Decoding: Provincial Elections

by Apathy is Boring — April 26, 2010


Provincial elections are not to be neglected--they are one step up from the municipal, not quite on the same level as federal, but just as important as both. Here's a look into the basics of what you need to know about them.

Why Care?

Voting in provincial elections is no small matter. Provincial governments have a great deal of power over some very important social services we all need and care about--namely health care, transportation, welfare, and education. Sometimes these overlap with issues the federal government also takes care of, e.g. immigration. Funding comes both from tax dollars and money transferred from the federal government; either way, beginning with us at the source, so it's a good idea to help decide how that money is spent.


Where Your Vote Goes

There is a single legislative house in provincial governments, called the Legislative Assembly (House of Assembly in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador; National Assembly in Quebec). The election process is a little similar to that of federal elections (see Decoding Federal Elections) and the House of Commons; votes go to elect representatives to seats, with the leader of the party with the most representation elected to the position for head of government, or Premier. The Northwest Territories and Nunavut are exceptions to this; they don't have a Premiership.

How to Vote

Most provinces have political parties that are essentially equivalent to ones at the federal scale--Liberal, Conservative, etc--though they might not officially be connected. To find out when and where to vote, head to Election Almanac, a great website to keep track of information like election dates, participating parties, and voting results. In different provinces, there are different rules as to who can vote--in Quebec, for instance, you need to be a resident starting from at least six months before the election date. You can look up each province's requirements through their elections website.

 

In short, it's pretty easy to see why it's a good idea to vote in provincial elections--a lot of what provincial governments control affects your daily life. Keep an eye out for the next election date, get informed on political parties, and exercise your right.

 

Source:"Provincial Government." The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica-Dominion.

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A - L

Aboriginal peoples, Adjournment, Amendment, Back Bencher, Bicameralism, Bill, British North America Act (BNA Act), Budget, Bureaucracy, Cabinet, Cabinet Shuffle, Campaign, Canada – United States Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA), Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), Caucus, Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Chief Justice, Closure, Coalition government, Committee of the Whole, Confidence Motion, Constitution, Democracy, Department of National Defence (DND), Dilatory Motion, Dissolution, Division of Powers, Election, Electoral System, Executive, Federation, Filibuster, First Nations, First past the Post, First Reading, Fiscal Imbalance, Fringe Party, Government, Government Bill, Governor General, Hansard, Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition (Official Opposition), House of Commons, Ideology, In Camera, International Monetary Fund (IMF), Inuit, Joint Committee, Judiciary, Leader of the Opposition, Legislative Committee, Legislative Supremacy, Legislature, Lieutenant Governor, Lobbying,

M - Z

Majority Government, Métis, Minister, Ministry, Minority Government, Motion, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD), North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Notice of Motion, Notice Paper, Order of Precedence, Order Paper, Paired Vote, Parliamentary Privilege, Party Convention, Party Whip, Point of Order, Political Party, Président, Previous Question, Prime Minister, Prime Ministers Office (PMO), Private Bill, Private Members' Bill, Privy Council, Proportional Representation, Prorogation, Prorogue, Question Period, Repatriate, Report Stage, Riding, Royal Assent, Sanction royale, Second Reading, Seigneurial system, Senate, Senate reform, Session, Sitting, Speaker, Special Committee, Speech from the Throne, Standing Committee, Subcommittee, Supreme Court of Canada, The Notwithstanding Clause, The Privy Council Office, The World Bank (WB), Third Reading, United Nations (UN), Voting, Westminster Model, World Trade Organization (WTO), Written Questions,

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