Calls for investigation after some in Nunavik left out of vote due to polling station issues
CBC
Tiivi Tulaugak was looking forward to voting in his first election in Ivujivik, Nunavik's northernmost community located in Quebec. But the 18-year-old's excitement quickly turned into frustration on Monday afternoon when he found out he was among the residents who wouldn't be able to cast a ballot.
CBC News has heard from residents in five Nunavik communities who reported issues at polling stations, including some that closed early — or didn't open at all.
"In my opinion, it's illegal," said Tulaugak, who called the situation "unacceptable." "They should plan and organize before the election."
Now, the Makivvik Corporation, the organization representing Inuit in Nunavik, is calling on Elections Canada to investigate. It says it learned polling hours were inconsistent and some communities couldn't vote altogether.
"This is unacceptable in 2025. In many cases, Nunavimmiut were effectively denied their right to participate in this election," read a statement.
Makivvik is demanding Elections Canada take immediate steps to ensure that every Inuk in Nunavik has equal access to voting in future elections.
In a statement on Monday, Elections Canada said weather issues were affecting flights for workers but did not confirm how many villages were affected, or whether polling booths did close down.
"In several cases, it was not possible to recruit local teams. In other cases, harsh weather conditions have prevented access to communities," read the statement on Monday.
On Tuesday, Elections Canada told CBC it was still gathering more information.
Mandy Gull-Masty, former grand chief of the Cree Nation Government in Quebec, won the seat in the region, flipping the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding Liberal by just a couple thousand votes over the Bloc.
Julius Grey, a constitutional and human rights lawyer in Montreal, says the right to vote is fundamental, and the Elections Act is subject to the Charter.
"Accessibility is one part of the right to vote, so a court could intervene on it," said Grey. "Now whether what could be done, I don't know."
He says recourse for individuals affected by this could manifest as a declaration for future safeguards or a symbolic monetary compensation for breach of a Charter right, for example.
But he says being excluded from voting can happen — whether that be due to a mistake, a polling station closing early or a voter not being able to enter the voting area, for example.
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