Editing House of Commons of Canada (section)

=== Prerequisites and Qualifications ===
[[File:Commons-doorway.jpg|thumb|right|The main doorway into the chamber of the House of Commons]]
Under the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', Parliament is empowered to determine the qualifications of members of the House of Commons. The present qualifications are outlined in the ''[[Canada Elections Act]]'', which was passed in 2000. Under the Act, individuals must be eligible voters as of the day of nomination, to stand as a candidate. Thus, minors and individuals who are not [[Canadian citizenship|citizens of Canada]] are not allowed to become candidates. The ''Canada Elections Act'' also bars prisoners from standing for election (although they may vote). Moreover, individuals found guilty of election-related crimes are prohibited from becoming members for five years (in some cases, seven years) after conviction.

The Act also prohibits certain officials from standing for the House of Commons. These officers include members of provincial and territorial legislatures (although this was not always the case), sheriffs, [[crown attorney]]s, most judges, and election officers. The [[Chief Electoral Officer (Canada)|chief electoral officer]] (the head of [[Elections Canada]], the federal agency responsible for conducting elections) is prohibited from standing as candidate and, until recently, was prohibited from voting. Finally, under the ''Constitution Act, 1867'', a member of the Senate may not also become a member of the House of Commons, and MPs must give up their seats when appointed to the Senate or the bench.