What Is First-Past-the-Post?
Canada uses a voting system called first-past-the-post (FPTP). It's simple: in each riding, the candidate with the most votes wins. No runoffs, no thresholds, no second chances. It's the same system used in the UK and the US — and it has vocal supporters and critics.
How It Works
- Canada is divided into 343 ridings, each electing one MP
- Voters mark an X beside one candidate on the ballot
- The candidate with the most votes wins the seat — even with 30% of the vote
- The party that wins the most seats forms the government
There is no requirement for a candidate to win a majority (over 50%). In a riding with five strong candidates, someone could win with just 25% of the vote. The other 75% of voters are not represented by their preferred candidate.
A Simple Example
Imagine a riding with three candidates:
| Candidate | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate A | 15,000 | 38% | Wins |
| Candidate B | 13,000 | 33% | Loses |
| Candidate C | 11,000 | 28% | Loses |
Candidate A wins with 38% of the vote. The other 62% of voters preferred someone else. Under a different system, the outcome might be different.
How elections work
The full process from writ to forming government
How to vote
Step-by-step guide to casting your ballot
Arguments For FPTP
- Simplicity — Easy to understand and administer. Mark an X, count the ballots.
- Local representation — Every riding has one MP who is directly accountable to that community.
- Stable governments — FPTP tends to produce majority governments, which can govern decisively without constant coalition negotiations.
- Accountability — Voters can clearly “throw out” a government they don't like. Under PR, parties can stay in power through different coalition arrangements even after losing vote share.
Arguments Against FPTP
- Wasted votes — Votes for losing candidates don't count toward any representation. In some elections, over half of all votes cast are “wasted.”
- False majorities — A party can win a majority of seats with well under 50% of the popular vote. In 2015, the Liberals won 54% of seats with 39% of the vote.
- Strategic voting — Voters may feel pressured to vote for a “lesser evil” rather than their preferred candidate, to prevent a disliked candidate from winning.
- Regional distortions — Parties with concentrated support are overrepresented; parties with dispersed support are underrepresented.
The Alternatives
Countries around the world use different voting systems. The main alternatives discussed in Canada are:
- Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) — Used in Germany and New Zealand. Voters cast two ballots: one for a local candidate and one for a party. Some seats are filled by local winners, others from party lists to make the overall result proportional.
- Single Transferable Vote (STV) — Used in Ireland. Multi-member ridings where voters rank candidates. Seats are allocated through a series of rounds until all positions are filled.
- Ranked Ballot / Instant Runoff — Used in Australia. Voters rank candidates; the last-place candidate is eliminated and their votes redistributed until someone gets 50%.
Browse MPs by party
See how FPTP distributes seats across Canada's political parties
Browse MPs by province
See regional representation in the House of Commons
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "first-past-the-post" mean?
First-past-the-post (FPTP) means the candidate with the most votes in a riding wins the seat — even if they didn't get a majority (over 50%). There is no second round of voting and no minimum vote threshold. The analogy comes from horse racing: the first horse past the post wins, regardless of how far ahead they are.
Has Canada ever tried to change its voting system?
Yes, multiple times. In 2015, the Liberal Party campaigned on a promise that the 2015 election would be "the last under first-past-the-post." A parliamentary committee studied alternatives but the government abandoned the effort in 2017. British Columbia held referendums on proportional representation in 2005, 2009, and 2018 — all failed to reach the threshold for change.
What is proportional representation?
Proportional representation (PR) is a family of electoral systems where the share of seats a party wins roughly matches its share of the popular vote. If a party gets 30% of the vote nationally, it would get roughly 30% of the seats. There are many PR variants, including mixed-member proportional (MMP) and single transferable vote (STV).
What is ranked ballot / instant runoff voting?
In a ranked ballot system (also called instant runoff), voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no candidate gets over 50% of first-choice votes, the last-place candidate is eliminated and their voters' second choices are redistributed. This continues until a candidate has a majority. It still uses single-member ridings, unlike most PR systems.
Does FPTP give an advantage to any party?
FPTP tends to benefit parties with concentrated regional support and disadvantage parties with broad but thin support. The Bloc Québécois (concentrated in Quebec) can win dozens of seats with a fraction of the national vote, while the Green Party (spread thinly across the country) may get millions of votes but only a handful of seats.