Editing Referendums in Canada (section)

==National referendums==

===Plebiscite on prohibition===
{{main|1898 Canadian prohibition plebiscite}}
{{see also|Prohibition in Canada|Prohibition}}
The question:
:''Are you in favor of the passing of an Act prohibiting the importation, manufacture or sale of spirits, wine, ale, beer, cider and all other alcoholic liquors for use as beverages?''<ref>{{cite archive
  |item=An Act Respecting the Prohibition of the Importation, Manufacture and Sale of Intoxicating Liquors
  |page=599
  |collection=Senate and House of Commons Bills, 8th Parliament, 3rd Session
  |collection-url=https://parl.canadiana.ca/view/oop.bills_SOCHOC_0803_1/599
  |institution=Library of Parliament
  |ref = lop}}</ref><br /><small>[[French language|French]]: ''Êtes-vous favorable à la passation d'une loi défendant l'importation, la fabrication ou la vente de spiritueux, vins, bière, ale, cidre et de toutes autres liqueurs alcooliques comme breuvages ?''</small>
{{election table}} 
! colspan="5" |Canadian plebiscite on [[prohibition]]<br>September 29, 1898
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"  |Jurisdiction
! colspan="2" |[[File:Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg|14px]] Yes
! colspan="2" |No
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
! Votes !! % !! Votes !! % 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[British Columbia]]|| '''5,731'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">54.6</span>|| 4,756 || 45.4 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Manitoba]]|| '''12,419'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">80.7</span>|| 2,978 ||19.3
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[New Brunswick]]|| '''26,919'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">73.8</span>|| 9,575 ||26.2
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Northwest Territories]] || '''6,238'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">68.8</span>|| 2,824 || 31.2 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Nova Scotia]]||'''34,678'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">86.6</span>|| 5,370 ||13.4
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Ontario]]|| '''154,498'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">57.3</span>|| 115,284 || 42.7 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Prince Edward Island]]|| '''9,461'''|| style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">89.2</span>|| 1,146 || 10.8 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Quebec]] ||28,582||18.9||'''122,614'''|| style="background:rgb(140, 140, 83); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">81.1</span>
|- align="center"
! align="left" | {{left|[[Canada]]}} !!278,526!!style="background:rgb(69, 115, 159); width:30px;" |<span style="color:white;">51.3</span>!!264,547!!48.7
|}

The government did not adopt Prohibition, saying the overall majority in favour of Prohibition was slight and turn-out low.

===Plebiscite on conscription===
{{main|1942 Canadian conscription plebiscite}}
{{see also|Conscription Crisis of 1944}}
The Question:
:''Are you in favour of releasing the Government from any obligations arising out of any past commitments restricting the methods of raising men for military service?''<br /><small>[[French language|French]]: ''Consentez-vous à libérer le gouvernement de toute obligation résultant d'engagements antérieurs restreignant les méthodes de mobilisation pour le service militaire ?''</small>
{{#section-h:1942 Canadian conscription plebiscite|By province}}
Based on the result, the government adopted conscription but with a light touch, initially adopting the policy that those conscripted would not be sent overseas to active fighting. These inactive conscripts were nicknamed "zombies".

===Referendum on the Charlottetown Accord===
{{main|Charlottetown Accord#The referendum}}
The Question:
:''Do you agree that the Constitution of Canada should be renewed on the basis of the agreement reached on August 28, 1992?''<br /><small>[[French language|French]]: ''Acceptez-vous que la Constitution du Canada soit renouvelée sur la base de l'entente conclue le 28 août 1992 ?''</small>
{{election table}}
! colspan="5" |National Referendum on the [[Charlottetown Accord]]<br>(October 26, 1992)
|-
! rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;" |Jurisdiction
! colspan="2" |Yes
! colspan="2" |No
|- bgcolor="#eeeeee"
! Votes !! % !! Votes !! % 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Alberta]]|| 483,275 || 39.8 || '''731,975'''|| 60.2 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[British Columbia]]|| 525,188 || 31.8 || '''1,126,761'''|||68.2
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Manitoba]]|| 198,230 || 38.0 || '''322,971'''|| 62.0 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[New Brunswick]]|| '''230,010'''|| 61.7 || 145,096 || 38.3 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]|| '''133,193'''|| 63.1 || 77,881 || 36.9 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Northwest Territories]]|| '''14,750'''|| 61.0 || 9,416 || 39.0 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Nova Scotia]]|| 218,618 || 48.7 || '''230,182'''|| 51.3 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Ontario]]|| '''2,410,119'''|| 50.1 || 2,397,665 || 49.9 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Prince Edward Island]]|| '''48,687'''|| 74.0 || 17,124 || 26.0 
|- align="center"
| align="left" | [[Quebec]]|| 1,710,117 || 43.4 || '''2,232,280'''|| 56.6 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Saskatchewan]]|| 203,361 || 44.6 || '''252,459'''|| 55.4 
|- align="right"
| align="left" | [[Yukon]]|| 5,354 || 43.6 || '''6,922'''|| 56.4 
|- align="right"
! align="left" | {{left|[[Canada]]}} !! 6,185,902 !! 45.0 !! 7,550,732 !! 55.0 
|}

===Proposed referendums===
During the [[2004 Canadian federal election|2004 federal election]], the [[New Democratic Party (Canada)|NDP]] stated that it would require the federal government to hold a national referendum on [[electoral reform]] (specifically [[proportional representation]]) for support from the NDP should the [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberals]] win a [[minority government]]. The Liberals won a minority, and the NDP announced they would press for electoral reform through a referendum. The possibility of a national referendum on electoral reform was made more likely through the [[Throne speech]] that opened Parliament in October 2004, in which former Liberal [[Prime Minister of Canada|Prime Minister]] [[Paul Martin]] included electoral reform in his plan for the next Parliament. However, no action was taken.

Conservative Leader [[Stephen Harper]] became Prime Minister as a result of the [[2006 Canadian federal election|2006 federal election]], ending the Liberals' opportunity to move on their promise.

Liberal Leader [[Justin Trudeau]] campaigned on a platform of electoral reform in the [[2015 Canadian federal election|2015 federal election]], promising to eliminate the current "first-past-the-post" single-member plurality voting system. While Trudeau had said that he liked a system where the distribution of seats was more in line with the popular vote on a Canada-wide basis, he had acquired a preference for [[Instant-runoff voting]], which he called preferential voting as it uses ranked ballots. [[29th Canadian Ministry|His government]] announced in December 2015 that an all-party parliamentary committee would be formed in early 2016 to consider a variety of alternative election systems, including [[proportional representation]]. During a discussion of the plan, [[Minister of Democratic Institutions|Democratic Institutions Minister]] [[Maryam Monsef]] referred to it as “an open and robust process of consultation”. However, she refused to commit to the Conservative Party's demand for a public referendum that would allow Canadians to vote on their preferred electoral system, indicating that she did not want to "prejudice the outcome of that consultation process". In the end the parliamentary committee did not settle on one alternative system, and PM Trudeau did not move to reform the election system.

There had been discussion regarding a national referendum over the issue of [[same-sex marriage in Canada|same-sex marriage]], which was a divisive issue in Canada. A national plebiscite had been suggested by [[Alberta]] [[Premier of Alberta|Premier]] [[Ralph Klein]] and some [[Conservative Party of Canada|Conservatives]] and [[Liberal Party of Canada|Liberal]] [[backbencher]]s. However, Paul Martin's Liberal government, with the support of the NDP and Bloc Québécois, passed the ''[[Civil Marriage Act]]'', legalizing same-sex marriage through Parliament in [[Members of the 38th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage#Votes|July 2005]] without holding a plebiscite.  In December 2006, [[Stephen Harper]]'s government introduced a [[Members of the 39th Canadian Parliament and same-sex marriage#Votes|motion to re-open the marriage debate]], which lost.  Notably, members of all parties, including some Conservative cabinet members, voted it down.

As well, in 1920 six provinces held [[1920 Canadian liquor plebiscite|referendums on federal restrictions on the inter-provincial trade in liquor]].