how often do you have elections?
Sorry, groobie, I forgot to respond to this question.
An election must be called at some point within five years - regardless of whether there is a majority or minority government.
In a majority government, the PM decides when to call the election. It tends to take place around four years - although he plays with the date to try to choose a time when he has a good shot of getting another majority government.
Now that has backfired on occasion. I remember once when the Premier of Ontario (similar to a Governor of a US state) decided to call an election after only three years because he was so popular at the time. The public was furious with him for taking them back to the polls - and as a result, elected the other guy
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In a minority government, the government could fall at any time - if, as stated before, a money bill fails to pass or if the opposition brings a motion for non-confidence in the government. Also, the PM himself can call a new election whenever he wants.
However, PM Harper brought in a law that set a consistent election date. The idea was to prevent the PM from bringing an election whenever he wanted. But since he was the one who called this last election (and well before his set election date), I'm really not sure how it works.
ML
