2.2 | Elections franchise: The right of citizens of a country, such as Canada, to vote in their country’s elections. The federal franchise is related to voting federal elections. _Focus Question ____ («pow has democracy changed in Canada since 1867) Moses Democracy in Canada has been changing since before the time of Confederation, What one generation of Canadians views as democratic, a new generation may sce as repressive, For example ‘who has the right to vote? Today, we believe in the universal franchise; in other words, all citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote. But this was not always the case, Throughout histon, groups of people were refused the vote for a variety of reasons, Timeline: The History of the Federal Franchise 1961, 1898 ‘The British North America Act ges the responsibilty ncies of wearer nai for the franchise fo provincal governments, Men over lunatic asylums are banned Women can vtein the age of 21 who ate Brtsh subjects and own Raa end powee desist Droperty can vote in a federal electon. Provinces already been denied the ‘Manitoba, Abera, ed produce lists of ineligible voters that nude members wen ween Of ciferent racial groups and goverment employees, can “The federal government takes conta ofthe federal franchise. Prounces contnue io have the power to seta voter’ st for promncal eectone tis no longer necessary to ov property tobe able to vote. 40 | The Informed Citizen 1920 F ‘A men and women, induding Br cazens ing in Canade, ove 2° 2 an vote, except Asian Canadas Abonginel peoples.During the years after Confederation, certain citizens were denied the right to vote because of race, rf : 8eX, poverty, religion, age, kim and the title and employment, disability, and imprisonment. In Canadian law, some the trraine Bafoe wading a¢k members of society were deemed less worthy than others. suse se For 10 of the first 13 federal determined by the provincial gov rules deciding who could vote in ‘yourself questions fo consider vwhat you want to find out. Jot down the answers to the questions as you read. elections, che right to vote was ‘ments, This meant that the a federal election were different depending on which province a person lived in. The timeline below illustrates some of the federal election, important changes in the right to vote in a ‘A A physically challenged citizen votes in a federal election. Poling stations were made accessible to disabled persons in 1992. teegtpomtneensd fae ott stale eee oat peteeaes right ina democrate socity— becomes part ofthe Consituton. ‘ntl this te, an act of Patlament could have removed the nght. Abcxignal peoples on reserves can vote in federal elections. Gsabed peroe. tng veoltes forthe uy impored ae mateo paling stor : 1975 prtsh citzens ang 1907 in Canada can no Conadhan citizens as nae acer ees a oan People with mental Inmates serving ae overcanvotein || cisabites and prison} | sentences of j federal eecions. J | inmates seving ‘two years or sentences aess than] ] move ae not two years can vote eligbie 10 voteMaking A. Nellie McClung Nelle McClung was tireles worker inthe Fight to get the je women. Many historians feel she was the leading Canadian, feminist inthe twentieth century. Well known as an engagin public speaks she once gave a speech idclng the ids of for men inorder to poke fun at those who did suppor yon for women, Because of her wotk and that of many other wom Manitoba became the fist province to give women the righty vote, in 1916, quickly followed by Alberta and Saskatchewan, Jn 1921, McClung was elected to the Manitoba legislature, Questions 1. If you were to interview Nellie McClung, what three questions would you ask? 2. Do you think women should be given special status (eg, the federal goverment agency Status of Women Canads)? Why or why not? Be prepared to defend your opinions. ‘ Nelle McClung was largely responsible for wining women the Tight to vote The Informed CitizenGetting Elected Focus Question + How are candidates elected in Canada? Citizens often have a choice of sever: ‘al candidates when they vote. ridi defined area where Usually each candidate represents a political party. In Canada, both Voters elect a member of a federally and provincially, candidates run for election in a riding (also ‘legislature. An electoral called an electoral district). There are 308 federal ridings in C and 103 provincial ridings in Ontario. The riding boundaries. Citizens living representative to the federal P. leg nada, _district or constituency. government determines all riding can vote for one 'arliament and one to the provincial slature. To be a candidate in a federal election, you must be electoral district: A defined area where voters elect a member of a legislature. A riding. * a Canadian citizen * 18 years of age or older To run in a provincial election in Ontario, you have tobe * a Canadian citizen * 18 years of age or older * a resident of Ontario for at least six months before the election is called Ontario Provincial Electoral Districts i New Democratic Party Progressive Conservative > This is a map of the 103 electoral districts for the 2003 provincial election in Ontario. For the next provincial election in October 2007, Ontario will be divided into r oral districts.The Election Process ing people to represent us in Then we vote, we are Choosing P When we Weal or inthe provincial assemblies. They ha | Parliament I for us the person we vote for wins. y to spe responsibilty 10 SP f ie person belongs the party that wins ae most et they party wll form the government, The leader of that party wi aarp prime mnie in the federal goverment) or he oremie ina provincial government) In Canada, we do not yo, sTasey forthe person who becomes prime minister Or prem, ident is ging an The call election speech at her school. The governor generale For many young people, calls an election on the ai student councl elections premier (provincial). Federal govern ae a elton tothe years, Previous in Ontario, an election could be called any tne een oes to ive years after the lst election. Recently, the Ontario legislature set a fixed term of four years between general elections. Party Web sites, and visits 10 voters’ homes. Federal and provincial laws porerg ae Ceb Lint ‘egulate the length of _ campaigns, access to television time. ; Research Your Riding » Money sper mn and political part oe orld To find your nding goto ‘wawwnelson.com/cvicsnow The Voters and follow the instructions, Who were the candidates the last election? Who public areas such as government build ings and libraries, The Decision On the day of the election, voters go to polling stations, located in schools, community centres, and other public buildings. You may have seen polling stations in your school gym during the last election. Each polling station has a deputy returning officer who administers the voting, and a polling clerk who records the names of voters. ‘Voters cast a vote for the candidate of their choice by placing a mark beside the name on the ballot. The ballot, with the names of candidates, is refolded so that the choice is secret. The ballot is placed in a ballot box. How a vorer voted remains secret unless the voter wants to tell others how he or she voted. The Count When the polls close, people, called counters, open the ballot boxes and count the votes. Members of the different political parties, called scrutineers, are present to make sure the count is f The Winner Candidates with the most votes in their ridings. are declared the. winners, These candidates become the representatives for the 1. Which of the changes to the feder important? Justify your choice,