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Secret ballot
Canadian law secures the right to a secret ballot.
This means that no one can watch you vote and
no one should look at how you voted. You may
choose to discuss how you voted with others, but
no one, including family members, your employer
or union representative, has the right to insist
that you tell them how you voted. Immediately
after the polling stations close, election officers
count the ballots and the results are announced
on radio and television, and in the newspapers.
After an election
Ordinarily, after an election, the leader of the
political party with the most seats in the House
of Commons is invited by the Governor General
to form the government. After being appointed
by the Governor General, the leader of this party
becomes the Prime Minister. If the party in power
holds at least half of the seats in the House of
Commons, this is called a
majority government
.
If the party in power holds less than half of the
seats in the House of Commons, this is called a
minority government
.
The Prime Minister and the party in power run
the government as long as they have the support
or
confidence
of the majority of the MPs. When
the House of Commons votes on a major issue
such as the budget, this is considered a matter
of confidence. If a majority of the members of
the House of Commons vote against a major
government decision, the party in power is
defeated, which usually results in the Prime
Minister asking the Governor General, on behalf
of the Sovereign, to call an election.
The Prime Minister chooses the ministers of the
Crown, most of them from among members of
the House of Commons. Cabinet ministers are
responsible for running the federal government
departments. The Prime Minister and the
Cabinet ministers are called the Cabinet and
they make important decisions about how the
country is governed. They prepare the budget
and propose most new laws. Their decisions can
be questioned by all members of the House of
Commons.
The other parties that are not in power are known
as opposition parties. The opposition party with
the most members of the House of Commons is
the Official Opposition or Her Majesty’s Loyal
Opposition. The role of opposition parties is to
peacefully oppose or try to improve government
proposals. There are three major political parties
currently represented in the House of Commons:
the Conservative Party, the New Democratic
Party, and the Liberal Party.
House of Commons in
session
31
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