Canada is divided into 343 ridings (also called electoral districts). One representative, or member of Parliament (MP), is elected for each riding. You can find the name of your riding by entering your postal code in the Voter Information Service box.

Yes! Depending on where you live, you likely voted a few times within the last four years, either in a municipal, provincial, or federal election. In Canada, each level of government has different responsibilities. For example, education is a provincial responsibility, whereas foreign affairs is a federal responsibility.

To vote in the federal election, you must:

• be a Canadian citizen

• be at least 18 years old on election day

• prove your identity and address

Yes, but there are many ways to register, including at the polling station when you go to vote! The other ways include:

1. Online: Use the Online Voter Registration Service to register or update your address. You must prove your identity and address to register.

2. In person: You can register and vote at any Elections Canada office across Canada OR You can register at your assigned polling station when you go to vote on advance polling days or on election day.

Once you are registered, you should get a Voter Information Card in the mail. It tells you where and when you can vote.

So many ways! You can vote at several places in person or by mail from wherever you are in Canada or the world

In person:

• At any Elections Canada office before 6:00 p.m. on April 22.

• In your riding at your assigned advance polling station from April 18 to April 21, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Find out this information by putting your postal code in the Voter Information Service.

• In your riding at your assigned polling station on election day, April 28.

By mail:

• Apply to vote by mail before 6:00 p.m. on April 22, if you feel more comfortable. Voting by mail is also available to Canadians living abroad.

• Make sure to send back your marked ballot by election day, April 28. Check the instructions in your voting kit for details.

• Once you've applied to vote by mail, you can't change your mind and vote at assigned polling stations before or on election day.

Yes, there are several ways to vote before election day.

At advance polls

• Vote at your assigned advance polling station in your riding April 18 to April 21, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. To find your assigned polling station, check your Voter Information Card or use the Voter Information Service.

By mail

• For more details, check the previous question.

At any Elections Canada office across Canada

• Elections Canada has over 500 offices open seven days a week leading up to the election. Vote at any one of them before 6:00 p.m. on April 22. Use the Voter Information Service to find the Elections Canada office.

Whether you vote during advance polls or on election day, all you need to bring with you is an acceptable form of ID, such as a driver’s license. Check out this list of accepted voter IDs. Everything else is provided for you at the polling station.

Not long at all! Voting should take less than 15 minutes, if you have the proper ID and are in the correct polling station. Check out Voter Information Service for more information on where you should vote. If you want to vote in the fastest way possible, you should vote at your assigned advance polling station in your riding between April 18 to April 21, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

No! Taking a picture of a marked ballot is illegal because it violates the secrecy of the vote under the Canada Elections Act. But you can take a picture with an Elections Canada sign outside the voting area. Don’t forget to post about it with the hashtag #YallaVoteCanada!

No! It has to be your polling station - usually the closest one to your house. The rules for voting on election day and on advance voting days in the federal election are that you cannot vote at any polling station in the country in the federal election - you must vote at your assigned polling station. You can find out where your polling station is by putting your postal code in the Voter Information Service.

Absolutely! By law, everyone who is eligible to vote must have three consecutive hours and paid time off to cast their vote on election day.

If your hours of work do not allow for three consecutive hours to vote, your employer must give you that time off. For example, if you live in a riding where voting hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and you usually work from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., your employer must allow you to arrive late (for example, at 12:30 p.m.), let you leave early (for example, at 6:30 p.m.), or give you three hours off at some point during the work day.

Yes, the law applies to all employers, if your work shift does not give you three consecutive hours off to vote.

No! Employers cannot penalize an employee or make a deduction on their pay for taking time off to vote, as required by the Canada Elections Act.

Yes! It is an offence for employers to fail to provide time off or reduce pay for voting as required under the Canada Elections Act. The maximum penalty for violating these prohibitions is a fine of up to $2,000, three months' imprisonment, or both.

Your vote is the way you choose someone to represent you in Canada's Parliament. By expressing your choice, you are exercising a democratic right that is key to the democratic process of government that generations of Canadians have fought to build. For more information, see A History of the Vote in Canada.

The choice is yours! Your vote is secret. In Canada, you have the right to vote for any candidate you want. Remember, you are voting for the candidate who you want to best represent you in Parliament. You will never have to disclose who you vote for to anyone!

You can vote on a participating campus from April 13 to 16. Sunday, April 13, from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, April 14, Tuesday April 15, and Wednesday, April 16, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Check the full list of participating campuses here

Up to you! We know how important it is to lead by example and teach your kids the process of voting. Also, we know how difficult it is to find or afford childcare in the Arab community. 

Elections in Canada are very accurate. The Elections Canada agency uses paper ballots for voters to physically cast their vote. On election night, poll workers count every ballot by hand in front of political party candidates/scrutineers. The numbers are then sent to Elections Canada in order to declare a winner.

In alphabetical order, the federal political parties who served in the most recent parliamentary session are:

• Bloc Québécois (only in Quebec, and led by Yves-François Blanchet)

• Conservative Party of Canada (led by Pierre Poilievre)

• Green Party of Canada (led by Elizabeth May and Jonathan Pedneault)

• Liberal Party of Canada (led by Mark Carney)

• The New Democratic Party of Canada (led by Jagmeet Singh)

There are many ways you can get involved to help fulfill your civic responsibilities!

• Volunteering or supporting voting campaigns such as #YallaVoteCanada allows you to participate during the campaign and elections period even if you are not eligible to vote on the day of elections.

• You can help disseminate the essential information about registration and voting to your community and to those that may not have access to common sources of information on Social Media or such.

• Providing educational material to your friends and community that are able to vote can ensure that your community’s voice is heard overall!

• Educate yourself and those around you about the issues that are of the most importance for this Canadian Federal Election.