Nunavik voters head to the polls

Kuujjuaq resident Martha Greig, right, casts her ballot at the polling station set up in the northern village office April 7, in front of deputy returning officer Anne Trudeau and poll clerk Arnaujaq Koneak, at left. Polls are open in each Nunavik community and throughout Quebec today until 8:00 p.m. (PHOTO BY ISABELLE DUBOIS)

Following a 33-day long election campaign, voters in Nunavik and throughout Quebec will cast their ballots April 7 in an election that will decide who will form the next provincial government.

Polling stations are open in each of Nunavik’s communities today until 8:00 p.m.

In Nunavik alone, just over 6,500 voters have registered to cast a ballot in Ungava, the province’s largest riding in size, but one of the smallest in population, with about 23,000 voters.

Ungava, which has been held by the Parti Québécois since 1981, is one of the Quebec ridings that could see big changes April 7 as the provincial Liberal party gains momentum.

Data collected from recent polls suggest Ungava’s incumbent, PQ MNA Luc Ferland, is running neck-and-neck with Liberal candidate Jean Boucher.

Polls do not show strong support for the Coalition Avenir Québec, despite the party running an Inuk candidate, Salluit`s Michael Cameron.

But then, only 204 Nunavimmiut voted in advance polls, compared to about 19 per cent across the province.

Nunavik does not usually see high voter turnouts during provincial elections. During the last Quebec election in 2012, fewer than one in three registered voters in Nunavik.

But Nunavimmiut don’t differ much from voters in the rest of the riding; the overall voter turnout in Ungava of 31.3 per cent in 2012 was the lowest in Quebec.

Ferland, who has served as MNA in Ungava since 2007, was re-elected with 45 per cent support in the last election.

He faces competition from Kuujjuaq-based Liberal candidate Jean Boucher, the CAQ’s Michael Cameron and Québec Solidaire candidate André Richer.

More than six million Quebeckers have registered to vote in the second provincial election in just 19 months.

Voters should bring a piece of photo identification with them to the polling station, such as a health insurance card, driver’s license or Canadian passport.

Visit our Facebook page for Inuktitut-language information on voting.