Who can vote, when and where in the Yukon ahead of federal election day? Here’s what Yukoners need to know.
There are four candidates vying to be Yukon MP, after the People's Party of Canada and Parti Rhinocéros Party candidates withdrew: Katherine McCallum of the federal NDP, Green Party of Canada candidate Gabrielle Dupont, Conservative Party of Canada representative Ryan Leef and incumbent Brendan Hanley of the Liberal Party of Canada.
The News asked all four candidates for their views on tariffs and sovereignty, housing and affordability, health care, the resource industry and immigration.
To hear from the Yukon candidates directly, CBC Yukon and some local organizations including the Yukon Federation of Labour, the Yukon Chamber of Commerce and the Council of Yukon First Nations and Assembly of First Nations Yukon Region will be holding upcoming forums on the evenings of April 15, April 14, April 23 and April 16, respectively.
The Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition held a lunch-and-learn event with candidates about affordability and other topics on April 10.
The Elections Canada website lays out key federal elections dates and what to know about when and where to vote before April 28.
Yukoners can vote at Elections Canada offices across the country before 6 p.m. on April 22. There are voting locations set up at Whitehorse Elks Lodge #306 at 401 Hawkins St. in Whitehorse, the Watson Lake Recreational Centre in Watson Lake and the Elections Canada office at 853 Third Ave in Dawson City.
Yukoners can mark a ballot at Yukon University’s Ayamdigut Campus. The Voting Room, located at Room C1442 on 500 University Dr. in Whitehorse, is open from April 13 to 16.
Members of the Canadian Armed Forces can vote at the military poll set up for their base or unit from April 14 to 19.
On April 16, electors who are incarcerated are able to vote at the place where they are serving their sentence.
Electors who are hospitalized can register and vote by special ballot from their hospital room or acute care facility from April 20 to 22.
Electors can vote by special ballot at local Elections Canada offices until 6 p.m. on April 22.
April 22 is the deadline to vote by mail.
“Once you apply to vote by mail, you can't change your mind and vote at advance polls or on election day,” reads the Elections Canada website.
Advanced polls will be open for four days, from April 18 to 21.
Being prepared
Elections Canada has three main pieces of advice for those who head to the polls on April 28: bring accepted identification; if someone hasn’t yet registered, they can do so at their assigned polling stations; and check one’s voter information card or the online Voter Information Service to find one’s assigned voting station.
Voter information cards note that only those who are Canadian citizens, are at least 18 years old on April 28 and can prove their identity and address can vote.
To prove one’s identity and address, Yukoners can show their driver’s licence or “any other card issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local)” that shows one’s photo, name and current address.
Another option is to show two pieces of ID that both contain one’s name and at least one of them must have one’s current address. For example, Elections Canada suggests bringing one’s voter information card and bank statement, or a utility bill and student ID card. A full list of acceptable ID is available online.
For those without ID, they can vote if they declare their identity and address in writing and have someone who knows them and who is assigned to their polling station to vouch for them. The voucher must be able to prove their identity and address and can only vouch for one person (with the exception of long-term care homes).
Voting assistance tools and services are available on election day including ballots with candidates’ names in large print, magnifiers and large grip pencils, braille lists of candidates, and language and sign language interpretation, according to the Elections Canada website.
After election day, the validated results of the vote will be posted online.
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
