Voters across Canada will head to the polls Oct. 21 to elect members to the House of Commons after what has been a fairly heated federal election campaign.
Justin Trudeau is aiming to retain the incumbent Liberal Party’s majority win in 2015, while the Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer, NDP leader Jagmeet Singh, Green Party Elizabeth May and People’s Party Maxime Bernier vie for power.
In the Skeena Bulkley-Valley, there are 187 polling stations with 25 advanced polling stations.
Here’s everything you need to know to vote in the 43rd federal election.
Who am I voting for?
There are eight candidates running for Skeena-Bulkley Valley, including NDP’s Taylor Bachrach, Liberal Dave Birdi, Conservative Claire Rattée, Green Party’s Mike Sawyer, Christian Heritage Party’s Rod Taylor, People’s Party Jody Craven and independent candidates Merv Ritchie and Danny Nunes.
READ MORE: The most important issue for each of the Skeena Bulkley-Valley candidates in their own words
How do I register to vote?
To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on election day, and prove your identity and address.
To vote, you must prove your identity and address to register. You will be asked to prove your identity and address by providing the number on your driver’s licence, or any government-issued ID that shows your photo, name and address. Show two pieces of ID that show your name, at least one of these must show your current address.
If you don’t have any ID, you can declare your identity and address in writing and have someone who knows you and who is assigned to your polling station vouch for you, according to Elections Canada. The voucher must be able to prove their identity and address, and a person can vouch for only one person.
When can I vote?
On Election Day, vote at your assigned polling station on Monday, Oct. 21. Polls are usually open for 12 hours.
If you have a visual impairment you can get a special “Braille Template” (a special cardboard with holes on it to make voting easier for you).
If you work on election day, no worries — under Canadian law, every employer must give employees three consecutive hours while polls are open to vote on election day without reduction in pay.
If you’re experiencing homelessness and staying in a shelter, you can use the address of the shelter as your home address, or you can use the address of a shelter or soup kitchen where you receive services as your home address.
Where can I vote in Haida Gwaii?
Here is a list of voting day polling stations for Haida Gwaii. Residents should check their voter information card for which location they are required to vote at.
- Tlell Firehall, 36542 Highway 16, Tlell, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Port Clements Community Hall, 120 Bayview Drive, Port Clements, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Some rural postal codes in Haida Gwaii are not listed on the Elections Canada website because they do not work with the system. Residents who do not have a voter information card should call their local returning office at 1-866-546-7621 or public enquiries unit at 1-800-463-6868 to find out where to vote.
READ MORE ON YOUR CANDIDATES:
Danny Nunes: ‘Bear with me’: Kitimat comedian dressed in bear costume running as independent for Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Merv Ritchie: Independent Merv Ritchie on why he is running as independent candidate for Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Jody Craven: PPC announces candidate for Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Rod Taylor: CHP chooses Skeena-Bulkley Valley candidate
Mike Sawyer: Mike Sawyer announced as Green candidate for Skeena-Bulkley Valley
Dave Birdi: Liberals acclaim former Fort St. James councillor as Skeena-Bulkley Valley candidate
Claire Rattée: Kitimat resident is Conservative choice for fall election
Taylor Bachrach: Bachrach nominated by NDP for federal election