Dateline: 01/30/12
Date of the Next Canadian Federal Election
The next Canadian federal election is scheduled to be held on Monday October 19, 2015.
How Canadian Federal Election Dates are Decided
Fixed dates for Canadian federal elections were established by the Fixed Election Dates Act which received Royal Assent in 2007.
The Fixed Election Dates Act calls for federal general elections to be held every four years, on the first Thursday in October.
There are exceptions to Canadian federal fixed election dates:
- if the fixed election date is not suitable because it is a day of cultural or religious significance, or if it conflicts with a municipal or provincial election day. If there is a conflict, then an alternate election date would be chosen, either the Tuesday or the Monday after the Monday that would otherwise be election day.
- if the government loses a non-confidence vote in the House of Commons triggering an election. This can happen quite easily with a minority government, and happened twice between the passing of the Act and the 2011 Canadian federal election
- the Governor General retains the power to dissolve Parliament earlier.
