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and historic purposes of enfranchising Canadian citizens and of protecting the integrity of our
[35]
Canadian citizens are guaranteed the right to vote for the candidate of their choice to
serve as the Member of Parliament for the electoral district in which the citizen resides. Section 3
of the Charter provides:
3. Every citizen of Canada has
the right to vote in an election
of members of the House of
Commons or of a legislative
assembly and to be qualified
for membership therein.
[36]
3. Tout citoyen canadien a le
droit de vote et est éligible aux
élections législatives fédérales
ou provinciales.
Section 6 of the Canada Elections Act gives practical effect to that guarantee by
providing that persons who are qualified as electors are entitled to have their names included in
the list of electors for the electoral division in which they are ordinarily resident and to vote at
the polling station for that electoral division at federal elections.
[37]
The procedure for determining the lists of electors for each polling division is set out in
Part 7 of the Act. Preparation for the vote is governed by Part 8. It is the responsibility of the
returning officer to establish one polling station for each polling division (s 120(1)). Additional
stations may be established if justified by the number of electors in the district, with the prior
approval of the Chief Electoral Officer (s 120(2)). Additional provisions in Part 8 specify the
nature of the locations that may serve as polling stations, with regard to such considerations as
accessibility and privacy, and the appointment of officials to manage and secure the premises.
Part 9 contains the method for setting the voting hours.
2013 FC 525 (CanLII)
electoral process.
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