User:Alaney2k/Member of Parliament (Canada)

A Member of Parliament in Canada refers to those members of the Parliament of Canada that serve in the House of Commons of Canada. Members of Parliament are elected to represent the constituents of an electoral district.

Parliament of Canada

Main article: Parliament of Canada

The Parliament of Canada consists of the monarch, the Senate, and the House of Commons. Only members of the House of Commons are referred to as members of Parliament (French: député), while members of the Senate are called senators (French: sénateur). There are currently 105 seats in the Senate and 338 in the House of Commons. Members of Parliament are elected, while senators are appointed by the governor general on the advice of the Prime Minister of Canada.

Election

Members of Parliament are elected in the course of free regular federal elections, or in special by-elections held between regular elections. A by-election is held after events such as the death of a member, resignation of a member, or the formal ouster of a member. The list of eligible voters is compiled by Elections Canada from those paying income tax and other sources. Voters must be citizens of Canada. Voters not on the voter list can register at voting locations with sufficient identification.

A member does not have to be a member of a federal political party, although the majority are. Those running as a member of a political party are nominated by the local association of party members either through an internal party election or on the direction of the party leader. There are benefits to running as a member of a party, such as the brand association and financial campaign contributions from party resources.

To run for office, a candidate must register with the local electoral officer before the application deadline. There are rules on the campaigns, such as controls on signage, various anti-corruption laws, election day campaigning and election scrutineering.

The election of a member is done by a first-past-the-post electoral process. The candidate that receives the most number of votes is declared the winner. Upon completion of the election, the viceroy, on the advice of his or her prime minister, then issues a royal proclamation summoning Parliament to assemble. On the date given, new MPs are sworn in by the Clerk of the House of Commons and then elect their speaker. A normal term of Parliament is approximately four years but can be shorter if the governor general "dissolves" Parliament.

Duties and responsibilities

Members abide by the by-laws and policies as defined in the Parliament of Canada Act. There is also a Conflict of Interest Code. Members are required to attend the sessions of Parliament except for other parliamentary business, and public functions on parliamentary or official business.

If a member is a member of a political party, that member becomes a member of that party's caucus. Caucus members receive the benefit of research subsidies from Parliament for party members, although all Parliament resources, such as the Library of Canada, are available to all members. Caucus members must abide by the rules of the party, and are members of a party's caucus at its discretion. Caucus members are generally bound to follow party voting and other rules as enforced by the party "whip".

The member maintains a parliamentary office assigned by Parliament in a building within the parliamentary precinct of Ottawa. Members also maintain a constituency office in their electoral district. The Parliament of Canada pays the expenses of both offices, which includes salaries of assistants and a communications budget.

References

Member of Parliament