Elections in Canada

Not to be confused with Elections Canada which administers elections.
For national general election results, see List of Canadian federal general elections.

Canada holds elections for legislatures or governments in several jurisdictions: for the federal (national) government, provincial and territorial governments, and municipal governments. Elections are also held for self-governing First Nations and for many other public and private organizations including corporations and trade unions. Municipal elections can also be held for both upper-tier (regional municipality or county) and lower-tier (town, village, or city) governments.

Formal elections have occurred in Canada since at least 1792, when both Upper Canada and Lower Canada had their first elections. Canada's first recorded election was held in Halifax in 1758 to elect the 1st General Assembly of Nova Scotia.

All Canadian citizens aged 18 or older may register and vote in federal elections. Elections for other levels of government may have additional residency or ownership requirements. For example, some municipalities allow both residents and non-resident landowners to vote.

The most recent Canadian federal election occurred on April 28, 2025. The Constitution limits terms for Parliament and all provincial legislatures to five years; current legislation fixes terms at four years at the federal level and in every province except Nova Scotia. However, as in other Westminster systems, a parliamentary term may still be ended early due to a successful vote of no confidence or a snap election called by the ruling government. Though not impossible, there have never been two general elections in the same calendar year, either at the federal level or in any province or territory.

Although only the first-past-the-post voting is used currently in federal and all provincial elections in Canada, federal elections in the 1867-1970 period and elections in every province (except Quebec) used other election systems and multi-member districts at one time or another between 1867 and 1996. Through the years, Canadians have seen numerous instances of electoral reform and attempted electoral reform. Alberta was the first province to elect all its MLAs using non-FPTP systems, in 1926. Also recent attempts to change from first past the post to a different electoral system by referendum failed (or were ignored) in B.C. in 2005 and 2018, P.E.I. in 2005, 2016, and 2019, Ontario in 2007, and Yukon in 2025. Referendums on electoral reform have been proposed or cancelled in other provinces.

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