2000 Canadian federal election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2000 Canadian federal election

← 1997 November 27, 2000 (2000-11-27) 2004 →
← 36th Canadian Parliament List of House members of the 37th Parliament of Canada →
301 seats in the House of Commons 151 seats needed for a majority
Turnout	64.1% (2.9pp)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Jean Chrétien Stockwell Day Gilles Duceppe Party Liberal Alliance Bloc Québécois Leader since June 23, 1990 June 24, 2000 March 15, 1997 Leader's seat Saint-Maurice Okanagan—Coquihalla Laurier— Sainte-Marie Last election 155 seats, 38.46% 60 seats, 19.35% 44 seats, 10.67% Seats before 161 60 44 Seats won 172 66 38 Seat change 11 6 6 Popular vote 5,252,031 3,276,929 1,377,727 Percentage 40.85% 25.49% 10.72% Swing 2.39pp 6.13pp 0.04pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Alexa McDonough Joe Clark Party New Democratic Progressive Conservative Leader since October 14, 1995 November 14, 1998 Leader's seat Halifax Calgary Centre Last election 21 seats, 11.05% 20 seats, 18.84% Seats before 19 15 Seats won 13 12 Seat change 6 3 Popular vote 1,093,868 1,566,998 Percentage 8.51% 12.19% Swing 2.54pp 6.65pp
Popular vote by province, with graphs indicating the number of seats won. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote by province but instead via results by each riding.
Prime Minister before election Jean Chrétien Liberal Prime Minister after election Jean Chrétien Liberal

Map of Canada, showing the results of the 2000 election by riding.

The 2000 Canadian federal election was a big event held on November 27, 2000. During this election, Canadians voted for 301 people to become Members of Parliament (MPs). These MPs would then represent their local areas in the House of Commons of Canada, which is a key part of Canada's government. This election decided who would lead the country for the next few years.

The main goal was to choose members for the 37th Parliament. After the votes were counted, Jean Chrétien remained the Prime Minister. His party, the Liberal Party, won the most seats.

Understanding the Election Results

In a federal election, people vote for a candidate in their local area, called a "riding." The candidate who gets the most votes in that riding wins a seat in the House of Commons. The party that wins the most seats usually forms the government.

Notes:

"% change" refers to change from previous election

* - Party did not nominate candidates in the previous election

¹ - percentage change from Reform Party of Canada in previous election.

How Canadians Voted

The election showed how popular each political party was across Canada. This is measured by the "popular vote," which is the total number of votes each party received.

Seats Won by Each Party

While the popular vote shows overall support, what really matters for forming a government is the number of seats each party wins. The party with the most seats gets to lead the country.

Party Performance Across Canada

The results varied quite a bit from one province to another. Here's a look at how the main parties did in different parts of Canada:

Liberal Party Success

The Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, won a strong majority of seats. They did especially well in Ontario, winning 100 out of 103 seats there. They also won many seats in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces like Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. Overall, they secured 172 seats.

Rise of the Canadian Alliance

The Canadian Alliance party, led by Stockwell Day, was a newer party that gained a lot of support in western Canada. They won most of their 66 seats in BC and Alberta, becoming the main opposition party.

Bloc Québécois in Quebec

The Bloc Québécois, led by Gilles Duceppe, focuses on issues important to Quebec. They won 38 seats, all within Quebec, showing strong support in that province.

New Democratic Party Results

The New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Alexa McDonough, won 13 seats. Their support was spread out, with some seats in western provinces like Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and also in Nova Scotia.

Progressive Conservative Party

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Joe Clark, won 12 seats. They saw some support in the Atlantic provinces, but their overall number of seats decreased compared to the previous election.

Other Parties in the Election

Several other parties also ran candidates in the election, but they did not win any seats. These included the Green Party, the Marijuana Party of Canada, and the Communist Party of Canada.

Source: Elections Canada

See also

In Spanish: Elecciones federales de Canadá de 2000 para niños