An MP from Montreal says she will spend the weekend in her electoral district. Where will she be?
- Anywhere in Quebec
- In her office on Parliament Hill
- In the Senate chamber
- In the part of Montreal where she was elected
Answer: In the part of Montreal where she was elected
An electoral district, or riding, is the geographic area an MP represents. A Montreal MP’s riding is the part of Montreal whose voters elected her, not her office on Parliament Hill or all of Quebec. MPs sit in the House of Commons, not the Senate.
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.