Chief electoral officer apologizes for ‘shortcomings’ in Nunavik voting
Elections Canada to review circumstances, promises to publish its findings
Canada’s chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault, shown in an Elections Canada Facebook post, is apologizing after some Nunavik voters were not able to cast ballots in Monday’s federal election. (Photo courtesy of Elections Canada/Facebook)
Canada’s chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault has apologized for what he described as “shortcomings” in Nunavik’s polling stations on election day Monday.
In a statement published on the Elections Canada website Wednesday, Perrault said he regrets that some voters in Nunavik were not able to cast their ballots in the federal election.
“To them, I apologize,” he said.
On Monday, seven Nunavik communities — half of the region’s villages — reported problems with the voting process. In some communities, polling stations were open for only a short period, while in Ivujivik and Akulivik polling stations did not open at all.
On Tuesday, Makivvik Corp. called for Elections Canada to investigate the handling of voting in Nunavik, which is part of Quebec’s sprawling Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou riding.
In the statement, Perrault said that over the past three years, Elections Canada has engaged with Indigenous communities and made it a priority to remove barriers and improve access to voting.
“Nevertheless, the shortcomings of our services in Nunavik during the general election underscore the importance of the work that remains,” he said.
Perrault said Elections Canada will review the circumstances that led to the lack of polling station accessibility in the region, as well as the measures that were taken during this election to improve voting services for Indigenous people.
It will publish the findings, he said.
“Our intention moving forward is to work with organizations and communities on an ongoing basis to better serve electors in Nunavik,” Perrault said.
Liberal Mandy Gull-Masty earned 12,578 votes to win the Abitibi—Baie-James—Nunavik—Eeyou riding, ousting incumbent Bloc Québécois member Sylvie Bérubé (10,381 votes) by a margin of 2,197 votes. Conservative Steve Corriveau garnered 6,581 votes and NDP’s Thai Higashihara received 752 votes.
Sylvie who?
ONCE AGAIN AN APOLOGY TO THE PEOPLE LIVING IN NUNAVIK. THEY’RE NOT REALLY SORRY. THEY’RE SORRY BECAUSE THEY GOT CAUGHT AND SOMEONE MADE A STINK ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF CORRUPTION IN THE FEDERAL ELECTIONS.
SYLVIE WHO!!
How is this corruption ? . Looks more like , a bunch of incompetent government functionaries .
One of the biggest problems Elections Canada has, is finding enough people in these small communities willing to work the election.
Did you contact them about working the polls?
Should , i expect , compensation cheque or a voucher from , the local beer store ?
once again the Gov’t is apologizing for their short comings, when will this ever stop, we inuit have always been treated as second class citizens and yet we were here before the colonization of the british and the french. for quebec residance, its not what we would nae RUPerts land, its our land to begin with.
Did you know everywhere across Canada, the polls in each area are operated by the locals that live in that area? If no one from the community applies or wants to work the polls, what do you suggest Elections Canada do?
Every other community in Nunavut was able to get enough folks to work the polls. Do not act like this is an “Inuit” thing because it is not. The same Inuit are trying to make into victims worked at 25 different polls in Nunavut.
@ Posted by Polls are operated by locals
“….what do you suggest Elections Canada do?”……
I expect them to do their jobs and organize with locals in a timely manner to ensure a true, fair and unbiased electoral process. Anything less is unacceptable.
You realize they DO try to recruit people in every community. You say “do their jobs”? Are they supposed to go knock on every door and ask to work the polls? Are they supposed to force someone to work the polls?
You ignored the post and said, “do their jobs”, and no doubt they did. If no one wants to work the polls in that community, then what?
Did you know they cant start recruiting people to work the polls in these communities until the election is called? They had less than 30 days to get 3-4 people in a community of 800, of most are either working, or in school.
So again, i ask, “what did you want them to do” as “their jobs” is not an answer.
The issue with the way things went down in Nunavik goes beyond blaming ‘locals’ for the failure of Elections Canada to properly organise and operate everything in the region.
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The mayor of Ivujivik spoke to Nunatsiaq News on April 28 and said that Elections Canada brought in a charter of staffers for the polls – but forgot to bring all the necessary materials such as ballots, etc.
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The people of Ivujivik aren’t to blame for the failures of Elections Canada.
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I am not shocked to hear the organisation that forgot to bring ballots for Election Day were also especially incompetent at putting together teams for polling stations…
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It’s perfectly reasonable to expect Elections Canada to… bring ballots to a polling station. That’s literally their job, along with staffing things properly.
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It’s one thing to ‘blame locals’ for the failure of Elections Canada as a whole… but what’s really important is for Elections Canada to learn from their mistakes this time to avoid any such issues going forward.
How many polling stations in Canada need workers flown in to do the job?
This should not have happened, yet the conditions for it to happen were paved by people like Victor here, who sees civic responsibility as something others do for him.
Tell me something, since Elections are not held every year, and only last about 30 days, where do you think these people that you want flown in are coming from? Why would they want to leave their comfy cities to come work in the north at some community they have never heard of, that might not even have a hotel for them to stay at and do it all on less than 3 weeks notice? Why would they fly people in when the locals are not willing to do it themselves? Do you think Elections Canada has staff just waiting on stand by to fly to the north?
Given the opportunity, plenty of workers down south would take the opportunity to pop in for a couple of days. People who used to work in the North before in particular.
@ Ask yourself…
Ask yourself how you came to this conclusion.
I’m sure much to your dismay, I would prefer to “pave the way” that the organizers (Ie ELECTIONS CANADA) – Yes “do their job” and “organize” the process to “include” the input and participation of Nunavimuit in this process called elections.
Perhaps if ELECTIONS CANADA did their jobs, there may even be a trickle down effect to have other elections in the region organized to get better turnouts.
It was set so 100% FC will becoming a sitting member. how dare the locals……