Editing Primary election (section)

===Local candidates===
Typically, in the months before an anticipated general election, local [[riding association]]s of [[List of political parties in Canada|political parties]] in each [[Electoral district (Canada)|electoral district]] will schedule and announce a Nomination Meeting (similar to a [[caucus#in the United States|nominating caucus]] in the United States). Would-be candidates will then file nomination papers with the association, and usually will devote time to solicit existing party members, and to sign up new party members who will also support them at the nomination meeting. At the meeting, typically each candidate will speak, and then members in attendance will vote. The electoral system most often used is an [[exhaustive ballot]] system; if no candidate has over 50% of the votes, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be dropped and another ballot will be held. Also, other candidates who recognize that they will probably not win may withdraw between ballots, and may "throw their support" to (encourage their own supporters to vote for) another candidate. After the nomination meeting, the candidate and the association will obtain approval from party headquarters, and file the candidate's official nomination papers and necessary fees and deposits with [[Elections Canada]] or the provincial/territorial [[election commission]]s as appropriate.

At times, party headquarters may overturn an association's chosen candidate; for example, if any scandalous information about the candidate comes to light after the nomination. A party headquarters may also "parachute" a prominent candidate into an easy-to-win riding, removing the need to have a nomination meeting. These situations tend to cause disillusionment among a party's supporters.