Who Makes the Laws?
Canadians vote for people to represent us in government. The people who get the most votes become our elected representatives. It is their job to make the laws.
When Canadians vote, we give consent to the party that wins the election to make our laws.
The elected politicians can propose new laws or bills. A "bill" is what a law is called before it becomes a law. These bills are debated in order to decide whether or not they should become laws. The goal of the debate is to explore all possible effects of a bill, both good and bad. After the debate there is a vote. If the majority of our elected representatives vote for the bill, it can become a law.
Changing the Laws
If you want a law to change, you can work with other Canadians to seek change through peaceful means. Canadians write letters, organize political protests, work with political parties, or join groups of people who have the same ideas as they do. Working in this way, groups may succeed in persuading the government to change a law. Changing a law takes a lot of time and work but Canadians believe that slow, peaceful change is best.
Voting
To vote in any election you must:
- be a Canadian citizen,
- be at least 18 years old on election day, and
- be on the voters’ list.
To vote in a BC election, you must have lived in the province for the six months before voting day. To find out how to get on the voters list for a federal election, go to Elections Canada, online at www.elections.ca.
