OTTAWA - With less than 24 hours to go before the deadline to nominate a representative for each of Canada’s 338 electoral ridings, all but one party has reached the finish line.
As of Sunday, the People’s Party of Canada (PPC) had filled out 326 seats, according to spokesperson Johanne Mennie. She told CTVNews.ca that they’re "on track" to meet the Elections Canada deadline of 2 p.m. local time on Monday.
That deadline not only requires parties to have a fully nominated roster, but it also entails that all candidates have their registration papers filled out and submitted. Only after that point do those individuals nominated become "confirmed candidates," according to the .
As of Sunday, only the Conservative party had registered all 338 members of their newly assembled lineup.
The Liberals have secured 338 candidates, but said they don’t have a count on how many are registered. The NDP did not respond to the inquiry at the time this story was published, and the Greens reported having 319 registered as of Sunday afternoon.
Candidate Diversity
According to information obtained by CTVNews.ca on candidate diversity, the NDP rank the highest with regards to representation of women at 166, while the Greens trail behind at 156 and the Conservatives at 107. The NDP also exceed the other parties on the amount of racialized candidates nominated at 80. Meanwhile the Conservatives stand at 58 and the Greens at 17. The NDP have 27 First Nations candidates, while the Conservatives have seven and the Greens have six.
The Liberals and the PPC are the only parties not to track specific demographic markers.
In a statement to CTVNews.ca, Guy Gallant, a spokesperson for the Liberals said, "Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party of Canada believe that our country is stronger, and our government is more effective, when decision-makers reflect Canada’s diversity."
Gallant added that candidates come from a wide range of backgrounds which include "veterans, teachers, environmentalists, Indigenous leaders [and] LGBTQ2 advocates..."
Martin Masse, a spokesperson for the PPC said, "We don’t keep any information on our candidates' race, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, religion, physical handicaps, or other such personal characteristics. They are all unique individuals, and have been chosen for they desire to defend our party’s principles and fight for a better Canada, not because they belong to specific groups."
Dr. Wendy Cukier, the founder and Academic Director of Ryerson University’s Diversity Institute, says across the board, parties have upped their game this election campaign by putting forward diverse candidates.
"There’s such a strong economic imperative as well as a social imperative. It makes sense to me that it’s becoming much more mainstream thinking that we have to make sure that Parliament represents the people that elect it," Cukier said.
The finalized list of candidates will be made available on the Elections Canada website on Oct. 3.
