Okay, Pat and everyone:

We have over 300 ridings in Canada. Ridings are like electoral districts.

Each party has (or hopes they have) candidates in each riding. Each of the leaders has their own riding as well.

We don't vote for the leaders (unless they are the candidate in our riding).

To avoid confusion:

There are 5 parties.

They have a candidate in each riding (except the Bloc), so each party has 300 candidates each, one in each riding. This means a candidate from each party is running in an individual riding - each riding has 5 candidates.

So, for example, if the Liberals have 200 of their candidates elected (if they win their ridings), then the Liberal leader becomes the Prime Minister of Canada, because his party won the most ridings.

Each of those ridings counts for a voting seat in Parliament.

Clear like mud?
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Speaking just for myself, Harper and the Mrs would be a powerful force in changing lives for pets in Canada.

However, Harper was a Reformer (US friends - extreme right) originally - and a bribe of 2% reduction in the GST is not enough to make me vote for him. It's the PROVINCIAL governments that lower provincial sales tax, not Ottawa.

He broke his own party's law - a federal government law - to have this election. If you want to see real control and evil from Mr Deadeyes, just give the Conservatives a majority.

On the BRIGHT side, Canadians got angry enough that they flooded the other leaders' websites with emails, and pestered the TV networks - and now Harper and Layton (NDP - Major left) have backed off and Elizabeth May will be in the televised leaders' debates! YAY CANADA!

We do have our non-apathetic moments.