North

What you need to know on federal election day in the North

It's federal election day across Canada. Here's what you need to know to cast your ballot in the North, and watch the results after the polls are closed.

Polls open for 12 hours on Monday, hours vary depending on time zone

A man walks at a polling station during early voting for Canada's federal election in Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 20, 2025. REUTERS/Graham Hughes
A man walks at a polling station for Canada's federal election. (Graham Hughes/Reuters)

It's federal election day in Canada.

The 45th general election was called on March 23, launching a five-week campaign — the shortest length allowed under the law.

An estimated 7.3 million Canadians — a record — took advantage of advance polls over the Easter long weekend, according to Elections Canada.

Here's what you need to know to cast your ballot on election day.

How to vote

To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen and at least 18 years old on election day and be able to prove your identity and address. You can only vote at your assigned polling station.

WATCH | Voting in the Canadian federal election, explained:

Voting in the Canadian federal election, explained

26 days ago
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CBC’s Avneet Dhillon breaks down everything you need to know about voting in the Canadian federal election — how to vote early, voting by mail and more. Have other questions? Email us: [email protected].

Each territory will elect one person to be their member of Parliament.

In Nunavut, four people are running: James T. Arreak of the Conservative Party, Lori Idlout for the NDP, Kilikvak Kabloona for the Liberals, and Brennan Wauters from the Green Party. 

In the N.W.T., there are also four candidates running: Rebecca Alty of the Liberal Party, the Green Party's Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, Conservative Kimberly Fairman, and Kelvin Kotchilea of the NDP. 

In the Yukon, there are four running: Gabrielle Dupont of the Green Party, Liberal Brendan Hanley, Conservative Ryan Leef and Katherine McCallum of the NDP.

Where and when you can vote

You can find your polling station on your voting card, or via the Elections Canada website by entering your postal code.

In Nunavut, polling stations are open from 9:30 a.m to 9:30 p.m. ET.

In the N.W.T., polling stations are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. MT.

In the Yukon, polling stations are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. YT.

Peak voting times vary throughout the day, however, according to Elections Canada, the busiest times are early in the morning and after 4 p.m., until the polls close. The less busy times are during the midday hours, with 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. being the best times to see shorter polling station wait times.

Elections Canada says all electors that are still in line at the end of voting hours will be allowed to vote regardless of the length of the line. 

Watching the results

After the polls are closed, ballots must be counted to determine the result of the election. The counting process is designed to be "transparent, secure and auditable," according to Elections Canada.

WATCH | What it looks like to count ballots in a Canadian federal election:

Follow the results on all CBC platforms starting at 6:30 p.m. ET. Here's a full rundown of the options of how and where to follow along.