What is an electoral district?
- A city where elections are counted
- A geographical area represented by a member of Parliament (MP)
- A region managed by the Senate
- A zone patrolled by the RCMP
Answer: A geographical area represented by a member of Parliament (MP)
An electoral district, also called a riding or constituency, is a geographical area. The citizens who live there elect one member of Parliament (MP), who sits in the House of Commons and represents them as well as all Canadians.
Learn more: Electoral districts, candidates and MPs
- An electoral district is a geographic area represented by one Member of Parliament. It is also called a riding or a constituency.
- Canada is divided into 343 electoral districts (since the 2025 general election; Discover Canada gives 308).
- The citizens in each electoral district elect one MP, who represents them and all Canadians in the House of Commons.
- Canadian citizens aged 18 or older may run in a federal election.
- People who run for office are called candidates. There can be many candidates in one electoral district.
- Voters in each district vote for the candidate and political party of their choice.
- The candidate who receives the most votes becomes the MP for that district.