How many members are in the House of Commons?

The House of Commons is the elected lower chamber of the federal Parliament of Canada. After the 2024 federal redistribution following the 2021 census, the House has 343 elected Members of Parliament (MPs), each representing a single electoral district (or 'riding'). The previous count was 338 MPs from 2015 to 2024. The 343 ridings are distributed across the country roughly proportional to population, with constitutional minimums protecting smaller provinces.

Provincial seat allocation in the 343-seat House: Ontario 122, Quebec 78, British Columbia 43, Alberta 37, Manitoba 14, Saskatchewan 14, Nova Scotia 11, New Brunswick 10, Newfoundland and Labrador 7, Prince Edward Island 4. Each territory (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut) has 1 seat. The four-seat minimum for Prince Edward Island is constitutionally protected by section 51A of the Constitution Act, 1867 (the 'senate floor' rule). The grandfather clause in section 51(1) ensures that no province has fewer seats than it had in 1976 or fewer than its current Senate seats.

MPs are elected by first-past-the-post voting (the candidate with the most votes in each riding wins, even without majority support). The House sits in the West Block of Parliament Hill in Ottawa during the rebuilding of the Centre Block (rebuilding began in 2018 and is expected to continue to 2030 to 2032). The House meets in plenary sessions and through about 26 standing committees that scrutinise government bills, departments, and emerging issues. Most MPs belong to one of the recognised political parties; the major parties in the current Parliament are the Liberal Party of Canada, the Conservative Party of Canada, the Bloc Québécois, the New Democratic Party, and the Green Party.

House proceedings are presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons (currently Greg Fergus, elected October 3, 2023, the first Black Speaker in Canadian history). The Speaker is elected by secret ballot of all MPs at the start of each Parliament. The House meets for Question Period each sitting day from Monday through Friday (45 minutes), debate (Government Orders), Private Members' Business, and committee work. Each Parliament has a maximum life of five years under section 4 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; federal fixed-election-date legislation provides for an election on the third Monday of October every four years.