41st Canadian federal election
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Canadian federal election (formally the 41st Canadian general election) was held Monday, May 2, 2011, to elect members to the House of Commons
of the 41st Canadian Parliament
.
The writs of election
for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General
David Johnston
on March 26. Prime Minister
Stephen Harper
advised the Governor General to dissolve parliament after the House of Commons passed a motion of non-confidence
against the government, finding it to be in contempt of parliament
. A few days before, the three opposition parties had rejected the government's proposed budget.
The Conservative Party
remained in power, increasing their number of seats from a minority
to a majority government
. The Liberal Party
won the fewest seats in their history, and party leader Michael Ignatieff
was defeated in his riding
. The Bloc Québécois
lost official party status
for the first time since their first election, and party leader Gilles Duceppe
was also defeated in his riding
. The New Democratic Party
won the largest number of seats in their history, enabling them to form the Official Opposition
for the first time. Green Party
leader Elizabeth May
won the first ever elected seat
for that party in the Canadian parliament.
resulted in the continuation of the incumbent Conservative
minority government, headed by Stephen Harper
. This sitting of the legislature was marked by two controversial prorogations
: the first in December 2008 which ended an attempted opposition coalition
, and the second a year following, which prompted public protests
. Following the first prorogation, Ignatieff and the Liberal Party provided support for the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper
. On August 31, 2009, the Liberals withdrew their backing but the NDP under Jack Layton
abstained and the Conservatives survived the confidence motion.
Ignatieff's attempt to force a September 2009 election was reported as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election. Ignatieff's popularity as well as that of the Liberals dropped off considerably immediately afterwards.
In 2011, Elections Canada
laid charges against the Conservative Party
, alleging contraventions of the Canada Elections Act five years earlier. This issue, along with the Bloc Québécois announcing its intention to vote against the budget, unless it contained numerous changes including $2 billion in compensation to Quebec for harmonizing PST and GST and funding for a new NHL arena in Quebec City
, increased the speculation that there would be an election called soon as the Conservatives rejected the Bloc demands as "blackmail".
On March 9, 2011, Speaker
of the House of Commons Peter Milliken
ruled that Bev Oda
, a minister of the Crown
, and, separately, the Cabinet
itself could both possibly be in contempt of parliament
, the latter for its ongoing refusal to meet opposition requests for details of proposed bills and their cost estimates. Milliken directed both matters to committee and set as the deadline for its report March 21, 2011, one day before the budget was to be tabled. The committee found the government to be in contempt of Parliament. The vote divided along party lines, with the governing but minority Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) opposing the finding and issuing a dissenting report. After the committee released its findings, opposition leader and head of the Liberal Party
Michael Ignatieff
proposed a motion of no confidence
against the Crown-in-Council and, on March 25, 2011, the House of Commons voted on the motion, the majority agreeing, by a margin of 156 to 145, with the committee's conclusions. A cabinet being found in contempt of parliament is without precedent in Canada or any other Commonwealth country
. Earlier that week, all three opposition parties had indicated that they would oppose the government's budget; the NDP said that the concessions that the Conservatives made did not go far enough.
The voter turnout was estimated to be 61.4%.
remained in power, moving from a minority
to a majority government
by winning 166 of the 308 seats. The New Democratic Party
won the largest number of seats in their history, including a large majority of seats in Quebec
(where they had previously only ever elected two candidates) and formed the Official Opposition
for the first time. The Liberal Party
won the fewest seats in their history and party leader Michael Ignatieff
was defeated in his own riding
. The Bloc Québécois
, which had always won at least a majority of seats in Quebec in every election of their existence, lost nearly all their seats, and thus also their official party status
, including the seat of their leader Gilles Duceppe
. Green Party
leader Elizabeth May
became the first Member of Parliament
elected to represent the party.
ordered three judicial
recounts
, and an elector initiated a fourth. The Canada Elections Act
states that "a judicial recount is required when the difference in votes between the first- and second-place candidates is less than one one-thousandth of the total votes cast in a riding," and allows an elector or candidate in any riding to approach a judge and request a recount regardless of the final result. In all four ridings, Etobicoke Centre, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup
, Nipissing—Timiskaming
, and Winnipeg North
, the validated result was confirmed:
when it chooses his successor. Ignatieff took a teaching position at the University of Toronto
after his defeat in Etobicoke—Lakeshore
. He will teach classes in the law faculty, the department of political science, the Munk School of Global Affairs
and the School of Public Policy and Governance. Ignatieff stated that "The life that I like the best is teaching. It’s the end of my life as a politician". Bob Rae
, Liberal MP for Toronto Centre
and former Premier of Ontario (1990 to 1995, as a New Democrat), subsequently became interim leader
of the Liberal Party, with a Liberal leadership election scheduled for 2013.
Duceppe resigned as Bloc Québécois leader on election night following his defeat. Louis Plamondon
, MP for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour
and Dean of the House
, subsequently became interim parliamentary leader
of the Bloc, with a Bloc leadership election scheduled for December 11, 2011.
On July 25, 2011, Jack Layton took a leave of absence to fight a newly diagnosed cancer. Nycole Turmel
, former union leader and newly elected MP for Hull—Aylmer
, was named interim leader of the New Democratic Party. On August 22, Layton died
. Turmel became opposition leader. A NDP leadership election
is scheduled for March 24, 2012.
riding claimed that the nomination papers for Ruth Ellen Brosseau
, the newly-elected NDP Member of Parliament for the riding, had irregularities. Some of the alleged irregularities include writing an address instead of signing, missing signatures, people thinking they were signing a petition for the NDP to name a candidate in the riding and one person not remembering that he signed her nomination papers even though he admitted that the signature looks like his. The NDP denied the allegations. Elections Canada has insisted that Brosseau's nomination papers are legitimate. Elections Canada stated that "The decision to overturn or uphold the results is at the discretion of the courts and not Elections Canada".
, so that it doesn't happen in the first place. The New Democratic Party (NDP) stated that their promise to hire 2,500 more police officers to patrol the streets, will help in preventing crime from occurring in the first place.
jet fighters. Stating "Our defence policy is broken" the NDP announced that they would prioritize investment in naval ships over new fighter jets. The NDP stated that this would be a good opportunity to keep shipbuilding
expertise and jobs in Canada.
in four years. After the NDP surge, the Liberals called the NDP platform "science fiction
" stating it contains over $30 billion in new spending derived from sources that are not credible, and that implementing a cap and trade system that would take years to realize rather than provide the in-year contributions as claimed.
are the ones creating more jobs, thus he promised to lower the tax rate for small business from 11% to 9%. He then went on to say the big business are using the corporate tax cuts by providing their CEOs with big bonuses, and thus pledged to increase their tax rate to 19.5%. The Liberals on the other hand, will raise the rate to 18%, stating that it will be competitive but not excessivley low
and QPP benefits, in conjunction with the provinces, with an increase in payroll deductions of as much as 2.5 per cent.
in the upcoming referendum, the NDP promised to ensure that the penalties to be imposed by Ottawa on the HST agreement will be cancelled.
" and accused the Liberals of flip-flopping on issues such as corporate tax
cuts, and the Afghanistan mission
. Throughout the election various polls had shown the political honesty issue to be low on the list of priorities for voters. Post-media conducted a survey that found health care, the economy, taxes and jobs all more important to Canadians. Further, half of voters identified Harper as the best suited to be Prime Minister followed by Layton with one third support and Ignatieff with less than twenty percent support. On the question of a hidden agenda, Ignatieff is viewed by three times more of those polled to have a hidden agenda than Harper.
.
with the more left-leaning NDP and Bloc Québécois, despite repeated claims by the Liberals and NDP to the contrary.
. Due to outcry from Quebec over the pledge to provide loan guarantees for the Lower Churchill project, the Conservatives promise Quebec a $2.2 billion transfer to ease the Quebec Sales Tax to Harmonized Sales Tax
transition.
students seeking post-secondary education. The NDP's plan is to reduce the tuition fees, by increasing transfer payments to the Provinces.
– The NDP pledged to train 1,200 more doctors
and 6,000 more nurses. All parties promised to continue to increase healthcare transfers to provinces by 6% annually.
. The Liberals promised net neutrality as well as "functional separation" with regards to usage based billing as well as enshrining net neutrality in law, which would prevent bandwidth throttling
. Almost all of the established parties, with the exception of the Conservatives, outlined polices that they claim will improve Canadian Internet access.
rates at five percentage points above the Bank of Canada's prime interest rate.
On March 29, the consortium of broadcasters playing host to the debates (the CBC
, CTV
, Global
, Radio-Canada
and TVA
) announced that it would only invite the leaders of the four recognized parties in the House of Commons, namely, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic (NDP). Therefore the Green Party was excluded, despite earning 6.8 per cent of the popular vote in the 2008 federal election
.
On March 30, Stephen Harper challenged Michael Ignatieff to a one-on-one televised debate. Although Ignatieff accepted the challenge, this was opposed by the other opposition parties. The idea was later rejected by the broadcast consortium and cancelled.
On April 1, comedian Rick Mercer
suggested over Twitter hosting a one-on-one debate between Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff at Toronto's Massey Hall
. He later added he would donate $50,000 to the charities of their choosing if they were willing to participate. Ignatieff immediately accepted the challenge and named the Alzheimer Society
as his charity of choice, as his mother succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 1992. Harper did not respond to the challenge.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail
published on April 1, Troy Reeb, the broadcast consortium chairman, discussed the process behind setting up the leaders' debates and the rationale for various decisions made, including the decision to exclude the Green Party's leader Elizabeth May.
On April 5, the Federal Court rejected the Green Party's request for an expedited hearing on the matter prior to the scheduled debates.
On April 10, the date of the French leaders debate was changed from April 14 to April 13 due to worries of broadcasting conflicts with the NHL playoffs scheduled for April 14. Also on April 10, Elizabeth May participated in a panel interview on CHCH-TV
in Hamilton
, which she was invited to attend, as were the leaders of the Bloc, Liberals, New Democrats and Conservatives, by Channel Zero
, whose president was disappointed by May's exclusion from the leaders' debates.
. Forum organizers invited the leaders from all registered political parties who do not have seats in parliament. Parties were able to explain their platforms and responded to questions from the audience. As a forum, the goal was an inter-party discussion of major issues, however some debate did occur.
Participants in the forum were the Animal Alliance Environmental Voters
, the Canadian Action Party
, the Christian Heritage Party
, the Communist Party
, the First Peoples National
, the Libertarian Party
, the Marijuana Party
, the Marxist-Leninist Party
, the Rhinoceros Party, and the Pirate Party
.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May
refused to participate in the forum claiming they are not one of "the small, fringe parties."
A reversal of fortune began on April 16, when an Angus Reid poll indicated a tie in support for the NDP and the Liberals, both polling at 25%. The New Democrats' poll numbers then moved significantly ahead of the Liberals and slightly or moderately behind the Conservatives.
The surge began in Quebec, with the NDP surprising many observers by surpassing the previously front-running Bloc in Quebec. In the entirety of Canada, the NDP surged past the Liberals to take the second place behind the Conservatives; in Quebec, the NDP took first place. The NDP surge became the dominant narrative of the last week of the campaign, as other parties turned their attacks on the party. Ruth Ellen Brosseau
, the NDP
candidate in Berthier—Maskinongé
, won despite not running a campaign and having a holiday in Las Vegas
. The NDP's rise in popularity was nicknamed "Orange Crush", an allusion to the soft drink with the same name
and the party's colour.
The parties with the highest spending limits were:
The parties with the lowest spending limits were:
, advised to vote against the Conservatives.
>
Conservative
Green
Independent and no affiliation
Liberal
Libertarian
Marxist–Leninist
New Democrats
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
of the 41st Canadian Parliament
41st Canadian Parliament
The 41st Canadian Parliament is the current Parliament of Canada, with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2, 2011...
.
The writs of election
Writ of election
A writ of election is a writ issued by the government ordering the holding of a special election for a political office.In the United Kingdom and in Canada, this is the only way of holding an election for the House of Commons...
for the 2011 election were issued by Governor General
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
David Johnston
David Johnston
David Lloyd Johnston is a Canadian academic, author and statesman who is the current Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation....
on March 26. Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Canada
The Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
advised the Governor General to dissolve parliament after the House of Commons passed a motion of non-confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
against the government, finding it to be in contempt of parliament
Contempt of Parliament
In some countries, contempt of parliament is the offence of obstructing the legislature in the carrying out of its functions, or of hindering any legislator in the performance of his or her duties. The offence is known by various other names in jurisdictions in which the legislature is not called...
. A few days before, the three opposition parties had rejected the government's proposed budget.
The Conservative Party
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
remained in power, increasing their number of seats from a minority
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
to a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
won the fewest seats in their history, and party leader Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
was defeated in his riding
Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Etobicoke—Lakeshore is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
. The Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
lost official party status
Official party status
Official party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties in the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures. The type of recognition and threshold needed to obtain it varies...
for the first time since their first election, and party leader Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
was also defeated in his riding
Laurier—Sainte-Marie
Laurier—Sainte-Marie is a federal electoral district in Downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...
. The New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
won the largest number of seats in their history, enabling them to form the Official Opposition
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
for the first time. Green Party
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
leader Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
won the first ever elected seat
Saanich—Gulf Islands
Saanich—Gulf Islands is a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1988...
for that party in the Canadian parliament.
Background
The 2008 federal electionCanadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
resulted in the continuation of the incumbent Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
minority government, headed by Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
. This sitting of the legislature was marked by two controversial prorogations
Prorogation in Canada
Prorogation is the end of a parliamentary session in the Parliament of Canada and the parliaments of its provinces and territories. It differs from a recess or adjournment, which do not end a session, and from a complete dissolution of parliament, which ends both the session and the entire...
: the first in December 2008 which ended an attempted opposition coalition
2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute
The 2008–2009 Canadian parliamentary dispute was a political dispute during the 40th Canadian Parliament. It was triggered by the expressed intention of the opposition parties to defeat the Conservative minority government on a motion of non-confidence six weeks after the federal election on...
, and the second a year following, which prompted public protests
2010 Canada anti-prorogation protests
On 23 January 2010 there were numerous protests opposing the prorogation of the 40th Canadian Parliament. The prorogation had occurred a month earlier on 30 December 2009 on the constitutional advice of Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper and was officially carried out by Governor General...
. Following the first prorogation, Ignatieff and the Liberal Party provided support for the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper
Stephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
. On August 31, 2009, the Liberals withdrew their backing but the NDP under Jack Layton
Jack Layton
John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC was a Canadian social democratic politician and the Leader of the Official Opposition. He was the leader of the New Democratic Party from 2003 to 2011, and previously sat on Toronto City Council, serving at times during that period as acting mayor and deputy mayor of...
abstained and the Conservatives survived the confidence motion.
Ignatieff's attempt to force a September 2009 election was reported as a miscalculation, as polls showed that most Canadians did not want another election. Ignatieff's popularity as well as that of the Liberals dropped off considerably immediately afterwards.
In 2011, Elections Canada
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
laid charges against the Conservative Party
In and Out scandal
The "In and Out" scandal is an ongoing Canadian political scandal involving allegations of improper election spending on the part of the Conservative Party of Canada during the closely contested 2006 federal election. Parliamentary hearings into the issue led to a deadlocking of various committees,...
, alleging contraventions of the Canada Elections Act five years earlier. This issue, along with the Bloc Québécois announcing its intention to vote against the budget, unless it contained numerous changes including $2 billion in compensation to Quebec for harmonizing PST and GST and funding for a new NHL arena in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, increased the speculation that there would be an election called soon as the Conservatives rejected the Bloc demands as "blackmail".
On March 9, 2011, Speaker
Speaker of the Canadian House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons of Canada is the presiding officer of the lower house of the Parliament of Canada and is elected at the beginning of each new parliament by fellow Members of Parliament...
of the House of Commons Peter Milliken
Peter Milliken
Peter Andrew Stewart Milliken, UE is a Canadian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 until his retirement in 2011 and served as Speaker of the House for 10 years beginning in 2001. Milliken represented the Ontario riding of Kingston and the Islands as a...
ruled that Bev Oda
Bev Oda
The Hon. Beverley Joan "Bev" Oda, PC, MP is a Canadian politician. She is a current member of the Canadian House of Commons, as well as the first Japanese-Canadian MP and cabinet minister in Canadian history. She represents the riding of Durham for the Conservative Party of Canada. She was...
, a minister of the Crown
Minister of the Crown
Minister of the Crown is the formal constitutional term used in the Commonwealth realms to describe a minister to the reigning sovereign. The term indicates that the minister serves at His/Her Majesty's pleasure, and advises the monarch, or viceroy, on how to exercise the Crown prerogatives...
, and, separately, the Cabinet
Cabinet of Canada
The Cabinet of Canada is a body of ministers of the Crown that, along with the Canadian monarch, and within the tenets of the Westminster system, forms the government of Canada...
itself could both possibly be in contempt of parliament
Contempt of Parliament
In some countries, contempt of parliament is the offence of obstructing the legislature in the carrying out of its functions, or of hindering any legislator in the performance of his or her duties. The offence is known by various other names in jurisdictions in which the legislature is not called...
, the latter for its ongoing refusal to meet opposition requests for details of proposed bills and their cost estimates. Milliken directed both matters to committee and set as the deadline for its report March 21, 2011, one day before the budget was to be tabled. The committee found the government to be in contempt of Parliament. The vote divided along party lines, with the governing but minority Conservative Members of Parliament (MPs) opposing the finding and issuing a dissenting report. After the committee released its findings, opposition leader and head of the Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
proposed a motion of no confidence
Motion of no confidence
A motion of no confidence is a parliamentary motion whose passing would demonstrate to the head of state that the elected parliament no longer has confidence in the appointed government.-Overview:Typically, when a parliament passes a vote of no...
against the Crown-in-Council and, on March 25, 2011, the House of Commons voted on the motion, the majority agreeing, by a margin of 156 to 145, with the committee's conclusions. A cabinet being found in contempt of parliament is without precedent in Canada or any other Commonwealth country
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
. Earlier that week, all three opposition parties had indicated that they would oppose the government's budget; the NDP said that the concessions that the Conservatives made did not go far enough.
Campaign slogans
The parties' campaign slogans for the 2011 election:- Bloc Québécois: "Parlons Québec"
- Conservative Party: "Here For Canada / Ici pour le Canada" & "Ignatieff - He didn't come back for you!". The second one makes reference to Ignatieff living abroad for many years.
- Green Party: "It's Time" & "Canada needs Elizabeth May but only you can elect her"
- Liberal Party: "Rise Up Canada" & "Change we need, from a proven team." The first one refers to Harper's contempt charge. The second one was used after the NDP's surge in the opinion polls making reference to the fact they never formed a government and have relatively inexperienced candidates.
- New Democratic Party: "Working For Families / Travaillons ensemble", "You have a choice", & "That's Canadian Leadership"
Results
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The voter turnout was estimated to be 61.4%.
Results by province
| Party name | BC British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858... |
AB Alberta Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces... |
SK Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota.... |
MB Manitoba Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other... |
ON Ontario Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa.... |
QC Quebec Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.... |
NB New Brunswick New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area... |
NS Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the... |
PE Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population... |
NL Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400... |
YT Yukon Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in.... |
NT Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south... |
NU Nunavut Nunavut is the largest and newest federal territory of Canada; it was separated officially from the Northwest Territories on April 1, 1999, via the Nunavut Act and the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement Act, though the actual boundaries had been established in 1993... |
Total | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum... |
Seats: | 21 | 27 | 13 | 11 | 73 | 5 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 166 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vote: | 45.5 | 66.8 | 56.3 | 53.5 | 44.4 | 16.5 | 43.9 | 36.7 | 41.2 | 28.4 | 33.8 | 32.1 | 49.9 | 39.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| New Democratic Party New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in... |
Seats: | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 22 | 59 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 103 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vote: | 32.5 | 16.8 | 32.3 | 25.8 | 25.6 | 42.9 | 29.8 | 30.3 | 15.4 | 32.6 | 14.4 | 45.8 | 19.4 | 30.6 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Liberal Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
Seats: | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vote: | 13.4 | 9.3 | 8.6 | 16.6 | 25.3 | 14.2 | 22.6 | 28.9 | 41.0 | 37.9 | 33.0 | 18.4 | 28.6 | 18.9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Bloc Québécois Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative... |
Seats: | 4 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vote: | 23.4 | 6.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Green Green Party of Canada The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and... |
Seats: | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| Vote: | 7.7 | 5.3 | 2.7 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 18.9 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 3.9 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Independent and no affiliation Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... |
Vote: | 0.2 | 1.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Total seats | 36 | 28 | 14 | 14 | 106 | 75 | 10 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 308 | |||||||
Overview of results
The Conservative PartyConservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
remained in power, moving from a minority
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
to a majority government
Majority government
A majority government is when the governing party has an absolute majority of seats in the legislature or parliament in a parliamentary system. This is as opposed to a minority government, where even the largest party wins only a plurality of seats and thus must constantly bargain for support from...
by winning 166 of the 308 seats. The New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
won the largest number of seats in their history, including a large majority of seats in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(where they had previously only ever elected two candidates) and formed the Official Opposition
Official Opposition (Canada)
In Canada, Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition , commonly known as the Official Opposition, is usually the largest parliamentary opposition party in the House of Commons or a provincial legislative assembly that is not in government, either on its own or as part of a governing coalition...
for the first time. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
won the fewest seats in their history and party leader Michael Ignatieff
Michael Ignatieff
Michael Grant Ignatieff is a Canadian author, academic and former politician. He was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Leader of the Official Opposition from 2008 until 2011...
was defeated in his own riding
Electoral district (Canada)
An electoral district in Canada, also known as a constituency or a riding, is a geographical constituency upon which Canada's representative democracy is based...
. The Bloc Québécois
Bloc Québécois
The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative...
, which had always won at least a majority of seats in Quebec in every election of their existence, lost nearly all their seats, and thus also their official party status
Official party status
Official party status refers to the Canadian practice of recognizing political parties in the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures. The type of recognition and threshold needed to obtain it varies...
, including the seat of their leader Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe
Gilles Duceppe is a Canadian politician, and proponent of the Québec sovereignty movement. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons for over 20 years and was the leader of the sovereigntist Bloc Québécois for almost 15 years. He is the son of a well-known Quebec actor, Jean...
. Green Party
Green Party of Canada
The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and...
leader Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
became the first Member of Parliament
Parliament of Canada
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital, Ottawa. Formally, the body consists of the Canadian monarch—represented by her governor general—the Senate, and the House of Commons, each element having its own officers and...
elected to represent the party.
Recounts
Elections CanadaElections Canada
Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency reporting directly to the Parliament of Canada. Its ongoing responsibility is to ensure that Canadians can exercise their choices in federal elections and referenda through an open and impartial process...
ordered three judicial
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
recounts
Election recount
An election recount is essentially a repeat tabulation of votes that is used to determine the correctness of an initial count. Recounts will often take place in the event that the initial vote tally during an election is extremely close....
, and an elector initiated a fourth. The Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act
Canada Elections Act is an Act of the Parliament of Canada respecting the election of members of parliament to the Canadian House of Commons, repealing other Acts relating to elections and making consequential amendments to other Acts....
states that "a judicial recount is required when the difference in votes between the first- and second-place candidates is less than one one-thousandth of the total votes cast in a riding," and allows an elector or candidate in any riding to approach a judge and request a recount regardless of the final result. In all four ridings, Etobicoke Centre, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup
Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup
Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004...
, Nipissing—Timiskaming
Nipissing—Timiskaming
Nipissing—Timiskaming is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 2004. The riding was formed by the amalgamation of the former Nipissing riding with the southeastern portion of the former Timiskaming—Cochrane...
, and Winnipeg North
Winnipeg North
For information on the historical provincial constituency, see Winnipeg North .Winnipeg North is a federal electoral district that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917...
, the validated result was confirmed:
- As initially validated by election officials, Conservative PartyConservative Party of CanadaThe Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
candidate Ted OpitzTed OpitzTed Opitz, CD is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 election. He represents the electoral district of Etobicoke Centre as a member of the Conservative Party....
defeated Liberal incumbent Borys WrzesnewskyjBorys WrzesnewskyjBorys Wrzesnewskyj is a Canadian politician who represented the riding of Etobicoke Centre in the Canadian House of Commons in the 38th, 39th and 40th Parliaments. He is a member of the Liberal Party.-Background:...
in Etobicoke Centre by 25 votes, a margin increased by one in the recount. - Initially, Conservative Jay AspinJay AspinJay Aspin is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the 2011 election, representing the electoral district of Nipissing—Timiskaming...
defeated incumbent Anthony RotaAnthony RotaAnthony Rota is a Canadian politician. He was a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 2004 to 2011, representing the riding of Nipissing—Timiskaming....
of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of CanadaThe Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
by 15 votes in Nipissing—Timiskaming; the recount added three votes to the margin of victory. - In Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, incumbent Conservative MP Bernard GénéreuxBernard GénéreuxBernard Généreux is a Canadian politician, who was elected to represent the electoral district of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup in the federal by-elections on November 9, 2009...
was initially declared re-elected, but due to a counting error on election night, the seat was later determined to have been won by the NDP candidate François LapointeFrançois Lapointe (politician)François Lapointe is a Canadian politician, currently MP for the electoral district of Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.On the night of the 2011 election, Lapointe was initially declared unsuccessful in his riding, losing narrowly to incumbent MP Bernard Généreux...
by a margin of five votes. The recount confirmed Lapointe as the winner by nine votes. - In Winnipeg North, a recount was requested by an elector; the difference between Liberal Kevin LamoureuxKevin LamoureuxKevin Lamoureux, MP is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. On November 29, 2010, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons for the constituency of Winnipeg North in a by-election. He was re-elected during the 2011 election by 44 votes...
, the victor, and New Democrat Rebecca Blaikie was just 45 votes, reduced by one vote in the recount.
Opposition party leadership changes
Ignatieff announced on May 3, 2011, that he would step down as leader of the Liberal PartyLiberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
when it chooses his successor. Ignatieff took a teaching position at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
after his defeat in Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Etobicoke—Lakeshore is a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968....
. He will teach classes in the law faculty, the department of political science, the Munk School of Global Affairs
Munk School of Global Affairs
The Munk School for Global Affairs at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre on global issues that integrates research with teaching and public education...
and the School of Public Policy and Governance. Ignatieff stated that "The life that I like the best is teaching. It’s the end of my life as a politician". Bob Rae
Bob Rae
Robert Keith "Bob" Rae, PC, OC, OOnt, QC, MP is a Canadian politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre and interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada....
, Liberal MP for Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre
Toronto Centre is a federal electoral district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1872 to 1925, and since 1935, under the names Centre Toronto , Toronto Centre , Rosedale and Toronto Centre—Rosedale .Toronto Centre covers the heart of...
and former Premier of Ontario (1990 to 1995, as a New Democrat), subsequently became interim leader
Interim leader
An interim leader, in Canadian politics, is a party leader appointed by the party's legislative caucus or the party's executive to temporarily act as leader when a gap occurs between the resignation or death of a party leader and the election of a formal successor...
of the Liberal Party, with a Liberal leadership election scheduled for 2013.
Duceppe resigned as Bloc Québécois leader on election night following his defeat. Louis Plamondon
Louis Plamondon
Louis Plamondon is a politician in the Canadian province of Quebec and the current interim parliamentary leader of the Bloc Québécois ....
, MP for Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour
Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour
Bas-Richelieu—Nicolet—Bécancour is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1968.-Geography:...
and Dean of the House
Dean of the House
The Dean of the House is the member with the longest unbroken record of service in several legislatures. Specific positions include:*Dean of the United States House of Representatives.*Dean of the House of Commons, the dean in the Canadian House of Commons....
, subsequently became interim parliamentary leader
Parliamentary leader
A parliamentary leader is political title given in various countries to lead a caucus in a legislative body, whether it be the countries respective parliaments or provincial legislature...
of the Bloc, with a Bloc leadership election scheduled for December 11, 2011.
On July 25, 2011, Jack Layton took a leave of absence to fight a newly diagnosed cancer. Nycole Turmel
Nycole Turmel
Nycole Turmel, MP is the Leader of the Official Opposition in the Canadian Parliament. She was first elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2011 federal election, representing the electoral district of Hull—Aylmer, and became interim leader of the New Democratic Party after leader Jack...
, former union leader and newly elected MP for Hull—Aylmer
Hull—Aylmer
Hull—Aylmer is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons since 1917....
, was named interim leader of the New Democratic Party. On August 22, Layton died
Death and state funeral of Jack Layton
On August 22, 2011, Canadian New Democratic Party leader and Leader of the Opposition Jack Layton died after a bout from an unspecified, newly diagnosed cancer. Prior to his recent diagnosis, Layton led his party to gain a historic rise in seats during the 2011 federal election...
. Turmel became opposition leader. A NDP leadership election
New Democratic Party leadership election, 2012
An election for the leadership of the New Democratic Party , a social democratic party in Canada, will occur on March 24, 2012, as a result of the death of Jack Layton, the party's former leader. The party's executive and caucus set the rules for the campaign at a series of meetings in September 2011...
is scheduled for March 24, 2012.
Controversies
The losing parties in the Berthier—MaskinongéBerthier—Maskinongé
Berthier—Maskinongé is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1953, from 1968 to 1988, and since 2004...
riding claimed that the nomination papers for Ruth Ellen Brosseau
Ruth Ellen Brosseau
Ruth Ellen Brosseau is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 2011 federal election.-Early life:...
, the newly-elected NDP Member of Parliament for the riding, had irregularities. Some of the alleged irregularities include writing an address instead of signing, missing signatures, people thinking they were signing a petition for the NDP to name a candidate in the riding and one person not remembering that he signed her nomination papers even though he admitted that the signature looks like his. The NDP denied the allegations. Elections Canada has insisted that Brosseau's nomination papers are legitimate. Elections Canada stated that "The decision to overturn or uphold the results is at the discretion of the courts and not Elections Canada".
Timeline
- March 25, 2011: The Liberal Party's no-confidence motion passes the House 156–145, and the Prime Minister moves for the House to adjourn.
- March 26, 2011: Governor GeneralGovernor General of CanadaThe Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
David JohnstonDavid JohnstonDavid Lloyd Johnston is a Canadian academic, author and statesman who is the current Governor General of Canada, the 28th since Canadian Confederation....
agrees to dissolve the 40th Parliament40th Canadian ParliamentThe 40th Canadian Parliament was in session from November 18, 2008 to March 26, 2011, and was the last Parliament of the longest-running minority government in Canadian history that began with the previous Parliament. The membership of its House of Commons was determined by the results of the 2008...
following a meeting with Prime MinisterPrime Minister of CanadaThe Prime Minister of Canada is the primary minister of the Crown, chairman of the Cabinet, and thus head of government for Canada, charged with advising the Canadian monarch or viceroy on the exercise of the executive powers vested in them by the constitution...
Stephen HarperStephen HarperStephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
. - April 12, 2011: English leaders' debate.
- April 13, 2011: French leaders' debate.
- April 22, 23, and 25, 2011: Advance polls open
- May 2, 2011: Polling Day
- May 23, 2011: Return of WritsReturn of writsThe privilege of return of writs, in medieval England, was a right given to certain liberties or franchises to execute royal writs within the land in question. This in effect meant overpassing the authority normally held by the sheriff as the king's representative in the localities...
- June 2, 2011: 41st Parliament41st Canadian ParliamentThe 41st Canadian Parliament is the current Parliament of Canada, with the membership of its House of Commons having been determined by the results of the 2011 federal election held on May 2, 2011...
convenes
Internet surveillance and warrant-less wiretapping
The Conservatives promised to re-introduce Internet surveillance legislation that they were not able to pass, and bundle it with the rest of their crime bills. They said they plan to fast track the legislation within 100 days after taking office.Long gun registry
Harper pledged to scrap the long-gun registry.Crime strategies
The Conservative platform included a promise to consolidate twelve crime bills into at least one omnibus bill and pass it within 100 days of forming a majority government. The bills included within that list would crack down on organized drug crime, end house arrest for violent criminals and establish tougher sentences and mandatory jail time for sexual offences against children. The opposition parties claimed the crime bills were not costed fully, and the opposition parties countered that this would create a US style system of prisons. The Conservatives have not released the costs for expanding the prison system. The other parties state that more focus should be given on crime preventionCrime prevention
Crime prevention is the attempt to reduce victimization and to deter crime and criminals. It is applied specifically to efforts made by governments to reduce crime, enforce the law, and maintain criminal justice.-Studies:...
, so that it doesn't happen in the first place. The New Democratic Party (NDP) stated that their promise to hire 2,500 more police officers to patrol the streets, will help in preventing crime from occurring in the first place.
Defence policy
The Conservatives plan to purchase 65 F-35 Lightning IILockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Canadian procurement
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Canadian procurement is the account of Canada's participation in the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program...
jet fighters. Stating "Our defence policy is broken" the NDP announced that they would prioritize investment in naval ships over new fighter jets. The NDP stated that this would be a good opportunity to keep shipbuilding
Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to before recorded history.Shipbuilding and ship repairs, both...
expertise and jobs in Canada.
Balanced budget and recession
Conservatives argued that they steered the economy through the 2007-2010 global financial crisis, and promised to eliminate the budget deficit by 2014-15. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, campaigning for the Liberals, challenged assertions, noting that his Liberal government left a $13 billion budget surplus, before the Conservatives took power. In 2010, Paul Martin had been invited to the prestigious Global ARC conference to discuss that elimination of the Canadian government deficit. Martin also claimed that when he was Finance minister working under Jean Chretien, his blocking of proposed bank mergers is what actually sheltered Canada from the worst effects of the recession. The New Democratic Party (NDP) released its platform promising a balanced budgetBalanced budget
A balanced budget is when there is neither a budget deficit or a budget surplus – when revenues equal expenditure – particularly by a government. More generally, it refers to when there is no deficit, but possibly a surplus...
in four years. After the NDP surge, the Liberals called the NDP platform "science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
" stating it contains over $30 billion in new spending derived from sources that are not credible, and that implementing a cap and trade system that would take years to realize rather than provide the in-year contributions as claimed.
Corporate tax cuts and job creation strategy
The Conservatives stated that their plan to cut corporate taxes from 16.5% to 15%, will create more jobs. Harper stated that an increase in corporate taxes will create job losses across Canada. Layton countered by saying currently the jobs are shipped overseas, and pledged a $4,500 job creation tax credit to all businesses per new hire. Layton further went to say that small businessSmall business
A small business is a business that is privately owned and operated, with a small number of employees and relatively low volume of sales. Small businesses are normally privately owned corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships...
are the ones creating more jobs, thus he promised to lower the tax rate for small business from 11% to 9%. He then went on to say the big business are using the corporate tax cuts by providing their CEOs with big bonuses, and thus pledged to increase their tax rate to 19.5%. The Liberals on the other hand, will raise the rate to 18%, stating that it will be competitive but not excessivley low
Increasing Canada Pension Plan
The NDP promised a gradual doubling of Canada Pension PlanCanada Pension Plan
The Canada Pension Plan is a contributory, earnings-related social insurance program. It forms one of the two major components of Canada's public retirement income system, the other component being Old Age Security...
and QPP benefits, in conjunction with the provinces, with an increase in payroll deductions of as much as 2.5 per cent.
HST referendum in BC
If BC voters were to reject the Harmonized Sales TaxSales taxes in British Columbia
Sales taxes in British Columbia are levied via the Harmonized Sales Tax , which replaced the separate Provincial Sales Tax and federal Goods and Services Tax on 1 July 2010...
in the upcoming referendum, the NDP promised to ensure that the penalties to be imposed by Ottawa on the HST agreement will be cancelled.
Personal taxation
Conservatives promised income splitting for tax purposes for families with children to be implemented once the budget is balanced in 2013.Political honesty
The New Democratic Party stated that both the Conservatives and the Liberals cannot be trusted. The NDP accused the Conservatives of creating "Liberal-style scandalsPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
" and accused the Liberals of flip-flopping on issues such as corporate tax
Corporate tax
Many countries impose corporate tax or company tax on the income or capital of some types of legal entities. A similar tax may be imposed at state or lower levels. The taxes may also be referred to as income tax or capital tax. Entities treated as partnerships are generally not taxed at the...
cuts, and the Afghanistan mission
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
. Throughout the election various polls had shown the political honesty issue to be low on the list of priorities for voters. Post-media conducted a survey that found health care, the economy, taxes and jobs all more important to Canadians. Further, half of voters identified Harper as the best suited to be Prime Minister followed by Layton with one third support and Ignatieff with less than twenty percent support. On the question of a hidden agenda, Ignatieff is viewed by three times more of those polled to have a hidden agenda than Harper.
Political financing
Conservatives pledged to phase-out per-vote subsidy over two years, with its eventual cancellation.Elimination of the Senate
Stephen Harper promised Senate reform although he stated he will not open the constitution to do so. The NDP pledged to abolish the Senate, stating it is a waste of tax payer dollars, and a form of patronagePatronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
.
Possible left-wing coalition
The Conservatives asserted that the Liberals would form a coalitionCoalition government
A coalition government is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several political parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament...
with the more left-leaning NDP and Bloc Québécois, despite repeated claims by the Liberals and NDP to the contrary.
Newfoundland dam and Quebec's HST
Conservatives, New Democrats and Liberals promised $4.2 billion in loan guarantees to support the Lower Churchill River power projectLower Churchill Project
The Lower Churchill Project is a planned hydroelectric project in Labrador, Canada, to develop the remaining 35 per cent of the Churchill River that has not already been developed by the Churchill Falls Generating Station...
. Due to outcry from Quebec over the pledge to provide loan guarantees for the Lower Churchill project, the Conservatives promise Quebec a $2.2 billion transfer to ease the Quebec Sales Tax to Harmonized Sales Tax
Harmonized Sales Tax
The Harmonized Sales Tax is the name used in Canada to describe the combination of the federal Goods and Services Tax and the regional Provincial Sales Tax into a single value added sales tax in five of the ten Canadian provinces: Ontario, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, British...
transition.
Post-secondary education
Liberals promised a "Learning Passport" for high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students seeking post-secondary education. The NDP's plan is to reduce the tuition fees, by increasing transfer payments to the Provinces.
Immigration Fairness Commissioner
Liberals proposed the establishment of an "Immigration Fairness Commissioner" to provide oversight on the entry of immigrants with professional qualifications (doctors, engineers, etc.), and to increase the number of family reunification visas.Health care
Health careHealth care
Health care is the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in humans. Health care is delivered by practitioners in medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers...
– The NDP pledged to train 1,200 more doctors
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and 6,000 more nurses. All parties promised to continue to increase healthcare transfers to provinces by 6% annually.
Improved internet and usage based billing
The New Democratic Party (NDP) promised a ban on all forms of usage based billing by ISPs, and enshrine net neutrality in law, which would prevent bandwidth throttlingBandwidth throttling
Bandwidth throttling is a reactive measure employed in communication networks to regulate network traffic and minimize bandwidth congestion. Bandwidth throttling can occur at different locations on the network. On a local area network , a sysadmin may employ bandwidth throttling to help limit...
. The Liberals promised net neutrality as well as "functional separation" with regards to usage based billing as well as enshrining net neutrality in law, which would prevent bandwidth throttling
Bandwidth throttling
Bandwidth throttling is a reactive measure employed in communication networks to regulate network traffic and minimize bandwidth congestion. Bandwidth throttling can occur at different locations on the network. On a local area network , a sysadmin may employ bandwidth throttling to help limit...
. Almost all of the established parties, with the exception of the Conservatives, outlined polices that they claim will improve Canadian Internet access.
Cap on credit card interest rates
The NDP promised to cap credit cardCredit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
rates at five percentage points above the Bank of Canada's prime interest rate.
Controversies and gaffes
A number of controversies took place during the election campaign.Leaders' debates
The English- and French-language debates took place on April 12 and 13 respectively.On March 29, the consortium of broadcasters playing host to the debates (the CBC
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
, CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
, Global
Global Television Network
Global Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada
Télévision de Radio-Canada is a Canadian French language television network. It is owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, known in French as Société Radio-Canada. Headquarters are at Maison Radio-Canada in Montreal, which is also home to the network's flagship station, CBFT-DT...
and TVA
TVA (TV network)
TVA is a privately owned French language television network in Canada. The network is currently owned by Groupe TVA Inc. , a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media...
) announced that it would only invite the leaders of the four recognized parties in the House of Commons, namely, the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic (NDP). Therefore the Green Party was excluded, despite earning 6.8 per cent of the popular vote in the 2008 federal election
Canadian federal election, 2008
The 2008 Canadian federal election was held on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 to elect members to the Canadian House of Commons of the 40th Canadian Parliament after the previous parliament had been dissolved by the Governor General on September 7, 2008...
.
On March 30, Stephen Harper challenged Michael Ignatieff to a one-on-one televised debate. Although Ignatieff accepted the challenge, this was opposed by the other opposition parties. The idea was later rejected by the broadcast consortium and cancelled.
On April 1, comedian Rick Mercer
Rick Mercer
Richard Vincent "Rick" Mercer is a Canadian comedian, television personality, political satirist, and blogger.Mercer first came to national attention in 1990, when he premiered his one man show Show Me the Button, I'll Push It, or Charles Lynch Must Die at the Great Canadian Theatre Company in...
suggested over Twitter hosting a one-on-one debate between Stephen Harper and Michael Ignatieff at Toronto's Massey Hall
Massey Hall
Massey Hall is a venerable performing arts theatre in the Garden District of downtown Toronto. The theatre originally was designed to seat 3,500 patrons but, after extensive renovations in the 1940s, now seats up to 2,765....
. He later added he would donate $50,000 to the charities of their choosing if they were willing to participate. Ignatieff immediately accepted the challenge and named the Alzheimer Society
Alzheimer Society of Canada
The Alzheimer Society of Canada identifies, develops and facilitates national priorities that enable its members to effectively alleviate the personal and social consequences of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, as well as promotes research and leads the search for a cure...
as his charity of choice, as his mother succumbed to Alzheimer's disease in 1992. Harper did not respond to the challenge.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
published on April 1, Troy Reeb, the broadcast consortium chairman, discussed the process behind setting up the leaders' debates and the rationale for various decisions made, including the decision to exclude the Green Party's leader Elizabeth May.
On April 5, the Federal Court rejected the Green Party's request for an expedited hearing on the matter prior to the scheduled debates.
On April 10, the date of the French leaders debate was changed from April 14 to April 13 due to worries of broadcasting conflicts with the NHL playoffs scheduled for April 14. Also on April 10, Elizabeth May participated in a panel interview on CHCH-TV
CHCH-TV
CHCH-DT, channel 11, is a television station originating in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, with transmitters located throughout Ontario. CHCH currently operates as an independent station, having previously served as a CBC Television affiliate, and more recently as the flagship station of the...
in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, which she was invited to attend, as were the leaders of the Bloc, Liberals, New Democrats and Conservatives, by Channel Zero
Channel Zero Inc.
Channel Zero is an independent Canadian broadcasting and media group, which holds assets in television broadcasting and film distribution.The company is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-Ownership structure:...
, whose president was disappointed by May's exclusion from the leaders' debates.
Small parties public forum
A joint press conference and public forum was staged by 11 of the 18 registered parties and one unregistered party on April 23, 2011, at York UniversityYork University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
. Forum organizers invited the leaders from all registered political parties who do not have seats in parliament. Parties were able to explain their platforms and responded to questions from the audience. As a forum, the goal was an inter-party discussion of major issues, however some debate did occur.
Participants in the forum were the Animal Alliance Environmental Voters
Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada
The Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada is a small registered political party in Canada. It was formed by two organizations, the Animal Alliance of Canada and Environment Voters. The latter had previously been organized as a subsidiary of the former...
, the Canadian Action Party
Canadian Action Party
The Canadian Action Party is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1997. It promotes Canadian nationalism, monetary and electoral reform, and opposes neoliberal globalization and free trade agreements.- Background :The Canadian Action Party was founded by Paul T...
, the Christian Heritage Party
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
The Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a federal political party that advocates that Canada be governed according to Biblical principles...
, the Communist Party
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
, the First Peoples National
First Peoples National Party of Canada
The First Peoples National Party of Canada is a registered federal political party in Canada. It intends to advance the issues of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada by nominating candidates for election in electoral districts with large Aboriginal populations.The FPNPC held its first organizational...
, the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party of Canada
The Libertarian Party of Canada is a political party in Canada that subscribes to the tenets of the libertarian movement across Canada.-History:...
, the Marijuana Party
Marijuana Party of Canada
The Marijuana Party is a Canadian federal political party. Its agenda consists of ending prohibition of cannabis. With the exception of this one issue, the party does not have "official policy" in any other area...
, the Marxist-Leninist Party
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist)
The Communist Party of Canada is a Canadian federal Marxist–Leninist political party.The party is registered with Elections Canada as the Marxist–Leninist Party of Canada...
, the Rhinoceros Party, and the Pirate Party
Pirate Party of Canada
The Pirate Party of Canada , abbreviated as the PPCA, is a federal political party in Canada. The PPCA is modelled after the Swedish Pirate Party and advocates copyright reform, privacy, network neutrality and open government.- Founding and development :...
.
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May
Elizabeth May
Elizabeth Evans May, OC, MP is an American-born Canadian Member of Parliament, environmentalist, writer, activist, lawyer, and the leader of the Green Party of Canada. She was the executive director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006. She became a Canadian citizen in 1978.May's...
refused to participate in the forum claiming they are not one of "the small, fringe parties."
Opinion polls
New Democratic Party surge
In the week before the leaders debate, on April 8, a poll showed the New Democratic Party (NDP) support at 13.2%.A reversal of fortune began on April 16, when an Angus Reid poll indicated a tie in support for the NDP and the Liberals, both polling at 25%. The New Democrats' poll numbers then moved significantly ahead of the Liberals and slightly or moderately behind the Conservatives.
The surge began in Quebec, with the NDP surprising many observers by surpassing the previously front-running Bloc in Quebec. In the entirety of Canada, the NDP surged past the Liberals to take the second place behind the Conservatives; in Quebec, the NDP took first place. The NDP surge became the dominant narrative of the last week of the campaign, as other parties turned their attacks on the party. Ruth Ellen Brosseau
Ruth Ellen Brosseau
Ruth Ellen Brosseau is a Canadian politician. She was elected to the Canadian House of Commons as a New Democratic Party candidate in the 2011 federal election.-Early life:...
, the NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
candidate in Berthier—Maskinongé
Berthier—Maskinongé
Berthier—Maskinongé is a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1953, from 1968 to 1988, and since 2004...
, won despite not running a campaign and having a holiday in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The NDP's rise in popularity was nicknamed "Orange Crush", an allusion to the soft drink with the same name
Orange Crush
Crush is a carbonated soft drink brand, originally marketed as an orange soda, which was invented by California beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.-History:...
and the party's colour.
Spending limits
The calculation for a party's spending limit is based on the number of candidates a party is running and the number of voters in each riding where there is a candidate. Parties are allowed to spend 70 cents for each one of those voters. Local candidates were allowed to spend $2.07 for each of the first 15,000 electors, $1.04 for each of the next 10,000 and 52 cents for the remaining electors.The parties with the highest spending limits were:
| Party | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Party Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative... |
$21,025,793.23 | |
| New Democratic Party New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in... |
$21,025,793.23 | |
| Conservative Party Conservative Party of Canada The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum... |
$20,995,088.91 | |
| Green Party Green Party of Canada The Green Party of Canada is a Canadian federal political party founded in 1983 with 10,000–12,000 registered members as of October 2008. The Greens advance a broad multi-issue political platform that reflects its core values of ecological wisdom, social justice, grassroots democracy and... |
$20,764,344.60 | |
| Bloc Québécois Bloc Québécois The Bloc Québécois is a federal political party in Canada devoted to the protection of Quebec's interests in the House of Commons of Canada, and the promotion of Quebec sovereignty. The Bloc was originally a party made of Quebec nationalists who defected from the federal Progressive Conservative... |
$5,737,817.88 |
The parties with the lowest spending limits were:
| Party | Limit | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Alliance Environment Voters Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada The Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada is a small registered political party in Canada. It was formed by two organizations, the Animal Alliance of Canada and Environment Voters. The latter had previously been organized as a subsidiary of the former... |
$467,969.04 | |
| Marijuana Party Marijuana Party of Canada The Marijuana Party is a Canadian federal political party. Its agenda consists of ending prohibition of cannabis. With the exception of this one issue, the party does not have "official policy" in any other area... |
$339,676.42 | |
| Western Block Party Western Block Party The Western Block Party is a political party in Canada founded in 2005 by Doug Christie. The party became officially registered on December 29, 2005.... |
$333,954.75 | |
| United Party United Party of Canada The United Party of Canada is a federally registered political party in Canada founded in November 2009. Its key principles are fiscal responsibility, social progressivism, and environmental sustainability... |
$241,406.53 | |
| First Peoples National Party First Peoples National Party of Canada The First Peoples National Party of Canada is a registered federal political party in Canada. It intends to advance the issues of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada by nominating candidates for election in electoral districts with large Aboriginal populations.The FPNPC held its first organizational... |
$62,702.06 |
Endorsements
Most major newspapers endorsed the Conservatives, and none solely endorsed the Liberals or Greens. However Canada's highest circulated newspaper, the Toronto StarToronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
, advised to vote against the Conservatives.
Candidates by party
Articles on parties' candidates for the 41st election:- Animal Alliance Environmental VotersAnimal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada candidates, 2011 Canadian federal electionThis is a list of nominated candidates for the Animal Alliance Environment Voters Party of Canada in the 2011 Canadian federal election.-Ontario - 6 seats:-Northwest Territories - 1 seat:-External links:* *...
- Bloc Québécois
- Christian HeritageChristian Heritage Party of Canada candidates, 2011 Canadian federal electionThis is a list of the candidates running for the Christian Heritage Party of Canada in the 41st Canadian federal election.-Alberta:In addition, CHP party member Larry Heather, a candidate in previous elections, ran as an independent in Calgary Southwest, referencing the CHP policies and website on...
- CommunistCommunist Party of Canada candidates, 2011 Canadian federal electionThis is list of Communist Party of Canada 2011 federal election candidates by riding and province.- Alberta :- British Columbia :- Manitoba :- Ontario :- Quebec :- External links :*...
Independent candidates, 2011 Canadian federal election
This is a list of the candidates running independently, or without affiliation, in the 41st Canadian federal election.-Alberta:-British Columbia:-Manitoba:-New Brunswick:-Newfoundland and Labrador:-Ontario:-Quebec:-Saskatchewan:-See also:...
Libertarian Party of Canada candidates, 2011 Canadian federal election
This is a list of the candidates running for the Libertarian Party of Canada in the 41st Canadian federal election.-British Columbia:-Ontario:-See also:*Results of the Canadian federal election, 2011...
Communist Party of Canada (Marxist–Leninist) candidates, 2011 Canadian federal election
This is a list of the candidates running for the Marxist–Leninist Party in the 41st Canadian federal election.-Nova Scotia - 1 seats:-Quebec - 22 seats:-Ontario - 29 seats:-Alberta - 5 seats:-British Columbia - 13 seats:-See also:...
See also
- Controversies in the Canadian federal election, 2011Controversies in the Canadian federal election, 2011This article lists the controversies in the Canadian federal election, 2011.* Raymond Sturgeon, the Conservative candidate for the federal riding of Algoma—Manitoulin—Kapuskasing was until December 2010 a lobbyist for Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, the manufacturer of the Lockheed Martin F-35...
- Newspaper endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2011Newspaper endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2011This is a tally of newspaper and magazine endorsements in the 2011 Canadian federal election.-See also:*Newspaper endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2008*Newspaper endorsements in the Canadian federal election, 2006...
- List of Canadian federal general elections
- List of political parties in Canada
- Results of the Canadian federal election, 2011Results of the Canadian federal election, 2011The 41st Canadian federal election was held on May 2, 2011. It resulted in a Conservative majority government under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. It was the third consecutive election win for Harper, and with 166 of 308 seats, they will have a majority government for the first...
- Bloc Québécois leadership election, 2011
- Liberal Party of Canada leadership election, 2013