21^st September 2021 – Hindu Times Canada has prepared some FAQs about the latest Canadian Federal Elections.

Q1. What are these elections called?

A1. The recent elections are formally known as the 44^th Canadian General Elections to elect members of the House of Commons to the Canadian Parliament.

Q2. When were the previous elections held?

A2. In Canada, the elections are held every 4 years. The previous elections were held in 2019.

Q3. If elections are held every 4 years, why did they happen in 2021?

A3. On 15^th August 2021, the previous government decided to dissolve the parliament and asked for snap elections (where elections are held much ahead of its regular schedule)

Q4. Which are the main parties in Canada?

A4. The main parties are: Liberal Party of Canada (led by Justin Trudeau), Progressive Conservatives also known as Tories (led by Erin O-Toole), New Democratic Party (led by Jagmeet Singh), Bloc Quebecois (led by Yves-Francois Blanchet) and Green Party (led by Annamie Paul)

Q5. What are the total number of seats in Canadian Parliament?

A5. 339

Q6. How many seats should a party win to have a majority in the Parliament?

A6. 170

Q7. Which party has won the 44^th General Elections?

A7. No single party has won a clear majority in these elections. The result of this election is almost identical to the last one in 2019. Here’s how the standings look like

Liberal	Conservative	New Democrats	Bloc Quebecois	Green
158	119	25	34	2

 

Q8. If there is no single party which won the elections, what will happen now?

A8. When there is no single party which wins a majority, 2 or more parties may collaborate to form a minority government. As it happened in 2019, Liberal party was supported by the New Democrats to form the government. This time as well, Liberals are getting support from their former partner.

Q9. Can I see how parties have done now vis-à-vis past elections?

A9. Sure, see below

Year	Liberal	Conservative	NDP	BC	Green
2021	158	119	25	34	2
2019	157	121	24	32	3
2015	184	99	44	10	1
2011	166	103	34	4	1

Q10. What is the cost to conduct these elections?

A10. ‘Elections Canada’ is the official agency which administers these elections. For each election, it is this institution which releases the final cost incurred. For the current election, the data has not yet been released. The estimated cost of the 43^rd General Election was $ 502M. It was an increase of $ 30.7M from the 42^nd General Election.