What is a provincial election in Canada?

A provincial election in Canada is the election to choose members of a provincial Legislative Assembly. Provincial elections are administered by independent provincial agencies (Elections Ontario, Élections Québec, Elections British Columbia, Elections Alberta, etc.), modelled on Elections Canada at the federal level. Most provinces have fixed-election-date legislation specifying that elections are held every four years on a particular date, though the Premier can advise the Lieutenant Governor to dissolve the Legislature earlier under the doctrine of responsible government.

Each province has its own electoral statute (the Election Act in most provinces, the Election Act of Quebec, etc.) governing the conduct of provincial elections. Voter eligibility is similar to federal eligibility (Canadian citizenship, age 18 or older, provincial residency requirements). Voters cast ballots in single-member ridings using first-past-the-post voting, the same system used at the federal level. Provincial spending and contribution limits vary widely.

The most recent provincial elections include the Ontario election of February 27, 2025 (Doug Ford's PCs won a majority), the New Brunswick election of October 21, 2024 (Susan Holt's Liberals won a majority), the Saskatchewan election of October 28, 2024 (Scott Moe's Saskatchewan Party won a majority), the British Columbia election of October 19, 2024 (David Eby's NDP won a slight majority), the Manitoba election of October 3, 2023 (Wab Kinew's NDP won a majority), and the Quebec election of October 3, 2022 (François Legault's CAQ won a majority). Federal and provincial elections rarely coincide but can both occur in the same calendar year.

The territories have Legislative Assembly elections operating under different rules. Yukon uses partisan politics (the most recent election was on April 12, 2021, producing a Liberal minority). The Northwest Territories and Nunavut operate under consensus government, with no political parties; voters elect individual members, who then choose a Premier and Cabinet from among their own ranks. The most recent NWT general election was November 14, 2023 (R.J. Simpson became Premier), and the most recent Nunavut general election was October 25, 2021 (P.J. Akeeagok became Premier). Provincial and territorial elections affect federal-provincial-territorial relations through the Council of the Federation, in which premiers meet annually.