Voter participation in Inuit communities during the 2025 federal elections saw a decline, prompting calls from leaders for enhanced community engagement. Elections Canada released a report this week on the estimated 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. In contrast, the overall voter turnout across Canada in the previous year was 69.5%.

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 turnout hovering around 35%. Similarly, Inuit in the Nunatsiavut region of Newfoundland and Labrador experienced a slight 2.5% decrease compared to 2021.

However, the turnout in Nunavik, part of the Abitibi–Baie-James–Nunavik–Eeyou riding in Quebec, significantly impacted the 2025 data, with only 14.7% of Inuit voters participating last year, nearly half of the turnout rate seen in 2021.

Elections Canada attributed this low turnout partly to polling stations closing early or not opening at all in most of Nunavik’s 14 villages due to adverse weather conditions and staff shortages on voting day. The agency acknowledged deficiencies 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 engage directly with communities. He expressed concern over voter apathy and proposed making voting mandatory to increase participation. Aatami also suggested that implementing online voting, as done in Makivvik’s elections, could facilitate easier access for voters. He stressed the importance of individual responsibility in exercising the right to vote.