Parliament Membership in Canada

Canadian Parliament Membership

Canadian voters choose the members of Commons in national elections held at least once every five years. The prime minister chooses people for the Senate as vacancies arise, and the governor-general appoints them accordingly. Senators can hold office until age 75. The British sovereign appoints the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister. Although governor-generals have no term limits, most serve about five years.

Canadian citizens age 18 or older elect members of the House of Commons to represent electoral districts, known in Canada as ridings. Independent commissions draw up the ridings in Canada’s ten provinces and three territories so that each includes an approximately equal share of the national population. In 2006 there were 308 ridings, but the number of ridings changes with the population, as recorded by the census. Anyone who is eligible to vote in Canada is eligible to hold a seat in Commons. The candidate who receives a plurality (the most votes) for each district wins election. Candidates are generally sponsored by political parties, and they do not have to live in the district they represent.

There is no fixed date for parliamentary elections. Instead, the prime minister usually determines when an election will be held. Unless the government loses the support of Parliament and an early election must be called, most Parliaments last for four years before the prime minister asks the governor-general to call an election. Turnover in Commons is high (about 40 percent at each general election), which means that many MPs learn on the job.

The Senate usually has 105 members. Senate seats provide roughly equal regional representation. The four Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador) have 30 senators in total; Québec and Ontario have 24 each; and the four western provinces (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia) have a total of 24. The three sparsely populated northern territories (Nunavut, Northwest, and Yukon) have just 1 senator each. There is a provision for up to 8 additional senators 1 or 2 extra for each of the four regions, but this is very rarely used.

The governor-general appoints the senators on the prime minister’s recommendation. The Senate was designed to act as a check on the popularly elected House of Commons. As a result, senators are required to be at least 30 years old and possess at least C$4,000 worth of assets. In the 19th century, when the framers of the constitution established these requirements, they presumed that property ownership would make senators less prone to rash actions than MPs, who were not required to be property owners. To ensure that the Senate also protects regional interests, senators must reside in the province or territory from which they are appointed. Senators represent their provinces at large except in Québec, where senators represent senatorial districts. (1)

More about the Canadian Parliament

• Canadian Parliament
• Parliament Powers
• Parliament Constitutional Conventions
• Responsible Government
• Collective Ministerial Responsibility
• Individual Ministerial Responsibility
• Debates About Ministerial Responsibility
• Parliament Membership
• Parliament Structure
• House of Commons
• Senate
• Governor-General
• Parliamentary Sessions
• Legislative Process
• Influences on the Legislative Process
• History of Parliament
• Parliament (in General in Canada)
• Parliament (in the World)

Resources

Notes and References

1. Encarta Online Encyclopedia

See Also

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This entry was last updated: March 23, 2014