Voting participation within Inuit communities during the 2025 federal elections experienced a decrease, prompting calls from leaders for enhanced community engagement. Elections Canada recently released a report on the estimated voter turnout in Indigenous communities during the 45th general election in April 2025.
Over the past three federal elections, voter turnout in Inuit communities declined from 43.6% in 2019 to 30.2% in 2025, while the national turnout stood at 69.5% last year. The turnout trend varied across regions.
Comparing to the 2021 federal election, voting rates increased for Inuit in the Inuvialuit region of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut by 7.5% and 1.6% respectively, maintaining around a 35% turnout rate. Similarly, in the Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador, voting rates slightly decreased by 2.5% compared to 2021.
The notable data anomaly in 2025 was the low voter turnout in Nunavik, a part of the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding in Quebec, where only 14.7% of Inuit voters participated. This marked a significant drop from the 2021 turnout rate. Elections Canada attributed this partly to polling booths closing early or not opening at all in most of the region’s 14 villages due to adverse weather conditions and staff shortages on election day.
Acknowledging shortcomings in prior outreach efforts and engagement with all Nunavik communities, including those with voting services, Elections Canada admitted to deficiencies in these areas.
Pita Aatami, the president of Makivvik representing Inuit in Nunavik, emphasized the need for election officials to actively engage with communities and fulfill their responsibilities in facilitating federal election voting processes. He expressed concerns about voter apathy and suggested exploring options like mandatory voting similar to the census, as well as implementing online voting to increase participation.
Aatami emphasized the importance of individual responsibility in exercising the right to vote, stating that citizens should not solely rely on leaders to encourage voting but should take personal accountability for participating in elections.