43rd General Federal Election

Candidates and Parties at the Close of Nominations

Elections Canada has issued the list of candidates whose nominations have been confirmed to run in the 43rd general federal election which takes place on October 21 with advanced balloting starting October 11. In this federal election, 2,145 citizens are presenting themselves as candidates in the country’s 338 ridings, compared to 1,792 in 2015, an increase of 353 candidates. Elections Canada has yet to provide a breakdown by gender, but a preliminary estimate puts the number of women at just over 30 per cent of the candidates.

The Conservatives, Greens, Liberals and New Democrats are running candidates in all 338 ridings. The People’s Party of Canada has candidates in 315. The Bloc Quebecois has candidates in all 78 ridings in Quebec.

Fifteen other registered parties are fielding 276 candidates. In 2015, there were 18 small parties fielding 284 candidates.

One hundred and twenty-five (125) candidates are registered as independent or non-affiliated, 44 more than the 80 in 2015. At least 26 of them are in fact affiliated with the None of the Above Party, but the ballot will not identify them as such because the party is not registered with Elections Canada.

The candidates of the fifteen small parties and independent candidates together represent 19 per cent of the total.

By law, the Canada Elections Act regulates how a person can become a candidate. An individual must be a Canadian citizen at least 18 years of age to qualify. They must gain the consent of 100 qualified electors in their riding. All candidates must appoint an official agent responsible for their finances and candidates must also appoint an auditor if they spend or receive contributions of $10,000 or more. Candidates running for a party must obtain its endorsement. Parties are entitled to set their own rules for the nomination of candidates, while the Canada Elections Act regulates the contributions and expenses incurred by riding nomination contestants. This is the first election where candidates do not have to submit a $1,000 refundable deposit with their nomination.

All of the registered political parties, along with their websites, are listed on Elections Canada’s website here.

To find the list of candidates in your riding, Elections Canada provides a search engine by postal code or riding name here.

Registered Parties and Candidates in the 2019 Election

This article was published in:

Renewal Update No. 25, October 3, 2019

Article Link:
43rd General Federal Election: Candidates and Parties at the Close of Nominations