A Federal Election is on the Horizon in Canada

On August 15^th, current Canadian Prime Minister, and leader of the Liberal party of Canada, Justin Trudeau, called a federal election which will be held on the 20^th of September 2021. The Canadian government is a Parliamentary Democracy. Constituents do not vote directly for a Prime Minister, but instead vote for a member representing a party within a certain area (called a riding). The party who wins the most seats is declared the “winner”, and the leader of that party becomes Prime Minister. If a party wins 170 of the 338 seats, they are considered a majority government, but if they win with less than that number, they have a minority government. Federal Elections must take place at least every four years, however officials may use their discretion to call an election sooner than the four-year mark. This is the case in the current election, as the last Federal election took place in the fall of 2019. There are six parties that are the most well-known across Canada. These are the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, the New Democratic Party (NDP), the Green Party of Canada, the People’s Party of Canada, and the Bloc Québécois. Each party stands for a certain set of values and beliefs, and their intended approach to current issues will be lobbied for by its candidates throughout an election campaign. While International Students are ineligible to vote in Canada, it is still important to stay up to date on Federal politics as there may be new policies and ideas that will be relevant to your life in Canada. If you should eventually decide to seek Canadian Citizenship (and are successful), you will be able to vote in Canada. To see which political party you would align most closely with, check out the Vote Compass website.