat that became vacant between general elections
• A vote held only in the Senate
• A recount ordered by the courts

Answer: A by-election is called to fill a vacancy in a single electoral district (riding) when a seat opens up between general elections.

Q14.What is the card called that Elections Canada mails to tell registered voters when and where to vote?

• A ballot
• A voter information card
• A passport
• A census form

Answer: If you are on the voters' list, Elections Canada mails you a voter information card telling you when and where to vote.

Q15.What can you do if your name is not on the voters' list when an election is called?

• You are not allowed to vote that year
• You can register, including at your polling station
• You must wait for the next election
• You must write to the Prime Minister

Answer: If you are not on the voters' list you can still register to vote, including at the advance polls or on election day at your polling station.

Q16.What are 'advance polls'?

• Opinion surveys taken before an election
• Polling stations open on set days before election day for those who cannot vote that day
• A way to vote twice
• Polls run by political parties

Answer: Advance polls let voters cast their ballots on designated days before official election day if they are unable to vote on that day.

Q17.How is the winning candidate in each riding determined in a Canadian federal election?

• The candidate must win more than half of all votes
• The candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority
• The candidate chosen by the other parties wins
• The two top candidates share the seat

Answer: In each electoral district the candidate who receives the most votes wins the seat, whether or not that is more than half the votes cast.

Q18.True or False: Canadians vote directly for the person they want to be Prime Minister.

• True
• False

Answer: False. Voters elect a Member of Parliament for their riding; the leader of the party with the most seats normally becomes Prime Minister.

Q19.Who may ask the Governor General to call a federal election?

• The Chief Electoral Officer
• The Prime Minister
• The Speaker of the House
• The Senate

Answer: The Prime Minister may ask the Governor General to call an election, which can occur before the fixed election date set in law.

Q20.True or False: A voter's choice on the ballot is private and protected by a secret ballot.

• True
• False

Answer: True. The secret ballot means how you vote is private; no one has the right to watch you vote or demand to know your choice.