Federal Elections: Canadian Citizenship Test Questions

Q1.How are Members of Parliament (MPs) chosen?

• Appointed by the Prime Minister
• Elected by voters of their local riding (constituency)
• Chosen by the provincial premiers
• Appointed by the Governor General

Answer: MPs are elected by the voters in their local electoral district, also called a riding or constituency. The candidate with the most votes wins.

Q2.Who is eligible to vote in a Canadian federal election?

• Anyone living in Canada
• A Canadian citizen aged 18 or older on voting day who is on the voters' list
• Only property owners
• Permanent residents over 18

Answer: To vote in a federal election you must be a Canadian citizen, be 18 or older on voting day and be on the voters' list. If your name is not on the list, you can still register, even at the polling station.

Q3.In Canada, are you obliged to tell anyone how you voted?

• Yes, you must tell your employer
• Yes, you must tell election officials
• No — the ballot is secret and no one can make you reveal your vote
• Only if you are asked by police

Answer: Canadian law guarantees a secret ballot. No one — not family, employers, or union reps — has the right to insist you reveal how you voted.

Q4.After a federal election, which party usually forms the government?

• The party chosen by the Senate
• The party that wins the most House of Commons seats
• The party with the most votes nationally regardless of seats
• The party selected by the Governor General's preference

Answer: Usually the Governor General invites the party that wins the most House of Commons seats to form the government, and its leader becomes Prime Minister.

Q5.What is the difference between a majority and a minority government?

• A majority government has a female PM
• A majority government holds at least half the seats in the House of Commons; a minority holds fewer
• A minority government is appointed, not elected
• There is no difference

Answer: If the governing party holds at least half the seats in the House of Commons it is a majority government; if it holds fewer than half, it is a minority government. (With 343 seats, a majority means at least 172.)

Q6.An electoral district in Canada is also known as a:

• Province
• Riding or constituency
• Municipality
• Ward only

Answer: An electoral district — the area represented by one MP — is also called a riding or a constituency.

Q7.Under fixed-date legislation, federal general elections are scheduled for which day?

• The first Monday in July
• The third Monday of October, every four years
• January 1 every five years
• Any day the Senate chooses

Answer: Federal elections are set for the third Monday of October every four years, but the Prime Minister can ask the Governor General to call one sooner.

Q8.What is the name of the independent agency that runs federal elections and maintains the voters' list?

• Statistics Canada
• Elections Canada
• The Senate
• The RCMP

Answer: Elections Canada is the neutral agency of Parliament that runs federal elections and maintains the National Register of Electors.

Q9.What is the role of the opposition parties?

• To run the government departments
• To peacefully oppose and try to improve government proposals
• To appoint the Cabinet
• To count the votes

Answer: Opposition parties challenge government proposals peacefully or work to improve them. The largest is the Official Opposition (His Majesty's Loyal Opposition).

Q10.When you arrive to vote at your polling station, what do you do?

• Announce your choice aloud
• Go behind a screen and mark an X next to the candidate of your choice on a secret ballot
• Hand cash to the official
• Vote by show of hands

Answer: You go behind a screen to mark your secret ballot with an X beside your chosen candidate, then deposit it in the ballot box.

Q11.Besides federal elections, at which other levels of government do Canadians elect representatives?

• Only municipal
• Provincial/territorial and municipal (local) governments
• Only the Senate
• International bodies only

Answer: Canadians vote in three kinds of elections: for federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal (local) governments.

Q12.What is the minimum voting age in a Canadian federal election?

• 16 years old
• 18 years old
• 19 years old
• 21 years old

Answer: You can vote in a federal election if you are a Canadian citizen aged 18 or older on election day.

Q13.What is a by-election?

• A second vote held to break a tie
• An election in a single riding to fill a seat that became vacant between general elections
• A vote held only in the Senate
• A recount ordered by the courts

Answer: A by-election is called to fill a vacancy in a single electoral district (riding) when a seat opens up between general elections.

Q14.What is the card called that Elections Canada mails to tell registered voters when and where to vote?

• A ballot
• A voter information card
• A passport
• A census form

Answer: If you are on the voters' list, Elections Canada mails you a voter information card telling you when and where to vote.

Q15.What can you do if your name is not on the voters' list when an election is called?

• You are not allowed to vote that year
• You can register, including at your polling station
• You must wait for the next election
• You must write to the Prime Minister

Answer: If you are not on the voters' list you can still register to vote, including at the advance polls or on election day at your polling station.

Q16.What are 'advance polls'?

• Opinion surveys taken before an election
• Polling stations open on set days before election day for those who cannot vote that day
• A way to vote twice
• Polling stations run by political parties

Answer: Advance polls let voters cast their ballots on designated days before official election day if they are unable to vote on that day.

Q17.How is the winning candidate in each riding determined in a Canadian federal election?

• The candidate must win more than half of all votes
• The candidate with the most votes wins, even without a majority
• The candidate chosen by the other parties wins
• The two top candidates share the seat

Answer: In each electoral district the candidate who receives the most votes wins the seat, whether or not that is more than half the votes cast.

Q18.True or False: Canadians vote directly for the person they want to be Prime Minister.

• True
• False

Answer: False. Voters elect a Member of Parliament for their riding; the leader of the party with the most seats normally becomes Prime Minister.

Q19.Who may ask the Governor General to call a federal election?

• The Chief Electoral Officer
• The Prime Minister
• The Speaker of the House
• The Senate

Answer: The Prime Minister can ask the Governor General to call an election, even before the fixed date set in law.

Q20.True or False: A voter's choice on the ballot is private and protected by a secret ballot.

• True
• False

Answer: True. The secret ballot means how you vote is private; no one has the right to watch you vote or demand to know your choice.

Q21.Who may run as a candidate in a federal election?

• Only members of a political party
• Any permanent resident aged 21 or older
• Only people who own property in the riding
• Any Canadian citizen aged 18 or older

Answer: Any Canadian citizen who is at least 18 can be a candidate in a federal election. A riding can have many candidates, and whoever gets the most votes becomes its member of Parliament.

Q22.What is the National Register of Electors?

• A list of every member of Parliament since 1867
• A permanent list of Canadians eligible to vote
• A record of how each Canadian has voted
• A list of people waiting for citizenship

Answer: Elections Canada keeps the National Register of Electors, a permanent database of Canadian citizens aged 18 or older who may vote in federal elections. The voters' lists for federal elections and referendums come from it.

Q23.Besides when and where to vote, what does the voter information card tell you?

• Which candidate is expected to win your riding
• How the other people in your home voted
• The number to call if you need an interpreter
• Which party you voted for in the last election

Answer: When an election is called, every elector in the National Register receives a voter information card from Elections Canada by mail. It says when and where to vote and gives a number to call if you need an interpreter or other special services.

Q24.What should you do if you did not receive a voter information card?

• Call your local elections office to check the list
• Accept that you cannot vote in this election
• Ask a family member to vote in your place
• Wait and register for the next election

Answer: If no card arrives, call your local elections office, or Elections Canada, to make sure your name is on the voters' list. You can also be added to the list at any time, even on election day.

Q25.If you cannot vote on election day, which two other ways to vote are available?

• Voting by phone or by text message
• Advance polls or a special ballot
• Asking a friend to vote for you twice
• Voting online through social media

Answer: Voters who cannot make it on election day, or prefer not to, may use the advance polls or a special ballot instead. The voter information card gives the dates and places.

Q26.What should you bring to your polling station on election day?

• Your passport and your most recent tax return
• A letter of support from your member of Parliament
• Nothing, because giving your name is enough
• Your voter information card and ID with your address

Answer: On election day, go to the polling station shown on your voter information card. Bring the card along with proof of your identity and address.

Q27.After you hand your folded ballot to the poll official, what does the official do before you put it in the ballot box?

• Tears off the ballot number and returns the ballot
• Unfolds it to check that you voted correctly
• Writes your name on the back of the ballot
• Keeps it and counts it right there on the spot

Answer: Behind the voting screen, you put an X in the circle beside the candidate you choose, fold the ballot and give it to the poll officials. The official tears off the ballot number and returns the ballot, which you then put in the ballot box yourself.

Q28.When are the ballots counted in a federal election?

• A month after election day
• Only when a candidate asks for a recount
• As soon as the polling stations close
• Before the polls open

Answer: Counting starts as soon as the polls close: election officers count every ballot, and the results are then made public on television, on the radio and on the Elections Canada website.

Q29.Which kind of vote in the House of Commons is treated as a matter of confidence?

• A vote to rename a post office
• A vote on a motion to honour a famous athlete
• A vote to choose the Speaker
• A vote on a key issue like the budget

Answer: The governing party and its leader stay in power only while a majority of MPs support them, which is called having their confidence. A vote on a major question, the budget for example, is a matter of confidence.

Q30.What usually happens if a majority of MPs vote against a major government decision, such as the budget?

• The Senate takes over running the government
• The government falls, and an election is usually called
• The Governor General writes a new budget instead
• Nothing changes until the fixed election date

Answer: Losing a vote of confidence defeats the party in power. The Prime Minister then usually asks the Governor General to dissolve Parliament and call an election.

Q31.What are Cabinet ministers responsible for?

• Running federal government departments
• Judging cases in the Supreme Court
• Counting ballots on election day
• Leading the provincial governments

Answer: Ministers of the Crown are picked by the Prime Minister, usually from among the MPs. Each minister is in charge of running federal government departments.

Q32.Who prepares the federal budget and proposes most new laws?

• The Senate
• The Supreme Court
• The Cabinet
• The Governor General

Answer: The Prime Minister and the Cabinet ministers together form the Cabinet. They make important decisions about how Canada is governed, draw up the budget and put forward most new laws.

Q33.Which party becomes the Official Opposition?

• The party that came second in the popular vote, whatever its seats
• The opposition party holding the most seats
• The party chosen by the Senate
• The smallest party in the House

Answer: Parties outside government form the opposition. The largest of them in the House of Commons becomes the Official Opposition, also known as His Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

Q34.What are the laws passed by a municipal council called?

• Acts of Parliament
• Royal proclamations
• Charters
• By-laws

Answer: Municipal councils make local laws known as by-laws, which apply only within their community.

Q35.Who usually heads a municipal government?

• A mayor or reeve
• A premier
• A senator
• A Lieutenant Governor

Answer: A municipal council is usually made up of a mayor (or reeve) and councillors, sometimes called aldermen. Premiers lead provincial governments.

Q36.Which of these is usually the responsibility of a municipal government?

• National defence
• Foreign policy
• Snow removal
• Citizenship

Answer: Municipalities usually look after local services such as snow removal, garbage removal, firefighting, public transit, recreation facilities and streets. Defence, foreign policy and citizenship are federal.

Q37.True or False: Provincial, territorial and municipal elections follow exactly the same rules as federal elections.

• True
• False

Answer: False. Provincial, territorial and municipal elections also use a secret ballot, but their rules differ from the federal ones, so it is worth finding out how to vote in each.

Q38.On First Nations reserves, who has major responsibilities such as housing and schools?

• The RCMP
• The provincial Premier
• The Governor General
• Band chiefs and councillors

Answer: First Nations have band chiefs and councillors with major responsibilities on reserves, including housing, schools and other services. Aboriginal organizations also speak for First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in their dealings with governments.

Q39.Whom does a member of Parliament represent?

• Only the voters who chose them
• Their riding, and all Canadians as well
• Only the members of their party
• Only their province's government

Answer: Each electoral district elects one MP. The MP represents the people of that district in the House of Commons, and all Canadians too.

Q40.Who can question the decisions of the Cabinet?

• All members of the House of Commons
• Only the Prime Minister
• Only members of the governing party
• No one, as Cabinet decisions are final

Answer: The Cabinet makes major decisions about how Canada is governed, but its decisions can be questioned by every member of the House of Commons. This keeps the government accountable.