Voter participation in Inuit communities during the 2025 federal elections saw a decline, leading to calls for enhanced engagement with local residents. Elections Canada recently released a report on the estimated voter turnout in Indigenous communities during the 45th general election in April 2025.
The voter turnout in Inuit communities has decreased over the past three federal elections, dropping from 43.6% in 2019 to 30.2% in 2025, while the national turnout rate in Canada was 69.5% for the same year. However, voting trends varied by region.
Compared to the 2021 federal election, voter participation actually increased among Inuit in the Inuvialuit region of the Northwest Territories and in Nunavut by 7.5% and 1.6%, respectively, with a turnout rate of approximately 35%. Similarly, Inuit in the Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a slight 2.5% decrease compared to 2021.
The notable anomaly in the data for 2025 was the low voter turnout in Nunavik, part of the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding in Quebec, where only 14.7% of Inuit voters participated in the election. This marked a significant drop from the previous election in 2021.
Elections Canada attributed the low turnout in Nunavik to early closure or non-opening of polling stations in most of the region’s 14 villages due to adverse weather conditions on election day and a shortage of staff. The agency acknowledged shortcomings in prior outreach efforts and meaningful engagement with all Nunavik communities that had voting services.
Pita Aatami, the president of Makivvik representing Inuit in Nunavik, emphasized the need for election officials to engage directly with communities and fulfill their responsibilities in ensuring voter participation. Aatami expressed concerns about voter apathy and suggested making voting mandatory to increase turnout. He also proposed the adoption of online voting, similar to the approach taken in Makivvik’s own elections, to facilitate the voting process for individuals.
Aatami emphasized the importance of individual responsibility in exercising the right to vote, stating that citizens should not solely rely on leaders to promote voting but should take personal accountability for participating in the electoral process.