Canadians Cast Their First Ballots in Federal Election

… Advanced Voting Kicks Off With Order and Optimism

Canada’s 2025 federal election officially began today as early voting known as Advanced Voting Days kicked off across the country. From coast to coast, voters flocked to polling stations on Good Friday, marking the first of four early voting days scheduled for April 18, 19, 20, and 21. Election Day itself is set for Monday, April 28.

In Ottawa, our correspondent visited the François Dupuis Recreation Centre at 2263 Portobello Boulevard in the suburb of Orléans. Arriving at 3:39 p.m. and casting his ballot just seven minutes later, he found the process smooth, efficient, and quintessentially Canadian polite, organized, and hassle-free.

Three orderly lines catered to voters in electoral groups 607, 608, and 609. There was no visible police presence at the site, but voters arrived by foot, bike, or car, and the atmosphere was calm and cooperative. The average wait time? A mere 8 to 10 minutes.

To vote, Canadians need only their voter information card mailed in the past two weeks and valid photo ID, such as a driver’s license or Ontario identity card. Voting at this advanced polling location runs from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily during the early voting period.

Canada’s 343 federal electoral districts commonly called ridings will each elect one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons, as outlined in the 2023 Representation Order.

In Orléans, the race is heating up. The four candidates vying for the seat are: incumbent Liberal Marie-France Lalonde, Conservative challenger Steve Mansour, the NDP’s Oulai Goue, and Green Party candidate Jaycob Jacques. Most eyes, however, are on the tight contest between Lalonde and Mansour.

A recent poll from April 9 shows the Liberals holding a modest five-point lead nationally, but with major issues like healthcare, Canada-U.S. relations, and the rising cost of living dominating voter concerns, the outcome is anything but certain.

This election comes on the heels of a major political transition. Former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau handed the reins of the Liberal Party to Mark Carney the former Bank of Canada Governor after Carney clinched the leadership in a tightly watched race between February 26 and March 9.

Despite the holiday and long weekend, voter turnout at François Dupuis Recreation Centre was described as “impressive,” with citizens showing up in force to fulfill their democratic responsibility.

Ballots, as confirmed by Elections Canada, will be counted on-site at each polling station after voting concludes.

As Canada embarks on another defining election, all eyes now turn to the days ahead when the rest of the nation will join today’s early voters in shaping the country’s future.