What is a riding? What is a ward?

Image Credit: CBC

The decisive factor during election night proceedings: the seat count.

There's nothing better than watching the seat count continuously change with every polling station that submits their vote counts, ultimately yielding a final election night result that determines who governs and whether it's a majority or minority government.

To understand the value of these individual seats and how they can influence the composition of government, I've included a few key questions to answer that relate to the basic concepts themselves as well as some key factors that influence them.

What is a riding?

A riding is defined as a geographical designation that is represented by someone elected to government by the people who live in the allocated area. By extension, a riding is represented by an individual seat in the legislature/House of Commons.

Federally, the individuals who win these seats via elections are referred to as Members of Parliament (MP). Provincially, they are referred to as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPP), Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Members of the National Assembly (MNA), or Members of the House of Assembly (MHA). The title used can vary based on provincial terminology; for example, the acronym MPP is used to describe representatives in Ontario, while MNA is used in the case of Quebec. These individuals can either be aligned with a political party or run as an independent candidate.

At the federal level, political parties must win at least a plurality of the 343 ridings up for grabs. The number of ridings available in a provincial election can vary based on the size of the legislature.

What is a ward? How is it different from a provincial or federal riding?

Like a riding, a ward is a geographical designation within a municipality that is represented by an individual elected to represent the people of that area in council. These individuals are referred to as city councillors.

Unlike a riding, wards do not influence who becomes mayor. And candidates who run for municipal seats are not always affiliated with a political party. Except for municipal elections that take place in Quebec and Vancouver, city councillors run in municipal elections as independent candidates.

On another note, mayoral candidates cannot run for election/re-election in a given ward. This is also different to how provincial and federal elections are run in that, similar to how an individual looking to enter the House of Commons/provincial legislature will have to win a riding to gain a seat, party leaders must do the same if they are to lead their caucus during a given session.

How are the boundaries of ridings and wards defined?

Federally, the boundaries of ridings are determined every 10 years, in line with the completion of the decennial Census, which is conducted in years ending with 1. The data provided by this Census is used to ensure that a similar number of people live within a given riding; any such population changes influence the adjustment of riding boundaries. For example, in the lead-up to the 2025 federal election, five new ridings were created (one each in Ontario and British Columbia, and three in Alberta) based on the data provided in the most recent Census, bringing the total seat count in the House of Commons to 343 from the previous 338.

This process does not trickle down to the provincial level. Provinces re-determine provincial boundaries independently from the federal level.

The same is true at the municipal level. As stated by Section 222 of the Municipal Act, municipalities are able to divide, redraw, and dissolve wards via bylaws. Petitions and appeals can also influence ward boundaries.