Elections Canada Scandal in Québec

(Image courtesy of CBC)

In the distant communities of Nunavik in northern Québec, there has been an uproar of controversy over Election Canada’s service in the region. Locals have accused Elections Canada of impeding their right to vote through poor provision of services. 

Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault issued an apology on behalf of Elections Canada shortly after the story broke headlines. The incident has caused widespread discussion over Election Canada’s services to Canadian voters in isolated areas. 

Nunavik is an Inuit traditional name for the region of northern Quebec, which is home to 15,115 inhabitants. 13,990 of these people identify as Indigenous, with the Inuit culture being very prevalent. The area has been historically administered by the federal government, but recently, Québec’s provincial government has stepped up its responsibilities. 

The sparse population of the region means that Elections Canada doesn’t have local polling staff in the majority of the villages, unlike many other areas of Canada. Instead, employees fly in on the day of the election and set up booths in the town they are assigned to. 

Electoral Scandal

On election day, locals in towns across Nunavik were surprised to find that most polling booths operated by Elections Canada had closed by 2:30 p.m. local time. In the town of Salluit, residents only had an hour and 15 minutes to vote before the booth was closed. 

The most outrageous example was in the community of Ivujivik, where staff didn’t even set up a polling booth for residents, depriving them of their right to vote.  

Coastal Front spoke to Pasa Aullaluk Ainalik, the Assistant Town Manager of Ivujivik, about what had happened on election day. 

“Elections Canada sent three people who were supposed to set up booths,” Ainalik said, “they arrived late due to the weather, and they didn’t have the box which contained the voting ballots.” She also pointed out that in prior elections, the process of flying in the workers and setting up the booths was without issue, this was the first time an incident like this had happened. 

“The community feels shocked because every vote is precious, the elders are most upset,” Ainalik said, “not everyone feels the need to cast votes [in the community], but many still wanted to cast their votes.” 

Going Forward

Chief Electoral Officer Perrault stated in an apology that “Elections Canada will review the circumstances that led to this situation, as well as the measures taken during this election to improve voting services to Indigenous electors. We will publish the findings.”  

Nunatsiaq News, a local paper servicing communities in Nunavik and Nunavut, has called for an “election day do-over” due to the lack of service provided on April 28, to compensate thousands of Nunavik voters who were denied their right to vote.  

In 2024, Elections Canada received $2,273,970 from federal funding sourced by taxpayer dollars. This incident in the Nunavik region will likely incur increased public scrutiny on the funds sent to the institution and further questioning on its service to remote communities in Canada.