Snap elections were announced for all 338 seats of the Canadian House of Commons in August. The election will be held on 20 September 2021.

Canada House of Commons 2021

At stake in this election:

• 338 seats of the Canadian House of Commons

*This snap election was called by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after Parliament was dissolved on 15 August 2021.[1]

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II *
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Justin Pierre James TRUDEAU**
• Assembly: Canada has a bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consisting of the Senate (Sénat) with 105 seats and the House of Commons (Chambre des Communes) with 338 seats.
• * The Queen is represented by Governor-General Mary SIMON. The position of Governor-General is appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term.

** After legislative elections, the Governor-General usually appoints the leader of the majority party or majority coalition to be Prime Minister.

Description of electoral system:

• The Queen is hereditary head of government.
• Prime Minister is designated by the governor-general to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Senate (Sénat) 105 members are appointed by the governor-general*. In the House of Commons (Chambre des Communes) 338 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms.**
• * Members are appointed by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. No terms are set, and Senators may serve in office until the age of 75.

**Constitutionally, there can be up to five years between federal elections. As well, the Canada Elections Act specifies that a general election must be held on the third Monday in October in the fourth calendar year following the previous general election. However, it also allows for an election to be called earlier.

Last Election:

• The last election for the House of Commons was held on 21 October 2019.

Main candidates in this election:

• Party: Liberal Party of Canada / Parti libéral du Canada[2]
  • Leader: Justin TRUDEAU
  • Seats won in last election: 157
• Party: Conservative Party of Canada / Parti conservateur du Canada[3]
  • Leader: Erin O'TOOLE
  • Seats won in last election: 121
• Party: New Democratic Party / Nouveau Parti démocratique[4]
  • Leader: Jagmeet SINGH
  • Seats won in last election: 39
• Party: Bloc Québécois[5]
  • Leader: Yves-François BLANCHET
  • Seats won in last election: 10
• Party: Green Party of Canada / Parti vert du Canada[6]
  • Leader: Annamie PAUL
  • Seats won in the last election: 3

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 37,943,231 (July 2021 est)[7]
• Registered Voters: 27,200,000[8]

Gender Data:

• Female Population: 19,170,000 (2021 est)[9]
• Is Canada a signatory to CEDAW: 17 Jul 1980[10]
• Has Canada ratified CEDAW: 10 Dec 1981[11]
• Gender Quota: Voluntary party quotas[12]
• Female candidates in this election: N/A
• Human Development Index Position: 16[13]
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very low (2019)[14]

Disability Data:

• Is Canada a signatory to CRPD: 30 Mar 2007[15]
• Has Canada ratified CRPD: 11 Mar 2010[16]
• Population with a disability: 5,264,975[17]