Grade 6 Social Studies: How Provincial Government Works

How to Become a Candidate

1. Be an eligible voter (live in constituency of where they want to vote, be a Canadian citizen, at least 18 years old, and live in Alberta six months before election day. 2. Get a form from Elections Alberta signed by at least 25 electors in their district

Voting Steps

1. Be an eligible voter and receive your voter information card in the mail which tells you when and where to vote. 2. Go to two people (poll clerk and deputy returning officer also known as DRO) at a ballot box that matches the number on my voter information card. 3. Hand your voter information card to the poll clerk and give name and address. The poll clerk crosses your name off a list to show that you have voted. Then the DRO gives you a folded ballot with a black tab. The DRO can also help you if you need trouble voting. 4. You go behind the voting screen so no one can see who you vote for and mark an X in the circle beside the name of the candidate you chose. You don't do anything else to it or else it is counted as a spoiled ballot which isn't counted as a vote. You fold your ballot so your vote remains secret. 5. You take your folded ballot back to the DRO who tears off the black tab without opening your ballot. The DRO then gives you back your ballot to let you put it in the ballot box.

Process of Making Provincial Laws

1. MLA introduces bill in the Legislative Assembly (first reading). 2. MLAs and public get to study the bill. Public has a chance to speak out about the bill. 3. The bill gets a second reading. Changes might be made. More debate. 4. Third reading. If a majority of the MLAs agree on the bill it will be passed to the Lieutenant Governor to be signed.

Constituency

Provincial governments are divided into these areas.

Becoming Premier

The Lieutenant Governor asks the leader of the winning party (party with most seats) to become premier.

Lieutenant Governor

The queen's representative in the provincial government who signs all bills in order to make them a law or act. They also invite the leader of the party that wins the election to become premier. As well, they open and closes the session of the Legislative assembly and makes the Speech from the Throne that describes what the government plans to do during the upcoming session of Legislature.

Seats in the Legislative Assembly

There are 83 seats in the Legislative Assembly and they are given to members of each party for the amount the party wins during the election.

Different Political Parties

These include the Liberals, Conservatives, New Democratic, Wild Rose and Progressive Conservatives.

Provincial Services

These include: children's services, health and wellness, energy, education, seniors and community support, tourism and parks, agriculture and food, sustainable resources, and aboriginal relations.

Opposition

This consists of the parties that don't have the majority of seats

Voting in Provincial Level

When you vote, you are actually voting for an MLA in your constituency. The bigger the city, the more representatives there are.