Spectrum Basics
This term describes how a person's background, environment, and values shape their stance on civic issues.
What is a political perspective?
This far-left ideology features total state control and collective or state ownership of all property to eliminate social classes.
What is Communism?
This is an organized group of like-minded individuals with a shared political ideology who work to achieve power through an election.
What is a political party?
Canada uses this voting system where the candidate with the highest number of votes in a local riding wins the seat.
What is First-Past-the-Post (FPTP)?
This type of government occurs when one political party wins more than half of the total seats in Parliament.
What is a Majority Government?
On a linear political spectrum, parties and ideas on this side generally favor tradition, smaller government, and lower taxes.
What is the right-wing?
This centre-left ideology focuses on social safety nets, measured defense, international alliances, and public funding for social programs.
What is Socialism/Liberalism?
This document outlines a political party's official plans, promises, and policies if they are elected.
What is a party platform?
This is the term for a local election held in a single riding to fill a vacant seat between general elections.
What is a by-election?
This type of government occurs when the winning party holds the most seats, but fewer than half of the total seats.
What is a Minority Government?
This term describes a set of shared ideas or beliefs about the role of government and how society should work.
What is a political ideology?
This ideology demands maximum individual freedom and minimal government intervention in both personal choices and economic markets.
What is Libertarianism?
For most Canadian political parties, this is the minimum age required for a person to officially become a registered member.
What is age 14?
This term describes a general election called early by the Prime Minister before the standard four-year term is complete.
What is a snap election?
If a minority government loses a vote on this major piece of legislation, they lose the confidence of the House and an election is triggered.
What is a budget (or vote of non-confidence)?
Any group or ideology located far to the extreme left or right wing of the spectrum can often be categorized as this type of regime.
What is a dictatorship/ extremist regime?
This extremist right-wing ideology features glorified militarism, high state budgets for expansion, strict national unity, and suppression of opposition.
What is Fascism?
This is the parliamentary rule requiring all MPs of a party to vote the same way, or face penalties like being back-benched or kicked out.
What is party discipline?
Under Canadian federal law, employers must legally give employees this much consecutive time off work to vote while polls are open.
What is 3 consecutive hours?
This federal official is the King's representative who formally dissolves Parliament to start an election upon the Prime Minister's request.
Who is the Governor General?
Modern Canadian mainstream federal parties (like the Liberals and Conservatives) generally cluster around this part of the political spectrum.
What is the centre (or moderate)?
This moderate, centre approach involves a pragmatic balance of security and fiscal restraint, picking practical solutions from both the left and right.
What is a Moderate (Centre) approach?
This type of vote allows MPs to vote according to their personal conscience rather than following the official party line.
What is a free vote?
This term describes the total number of individual votes cast for a political party across the entire country (which doesn't always match seat totals).
What is the popular vote?
This is the head of Elections Canada, the agency responsible for running federal elections within 37 to 51 days.
Who is the Chief Electoral Officer?