Civics in the Classroom: Citizenship Challenge Elementary Education Guide

ACTIVITY 2B: FORMING A PARLIAMENT 1. Now you will hold an election in your classroom to form a Student Parliament. Go back to your original groups (your ridings). The teacher (as Governor General ) calls an election. The teacher asks each group to select one candidate from each party to represent their “riding.” If there are two members of the same party in one group, they must decide among themselves who is running. This is because each riding selects only one person to sit in Parliament . Each student can vote for their preferred candidate within their riding. Candidates cannot vote for themselves. 2. Tally the votes. The winning candidates from each riding become the Members of Parliament . The teacher, as Governor General , determines which party has the best chance of getting its laws passed (the party with the most seats). This party is invited to form government. Some possible scenarios: * The Red Party has a MAJORITY Government — it has a better chance of winning votes because it holds more than half of the seats. * The Blue Party has a MINORITY Government — it has less than half the seats in the House of Commons, but more than the second-largest party. * A COALITION Government — The Red Party will have to support either the Green or Blue Party in order for the government to be functional (or the Green and Blue Party could join together). 3. The party (or parties working together in the event of a coalition) who can get laws passed forms the Class Government. This is called “having the confidence of the House.” The teacher, as Governor General , will make the leader of the ruling party (or parties) prime minister, even if the leader didn’t win a seat. However, it is extremely rare for the leader of the ruling party not to win their seat. Canadian Parliament buildings in Ottawa (Dreamstime/Adwo/91479599). Afederal elections ballot from Elections Canada (Dreamstime/ Photopal604/63896418). 4