Elections Canada blames Nunavik voting problems on lack of planning, outreach

A lack of planning and almost no local outreach left many Nunavik electors without a fair chance to vote in the spring federal election, Elections Canada says.

On April 28, many voters reported they could not cast a ballot because polling stations closed early and others did not open at all.

Elections Canada investigated what went wrong.

In a report released Thursday, the agency said not enough work was done to engage with local communities.

Canada’s chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault, shown in an Elections Canada Facebook post, apologized to Nunavik residents over his agency’s handling of the April 28 federal election. (Photo courtesy of Elections Canada/Facebook)

Elections Canada approved a plan that it admits “deviated” from its own expectations by relying on workers flown in from outside the region, the report said.

Bad weather disrupted or forced cancellation of flights in several communities, and there were no local arrangements made to fill the gaps.

“These disruptions could have been mitigated had relationships with local community representatives been established,” the report said.

There were problems with advance voting in 13 out of 14 Nunavik communities as well, with six receiving no opportunity to cast an early ballot and seven seeing that opportunity reduced. Only Kuujjuaq had normal advance voting.

People in Ivujivik, population 412, were the most disenfranchised as they had no advance voting and polling stations there did not open at all on election day.

In Akulivik, the other community where polling stations didn’t open on election day, advance polling hours were reduced.

Seven other Nunavik communities had reduced polling station hours on election day. Five saw normal operating hours on April 28.

The report found outreach tasks were scheduled to begin in fall 2023 to ensure voting services would be properly delivered to Nunavik communities. Most were either not done, or only partially done.

Community leaders were not told what voting services would be offered for advance polling days and election day, as required in these outreach tasks.

Outreach workers meant to engage with the communities were not officially hired.

These tasks were the responsibility of the region’s returning officer, whom the report does not identify. Stéphane Perrault, the chief electoral officer of Canada, has said the returning officer quit after the election and Elections Canada intends to recruit a new one.

“The returning officer led staff at headquarters to believe that the identified outreach personnel had been secured,” the report said.

Perrault apologized in September to Kativik Regional Government council in Kuujjuaq for the issues voters faced.

Elections Canada officials also visited four Nunavik municipalities — Puvirnituq, Kuujjuarapik, Kuujjuaq and Salluit — and heard from community leaders that people were frustrated.

The report found Nunavik has the proper infrastructure to support elections. There are suitable polling stations, local staff and transportation access. It lists several recommendations, including that the returning officer understands and engages with the northern communities.

It also recommends that a clear process is put in place to address concerns and keep senior managers informed, as well as having dedicated teams that understand northern and Indigenous communities to support the returning officer.

Elections Canada said it will implement the recommendations by spring 2026.