Canada votes today: All you need to know about the key elections
The elections are expected to be a contest between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Conversative leader Pierre Poilievre.
Canada is set to choose its Prime Minister in the federal polls on April 28. These elections come in the backdrop of the Trump administration’s reciprocal tariffs and the resignation of former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Here’s all you need to know about the Canada polls.
When and where will the polls happen
Voting will take place between 9 am to 9 pm on April 28. Due to different time zones in Canada, polling hours will be staggered. While the preliminary results will be announced shortly after polls close, the official results take a couple of days.
Key Candidates
The key candidates in this year’s federal polls are Liberal leader Mark Carney, who has promised to reduce the federal deficit and the marginal tax rate and talked about eliminating the Goods and Services Tax in the country for first-time home buyers. Against him is the rival Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who has promised to cut the lowest tax bracket by 15 per cent, along with eliminating the federal sales tax for first-time home buyers. Although two other leaders are there, which is Jagmeet Singh of the New Democratic Party (NDP) and Yves-Francois Blanchet of the Bloc Quebecois, the competition is mainly between Poilievre and Carney.
Also read: Canada PM Mark Carney signals a reset in ties with India if he returns to power
The voting process
Electors vote at their assigned polling stations and have to register at the polls. To vote, electors must show an identity proof along with a proof of address. Each voter gets a ballot from an election officer, followed by which they take this ballot behind a voting screen and mark an X beside the name of their chosen candidate. Results from polls are sent to local Elections Canada offices at the close of polls.
What happens after the polls
According to the official website, Canada uses the ‘first past the post’ system, which means the candidate who receives the most votes in their riding wins. Once the polls are officially closed, no one is allowed to enter or leave. After this, the election officers open the ballot boxes and count the ballots, recording the ‘Statement of the Vote’. Followed by this, the ballots and other election documents are sealed in the ballot box and delivered to the returning officer.
Validation of results is done by the returning officer, generally a week after the polling day. At validation, the returning officer verifies the individual results recorded by each poll on the statement of the vote.
