Nunavut election results finally ready to be validated — 18 days after vote
Flight delays stall ballot box from Naujaat; Parliament to resume May 26
Ballots from Naujaat have arrived in Iqaluit for validation of results from the April 28 federal election. (File photo by Jeff Pelletier)
Election results from Nunavut are expected to finally be validated Friday, 18 days after voters went to the polls to choose a new federal government.
A ballot box from Naujaat that was stuck in Rankin Inlet after the April 28 federal election arrived in Iqaluit for validation Friday afternoon, says Jean-Claude Nguyen, Nunavut’s returning officer.
Lori Idlout, the NDP candidate who was re-elected in the Nunavut riding, said that until the votes are validated, she cannot be sworn in and is still considered MP-elect.
“I’m definitely a bit anxious just because I’ve always been a hard worker, I like to keep busy and not being able to start work right away is a bit frustrating,” she said in a phone interview.
Idlout won the riding with 2,945 votes, according to preliminary results, 77 more than her closest rival, Liberal Kilikvak Kabloona, who got 2,868 votes. Third-place finisher, Conservative James T. Arreak, received 2,055 votes.
The validation of votes is an Elections Canada process to confirm the unofficial count completed on election day. In the case of the Nunavut riding, the validation is done in Iqaluit.
However, the final box from Naujaat containing approximately 80 ballots could not reach the returning office until Friday due to flight delays.
“Given the weather conditions and potential problems with flights, this type of delay is common in Nunavut,” said Matthew McKenna, a spokesperson for Elections Canada, in an email to Nunatsiaq News on Friday.
Now that the ballots have arrived in Iqaluit, “the validation should wrap up today,” he said.
After that’s done, there are four days when results can be contested by any elector, including a candidate, Elections Canada’s website says.
Right after the unofficial results were tabulated, on April 29, Arreak said he would consider contesting the election because of “questionable issues” on election day, even though he didn’t think there was a chance he could win.
“Currently, we do not believe it will be warranted,” Stephen Tucker, Arreak’s campaign manager, said Friday in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
To contest the election, Arreak would have to present an affidavit to a judge stating the count was improperly carried out. That would trigger a judicial recount, which is required in tight races where the two leading candidates receive the same number of votes or the difference is one-thousandth of the total votes cast.
For Nunavut, that would be roughly eight votes.
Canada-wide, there were four judicial recounts in the 2025 federal election, two of which are still ongoing.
A newly-elected MP can be sworn in after the chief electoral officer sends a notice to the House of Commons. That can only happen after the results have been validated, or the judicial recount is finished in cases where those occur, McKenna said.
Parliament is set to resume May 26. Although Idlout said she is anxious about the delays in validation, she believes the chances she won’t make it to Parliament until then are slim.
There weren’t just serious issues with Naujaat but with a number of polling stations around the Territory. This riding needs to redo the election.
So, we are officially stuck with Lori now?
Do you mean, Lori won the election? Yes, she did.
Why did you guys vote for NDP is what blows my mind, they have no party nor were they going to have one, and you guys still voted for her? she has NO say in O-town. You guys voted for someone to just hangout in cabinet, what’s wrong with you? vote for someone that will have a say, get to make a speech on your behalf…..now you an MP who says she’s going to be more aggressive…lol Lori can’t say anything at all, on any issues. time for you young people to get with the program, start voting, and NOW Nunavutmuit are going to get walked all over by this government in the north for the greater good of Canada, Now the North is WIDE OPEN, PORT AFTER PORT will be built. No more sea life hunting, all gone from ships everywhere, Railroad in Baffin for steel ore to build Canada, Greys Bay will be the largest PORT of them all, why, because they can build a road from Yellknife straight up the street. Didn’t you guys think of this before you voted?
In Nunavut, typically people vote for the person and not the party. The problem with voting a liberal candidate is Karen is not a good choice. She talks a very big game but has little to no actual skills to effectively deliver in this very important position. In Ottawa it doesn’t matter what your name is, you need to deliver, unlike in Nunavut.