'I lost my legal right to vote': Booths closed early — or didn't open at all — in some Nunavik villages

Samuel Wat · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 9:59 PM EDT | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago

Elia Lauzon doesn't spot the government, oregon the electoral system. Still, she turned up Monday to the polling presumption successful Puvirnituq, Que., to person her say. 

"I bash cognize it's the smallest close that I person offered to maine and fought for maine by different Indigenous activists implicit the people of decades," Lauzon said.

Lauzon, who's usually based successful Kuujjuaq, was motivated to ballot erstwhile she saw an Indigenous candidate, a Cree woman, moving successful her riding of Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou. The riding has been held by the Bloc Québécois for 2 presumption now. 

But erstwhile Lauzon turned up to the polls, she was told it was closing astir 2:30 p.m. — 7 hours earlier it was supposed to, arsenic listed nether the Canada Elections Act for districts successful the Eastern clip zone. 

"I was looking guardant to that ability, but present you cognize what, I'm conscionable mad," she said. 

Aside from Puvirnituq, CBC has heard from residents successful 4 different Nunavik villages who accidental voting booths closed aboriginal successful their communities.

In a statement, Elections Canada said upwind issues were affecting flights for workers.

"The returning serviceman attempted to instrumentality respective antithetic strategies to supply voting services to communities," it said successful a statement. 

"In respective cases, it was not imaginable to enlistee section teams. In different cases, harsh upwind conditions person prevented entree to communities."

Elections Canada did not confirm how galore villages were affected, oregon whether polling booths did adjacent down. 

'It's conscionable a unspeakable mess'

In Salluit, recreation co-ordinator Mary Papigatuk said residents lone had an hour and 15 minutes to ballot earlier workers packed up and near astatine 2:30 p.m. 

She was astatine the village bureau the full time, and saw little than 70 people vote during that abbreviated window.  (In the 2021 national census, Salluit's colonisation was astir 1,600.)

For her, this is different illustration of Inuit being utilized by politicians and authorities officials who claim they're engaging with Indigenous people. 

"We arsenic Inuit, we've had non-Inuit utilizing america for show, but past erstwhile it's really clip for america to beryllium involved, we're not involved," she said. 

In Ivujivik, Mayor Adamie Kalingo said Elections Canada unit didn't adjacent acceptable up a presumption successful his assemblage earlier they left. 

He was expecting them implicit the weekend, but helium started to interest erstwhile they inactive hadn't arrived by mid-morning. 

They yet did astir midday, but aft a toilet stop, they took disconnected again. 

"We don't person immoderate authoritative ballot papers oregon information on however to spell astir this peculiar election," helium said. 

"I've been getting calls from teachers and societal workers and section radical wanting to ballot but I person nary prime but to archer them we don't cognize what's happening, and it's conscionable a unspeakable mess."

Leaving Inuit retired — again

Papigatuk is besides frustrated that Elections Canada employed cipher section to assistance with the voting stations — which is thing she says she witnessed successful the past. 

The deficiency of accusation successful Inuktitut from each governmental parties besides pains her. 

"There's ne'er truly been anyone to construe these campaigns for our elders, oregon the children, who lone cognize Inuktitut, oregon radical who person a hard clip knowing what's going on." 

Voter turnout successful Indigenous communities has historically been an issue. 

In the 2021 national election, retired of implicit 38,000 registered electors successful Indigenous communities successful Quebec, little than 9,000 formed a vote, according to Elections Canada.

That 23 per cent elector turnout complaint lagged down the mean nationalist complaint for electors successful Indigenous communities, which sat astatine 44 per cent.

• In this immense Quebec riding, Indigenous voters person tons of powerfulness — and circumstantial concerns

• Voter turnout successful Eeyou Istchee is traditionally low. Some anticipation this predetermination volition beryllium different

Kuujjuaq's Elia Lauzon recognizes the logistical challenges of voting successful the North, but she said she doesn't judge that is acceptable successful 2025.

"If you're not going to nonstop radical to my region, marque it imaginable for maine to ballot online," she said.

Kayla Meeko, the president of the committee of directors astatine Quaqtaq's daycare, was moving retired erstwhile they would fto unit permission truthful they had their legally-entitled 3 hours to vote. 

When connection dispersed that the voting presumption was closing astatine 2.30 p.m., she and others rushed to the polling booth, but she was excessively late. 

"I could perceive their airplane starting successful the background," she said. "Today, I mislaid my ineligible close to vote.

"As an Inuk woman, having the close to ballot is very, precise important. Not that agelong ago, women were not allowed to vote, and arsenic an Indigenous idiosyncratic of Canada, however our premier curate treats america depends precise overmuch connected our votes."