office_contested canadian federal election
The 2011 Canadian federal election ( formally the 41st Canadian general election ) was held Monday , May 2 , 2011 , to elect members to the House of Commons of Canada of the 41st Canadian Parliament . The writs of election for the 2011 election were issued by ___MASK63___ General David Johnston on March 26 . Prime Minister Stephen Harper advised the ___MASK63___ General to dissolve parliament after the House of Commons passed a motion of non - confidence against the government , finding it to be in contempt of parliament . A few days before , the three opposition parties had rejected the government ' s proposed budget . The Conservative Party remained in power , increasing its seat count from a minority to a majority government . The Liberal Party won the fewest seats in its history , and party leader Michael Ignatieff was defeated in his riding . The Bloc Québécois lost official party status for the first time since contesting general elections in 1993 . Party leader Gilles Duceppe was defeated in his riding and subsequently resigned as leader . The New Democratic Party won the largest number of seats in its history , enabling it to form the Official Opposition for the first time . The Green Party elected its first member to the House of Commons with its leader , Elizabeth May , becoming MP for Saanich -- Gulf Islands . The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada , along with the Sovereign ( represented by the ___MASK63___ General ) and the Senate . The House of Commons chamber is located in the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill in Ottawa . The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislative branch of Canada , seated at Parliament Hill in the national capital , Ottawa , Ontario . The body consists of the Canadian monarch , represented by a viceroy , the ___MASK63___ general ; an upper house : the Senate ; and a lower house : the House of Commons . Each element has its own officers and organization . The ___MASK63___ general summons and appoints each of the 105 senators on the advice of the ___MASK86___ , while the 338 members of the House of Commons  called " members of parliament " ( MPs ) are directly elected by eligible Canadian voters , with each MP representing a single electoral district , commonly referred to as a " riding ".