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1 [1] (August 19, 2015)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthaafmk0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Canada's October 2015 Elections August 19, 2015 (IN10343) Peter J. Meyer, Analyst in Latin American Affairs (Dmeercrs bc gov, 7-5474) lan F. Fergusson, Specialist in International Trade and Finance (ifergusson crs.1oc gov. 7-4997) Canada's next election is scheduled for October 19, 2015. It is being held at a time of slowing economic growth and ongoing controversies over anti-terrorism legislation and Canada's role in combating the Islamic State. The outcome of the election may have implications for the United States, which is Canada's largest trading partner, largest energy consumer, and NATO ally (see CRS Report 96-3 97, Can(ada-_S. Relations). Electoral System Canada is a constitutional monarchy (Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada) with a bicameral Westminster-style Parliament that includes an elected House of Commons and an appointed Senate. In the upcoming election, 338 Members of Parliament will be elected from individual districts (ridings) under a first-past-the-post system, which only requires a plurality of the vote to win a seat. The party winning the most seats typically gets the first chance to form a government. A government lasts as long as it can command a parliamentary majority for its policies, for a maximum of four years. If no single party holds a majority of seats, a minority government can be formed that attempts to pass legislation on a vote-by-vote basis. If a government loses a vote of confidence, new elections can be called, or the Governor-General (the Queen's representative) can offer other parties a chance to form a government. Major Political Parties Three major national parties are competing for votes. The incumbent Conservative Party, led by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, has been in power since 2006, and has governed with a majority since winning 166 seats in the last election in 2011. The Conservatives are running on their management of the economy during the recovery from the 2008 financial crisis and the enactment of anti-terrorism legislation following the Parliament Hill shootines of October 2014. However, the recent decline in the price of oil has taken a toll on the economy, which is now in recession, and the anti- terrorism law has proved controversial. It includes increased surveillance, greater information sharing among government agencies, and new powers for Canadian authorities to disrupt suspected plots. Harper has also been faulted for not following through on his pledge to reform the Canadian Senate, many members of which have been implicated in scandals in recent years. The ew Dema Pary (NDP), led by Thomas Mulcair, is the Official Opposition. The NDP achieved a breakthrough in the 2011 election, making significant gains in Quebec at the expense of the separatist Bloq Quebecois and supplanting the Liberal Party as the main left-of-center party in Parliament with 103 seats. Mulcair's NDP has differentiated itself from both the Conservatives and the Liberals by opposing the anti-terrorism law on civil-liberties grounds, advocating a slight increase in corporate taxation, and pledging to withdraw Canadian forces from the anti- ISIS campaign in Iraq. The Liberal Part, the dominant party during much of the 20th century, won only 34 seats in the 2011 election, its worst showing ever. The election of Justin Trudeau-son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau (1968-1979, 1980-1984) -as party leader helped the Liberals recover some support, but the 43-year-old has been hurt by his perceived lack of experience. He also has been criticized for his stance on the anti-terrorism law, voting for it but declaring he would enhance oversight and privacy safeguards if elected. Some analysts have attributed the withering of the Liberal Party to the increased .larizatioof nadian elector