Voter participation in Inuit communities during the 2025 federal elections showed a decline, prompting calls for enhanced community engagement by leaders. Elections Canada released a report on the estimated voter turnout in Indigenous communities during the 45th general election in April 2025.
The turnout in Inuit communities had decreased over the past three federal elections, dropping from 43.6% in 2019 to 30.2% in 2025. In contrast, the overall voter turnout across Canada in the same year was 69.5%. However, the trend varied across different regions.
Comparing to the previous federal election in 2021, 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%. Similar patterns were observed among Inuit in the Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador, where there was a slight 2.5% decrease compared to 2021.
The notable deviation in the data for 2025 was the turnout in Nunavik, part of the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding in Quebec, where only 14.7% of Inuit voters participated, nearly half of the turnout rate seen in 2021. Elections Canada attributed this partly to polling booths closing early or not opening due to adverse weather conditions and staff shortages.
Elections Canada acknowledged shortcomings in prior outreach efforts and meaningful engagement with all Nunavik communities, including those with voting services. The agency declined an interview request from CBC News.
Pita Aatami, the president of Makivvik representing Inuit in Nunavik, emphasized the importance of election officials being present in communities and working closely with them. He expressed concerns about voter apathy and suggested the possibility of mandatory voting, similar to the census, to boost turnout. Aatami also proposed exploring online voting, like what Makivvik has implemented in its own elections, as a means to facilitate the voting process. Ultimately, he stressed the individual responsibility of citizens to exercise their right to vote.