Canadian Citizenship Test: Federal elections practice questions

Check three gates: citizen, at least 18, and one member of Parliament per riding, chosen by secret ballot. The statutory date is the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year, and the Prime Minister may still ask for an earlier election. The government is the party that can keep the confidence of the House, usually the one with the most seats.

Question 1

To vote in a federal election, a person must be a Canadian citizen and

  1. at least 18 years old
  2. a homeowner
  3. born in Canada
  4. a member of a political party

Answer: at least 18 years old

The federal franchise belongs to Canadian citizens aged 18 and over. Owning a home, being born in Canada and joining a party are not requirements. Permanent residents, whatever their age, do not vote in federal elections. The property qualification is a nineteenth-century rule that has been gone for generations.

Question 2

Each federal riding elects

  1. one senator and one judge
  2. one member of the House of Commons
  3. three members, one from each of the largest parties
  4. the lieutenant governor

Answer: one member of the House of Commons

Each electoral district elects one member of Parliament to the House of Commons. Senators and judges are appointed. A lieutenant governor is appointed for a province, not elected by a riding. The multi-member idea belongs to some other voting systems, not to Canada's single-member ridings.

Question 3

The Canada Elections Act sets a general election for the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year after the last one. The Prime Minister may still

  1. cancel the secret ballot
  2. appoint the members of the House instead of holding the vote
  3. ask the Governor General to call an earlier election
  4. extend the House past five years in ordinary peacetime

Answer: ask the Governor General to call an earlier election

The fixed date does not stop the Prime Minister from asking the Governor General to dissolve Parliament sooner. The secret ballot is not cancellable by that request. Members of the Commons are elected, not appointed. In ordinary times the House cannot continue longer than five years; a longer extension is confined to war, invasion or insurrection.