| Week One |
| May
25: |
Are there any Canadian citizens
who are not entitled to vote in a federal election?
Answer
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| May
26: |
Why don't we have even distribution
of constituencies? Within 100 or so voters, why aren't all MPs representing
the same number of Canadians?
Answer
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| May
27: |
How do the CBC and other media outlets
get poll results so quickly on election night?
Answer
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| May 28: |
Can an election be postponed,
once it has been called?
Answer » |
| May 29: |
Is it true that voters can
go to the polling station and refuse their ballot as an official protest
against the electoral system or the choices before them? How would
a refused ballot be recorded?
Answer
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| Week Two |
| May 30: |
In the event of an equality
of votes, how is the tie broken?
Answer
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| May 31: |
If a federal party wins a
majority in a general election, but its leader does not win his or
her seat, does the leader still become prime minister? Must he or
she sit in the gallery of the House of Commons? Has this ever happened?
Answer » |
| June
1: |
My friend is a Canadian
citizen who lives overseas in Scotland, where her husband works
for a multinational company. As it happens, she will be in Canada
on vacation on June 28. Can she vote?
Answer
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| June
2: |
What would happen if the Prime Minister
died during an election, or one of the leaders of the other parties?
Has this ever happened?
Answer
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| June
3: |
As I understand it, both provincially
and federally the life of a government ends after five years in office.
Has there ever been a case of a government remaining in power without
an election beyond its five-year mandate?
Answer
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| June
4: |
Is it true that to run for a seat in the
Liberal Party you must have a law degree? All current members seem
to have one. Even new candidates like Ken Dryden, a former hockey
player, have a law degree.
Answer
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| June
5: |
The number of seats in the House of Commons
has been growing over successive elections and now stands at 308.
How many seats can Parliament physically hold, and what happens when
the maximum is reached?
Answer
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| Week Three |
| June
6: |
On the Federal
Representation 2004 website, it says that the new riding boundaries
will not come into effect until one year after August 25, 2003. Why
are we using the new electoral boundaries in this election, then?
Answer
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| June
7: |
How much is the incumbent government restricted
to spending on ad campaigns and how much for the opposition parties?
Answer
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| June
8: |
I posted a sign on my front porch to support
my candidate, but my landlord removed it. He said that because I rent
and don't own, I don't have the right to post a sign on the outside
of the building, though I could put one in a window. Is he correct?
Answer
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| June
9: |
How does a person become a senator?
Answer
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| June
10: |
If the ruling party comes in second in
an election in which no party has a majority, can that party continue
as the government?
Answer
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| June
11: |
If I move during this election campaign
from one federal riding to another (from one province to another),
is my ability to vote in the new riding contingent on the amount of
time I plan to live there? What are the rules around that scenario
to ensure I get to cast a ballot for either riding? And what is expected
of me, after my move, to ensure I can vote?
Answer
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| June
12: |
I heard that for this election, parties
will receive a dollar amount per vote. Is this true? If so, why has
it not been more widely publicized?
Answer
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| Week Four |
| June
13: |
Exactly when are the ballots of Canadian
Forces electors counted and the results added to the specific riding's
total?
Answer
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| June
14: |
Is there a set amount of time between
the election call date and the day of the vote?
Answer
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| June
15: |
Because we vote by secret ballot, and
because a voter's age is not entered on the voters list, how do the
statisticians determine the percentage of voters in any given age
group who have voted?
Answer
» |
| June
16: |
What could we do differently in Canada
to get more MPs who are minorities and women? Is any other country
doing better at this, and if so, what makes the difference?
Answer
» |
| June
17: |
Is there a minimum number or percentage
of voters required to make an election valid?
Answer
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| June
18: |
Citizens in jail have the right to vote,
but do they vote in the riding where they are held? Wouldn't that
result in a large imbalance for a city like Kingston?
Answer
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| June
19: |
In past elections, I have cast my vote
in Tulameen at the community centre. This election I have to travel
to the Legion in Princeton to cast my vote, about a 45-minute drive
further. This is very inconvenient and I would like to know why?
Answer
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| Week Five |
| June
20: |
I'm 14 years old and have a huge interest
in Canadian politics. I was watching CBC's The National on
Day 2 or 3 of the election when the registered political parties were
listed in a report. I don't understand why the Christian Heritage
Party, Libertarian Party of Canada and Progressive Canadian Party
were not listed as registered parties. When I visited electionscanada.ca
later, these three parties were listed. I understand that there are
rules and regulations that a party needs to follow to be registered
as an official party. Can you please explain them to me?
Answer
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| June
21: |
How much will this election cost and is
it more because of the extended voting hours?
Answer
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| June
22: |
Can you please explain what a judicial
recount is? What is the procedure? Does it mean that a judge presides
over the recount? Where does it take place – in a courtroom?
Answer
» |
| June
23: |
Do all MPs have to swear allegiance? If
so, to whom? If not, why not, and if one refuses, what if anything
are the consequences?
Answer
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| June
24: |
I have been reading about the problems
that some areas in the U.S. are having with electronic voting machines.
Does anyplace in Canada use these new machines, or are there any plans
to do so?
Answer
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| June
25: |
How many polling stations does Elections
Canada establish, on average, in the process of holding a general
election?
Answer
» |
| June
26: |
If I have a power of attorney
for a relative, can I vote on his or her behalf?
Answer
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| June
27: |
Why does the CBC give so much airtime to the NDP (i.e., how many times do we have to see Olivia Chow)? Why doesn't the CBC provide equal time to political parties and not give more attention to the NDP?
Answer
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| June
28: |
How many pencils does Elections Canada go through for each election? As well, how many do voters walk away with, rather than leave them for the next person to use?
Answer
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