Voter participation in Inuit communities during the 2025 federal elections saw a decline, prompting calls from leaders for enhanced engagement with local residents. According to a recent report by Elections Canada on the estimated turnout in Indigenous communities during the 45th general election in April 2025, voter turnout in Inuit communities dropped from 43.6% in 2019 to 30.2% in 2025. This marked a decrease over the past three federal elections, while the national average voter turnout in Canada was 69.5% last year.
Regional variations were observed in the trend. In comparison 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, with a turnout rate of around 35%. Similarly, the Nunatsiavut region in Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a slight 2.5% decrease compared to 2021.
However, the data for 2025 was skewed by the low turnout in Nunavik, part of the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding in Quebec, where only 14.7% of Inuit voters participated. This was nearly half the turnout rate observed in 2021. 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 on voting day and a shortage of staff. The agency acknowledged shortcomings in prior outreach efforts and engagement with all Nunavik communities, including those with voting services.
Pita Aatami, the president of Makivvik representing Inuit in Nunavik, emphasized the need for election officials to actively engage with communities. He stated that it is the responsibility of officials to facilitate voting in federal elections and not rely solely on organizations like Makivvik. Aatami also expressed concerns about voter apathy and proposed making voting mandatory to increase participation. He suggested that implementing online voting, similar to what Makivvik has done in its own elections, could help improve accessibility for voters.
Ultimately, Aatami emphasized the importance of individual responsibility in participating in elections, stating that citizens should take the initiative to vote rather than relying solely on leaders to promote voter turnout.