The Canadian electoral system is based on a parliamentary system of government, modelled on that of the United Kingdom.
From our indiegogo campaign http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/postybell-the-first-post-box-sensor-that-works-from-any-distance/x/568581. A post box (British English; also written postbox; also known as pillar box), also known as a collection box, mailbox, letter box or drop box (American English) is a physical box into which members of the public can deposit outgoing mail intended for collection by the agents of a country's postal.
Federal parliament[edit]
The Parliament of Canada consists of:
- The sovereign (represented by the Governor General)
- An upper house (the Senate), the members of which are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister
- A lower house (the House of Commons), the members of which are chosen by the citizens of Canada through federal general elections.
Elections Canada is the non-partisan agency responsible for the conduct of elections in Canada, including federal elections, by-elections and referendums. It is headed by the Chief Electoral Officer.
Representation in the House of Commons[edit]
Representation in the House of Commons is based on electoral districts, also known as constituencies or ridings. Each riding elects one member to the House of Commons, and the number of ridings is established through a formula set out in the Constitution.
Riding boundaries are established by independent commissions, and take into account:
- social links
- economic links
New commissions are set up every ten years to make any necessary revisions to existing boundaries, following criteria defined in the 'Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act. The process of redefining electoral boundaries is called 'redistribution', and the results are recorded in a 'representation order'. The Representation Order of 2003 set the number of ridings at 308.
Electoral method[edit]
First past the post[edit]
Canada's electoral system is referred to as a 'first past the post' system. The candidate with the most votes in a riding wins a seat in the House of Commons and represents that riding as its Member of Parliament (MP). The Governor General asks the Members of Parliament to form a government, which is normally the party whose candidates have won the most seats; that party's leader generally becomes Prime Minister. An absolute majority of the electorate is not needed, and is rarely achieved. As a result, power has been held by either of two parties for most of Canada's history. The party whose candidates win the second largest number of seats becomes the Official Opposition.
The First Post Office
Turnout[edit]
Voter turnout fell dramatically between 1962 (79%) and 2011 (61.4%). The Gallagher Index of disproportionality for Canadian federal elections in that period has ranged from 6.26 to 20.91, in line with some of its comparables — Australia, New Zealand and United States (Presidential electoral college), but significantly higher than many others as for example Belgium, Germany, Ireland, United States (House) and the Scandinavian countries.[1]
Timing of election[edit]
Historically, the Prime Minister could ask the Governor General to call an election at virtually any time, although one had to be called no later than five years after the return of the writs under section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In 2007, the Conservative Parliament passed an act requiring fixed election dates in Canada every four years.[2] This law does not curtail the power of the Governor General to dissolve Parliament at any time, as was done for the 2008 election at the request of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
If a government loses a 'confidence' motion traditionally the Prime Minister will ask the Governor General to call an election. The Governor General when approached by the Prime Minister who has lost a vote of confidence will traditionally call an election. However it is not assured as some assume. The Governor General also has the right to call the leader of the party they think would be most likely to be able to form government and ask them if they can form the government. This happened in 1926 and is referred to as the King-Byng Affair.
Running for office[edit]
Any number of candidates may run for election in an electoral district, but each candidate may only run in one district, either independently or under the banner of a political party. Each party may endorse only one candidate per riding. Candidates who run for election without party affiliation may be designated as 'independent' or as having 'no affiliation'.
A political party is a group of people who together:
- Establish a constitution and by-laws
- Elect a leader and other officers
- Endorse candidates for election to the House of Commons.
To obtain the right to put the party name on the ballot, under the names of the candidates it endorses, a political party must register with the Chief Electoral Officer. At the 2008 election, there were 19 registered political parties operating at the federal level in Canada. See List of political parties in Canada.
Governing party[edit]
After an election, the party with the most elected representatives usually becomes the governing party. The leader of this party is then summoned by the governor general and sworn in as Prime Minister of Canada shortly after the election concludes. The party with the second largest number of MPs is called the 'Official Opposition'. All the elected candidates have a seat in the House of Commons, where they vote on draft legislation (called 'bills') and thus have an influence on government policy.
Right to vote[edit]
All citizens (18 years and older) have the right to a voice in choosing their parliamentary representatives. Canada's electoral law requires the Chief Electoral Officer to inform the public about the system and about individual rights under that system, and to remove obstacles that may make voting difficult for some.
Information to voters[edit]
During an election, Elections Canada informs Canadians about their right to vote, how to get on the National Register of Electors and the voters list, and where and how they can vote. Its public information activities include
- News releases.
- Advertisements in newspapers and on television and radio, brochures, posters.
- A toll-free telephone inquiries center.
- A website.
- Meetings with community and ethnocultural groups.
Between elections, the agency publishes additional background information for the public, keeps its telephone enquiries centre and website open to answer questions, and works with educators to encourage young people to vote when they become eligible (18 years and older).
Voting accommodations[edit]
Helping to remove obstacles to voting is an important part of Elections Canada's work. Voters who are not able to vote on polling day can vote at the advance polls. A mail-in special ballot is available for Canadians who are away from their ridings, traveling or temporarily resident overseas. Even Canadians in their own ridings during the election period may use the special ballot if they do not wish to go to a Polling Station. In special cases, electors with a disability may vote at home, in the presence of an election officer. Mobile polls serve voters living in certain institutions, such as nursing homes for people who are elderly or who have a disability.
Wherever possible, election officers at polling stations speak both official languages (English and French). In addition, a deputy returning officer can appoint and swear in an interpreter to help communicate with a voter.
All votes are made on the same standard heavy paper ballot which is inserted in a standard cardboard box, furnished by Elections Canada. The ballot and the box are devised to ensure that no one except the elector knows the individual choice that was made.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'The Gallagher Index'(PDF). tcd.ie. Retrieved 2017-06-23.
- ^'Elections Canada'. Elections.ca. Retrieved 2012-10-10.
External links[edit]
By the mid-1800s adhesive postage stamps were widely used, and the Post Office Department recognized that people no longer needed to go to the post office to deposit their letters. Instead, they could keep stamps at home and mail letters at their leisure. So the department began to build and distribute mailboxes throughout U.S. cities.
Credit for patenting the first letter box officially sanctioned by the Post Office Department goes to a Philadelphia iron products manufacturer, named Albert Potts. His idea, which was patented on March 9, 1858, was to incorporate the letter box into either existing street side lamppost, or new lampposts to be provided by his firm. Pott's receptacles were small. As a result, they probably required frequent emptying. To eliminate the constant need for collections, a larger box was obviously required.
Emirates Post
In 1860 a contract was awarded to John Murray for the production of 1,600 larger lamppost letter boxes. Like the Potts' boxes, these were literally incorporated into the lamp posts. No original examples of the Murray mailbox are known to have survived.
The Orr & Painter iron manufacturers of Reading, Pennsylvania began manufacturing another style of mailbox in the early 1880s. Their cast iron boxes were designed to be hung anywhere, from telegraph poles to the sides of buildings.
During the same year as the Johnstown Flood, the Post Office Department ordered the production of a new style mailbox. Designed by Willard D. Doremus, three sizes of this style of box were produced. These boxes were not very strong and were easily shattered by thieves who made off with the mail. The lip over the letter slot often broke, letting in rain and snow.
By 1891 the U.S. Post Office Department had over 48,400 letter boxes of various types in use around the country. When postal officials accepted this style box, developed by Eugene D. Scheble, a dentist from Toledo, Ohio, the postal system encountered a great deal of trouble. Illegal deals were involved in the selection of the mailbox. Ultimately several prominent persons were indicted by a grand jury in 1903 on charges of conspiracy and fraud in connection with the letter box contracts, but not before more than 49,300 Scheble style boxes had been purchased. The Scheble mailbox was made of sheet metal, not iron.
The Van Dorn Iron Works of Cleveland, Ohio, was selected to make better boxes. Although Van Dorn boxes were known for their durability to weather, they were rather homely in appearance. Despite the fact that some models were 'spruced up' by the addition of fancier handles, they were generally so unattractive that in some cities local postmasters were requested, if not absolutely required, to remove them from boulevards, avenues, and streets where the letter boxes were out of harmony with the ornate electric lampposts then in use.
The First Post Dinner Menu
The color of some Van Dorn letter boxes was another major problem. For a brief period, some boxes were painted bright red. These were frequently confused for similarly painted fire alarms and police call boxes. To overcome this, postal officials directed that boxes should generally be painted dark green.