Canadians headed to the polls on Monday, April 28th, for the country’s 45th federal election—an election that saw the Liberals under Mark Carney secure a minority government and a dramatic collapse in support for the NDP.
According to preliminary estimates from Elections Canada, 19,583,016 Canadians cast a ballot, which works out to a voter turnout rate of about 68.65%.
To make the election happen, Elections Canada opened 492 offices, hired roughly 230,000 workers, and set up more than 65,000 voting desks on election day across 343 ridings. Another 7,200 voting desks were offered at advance polls.
Of those who voted, about 11 million Canadians did so at their polling station on election day or from a long-term care facility. Just over 7.2 million voted early during the four-day advance voting window between April 18th and 21st.
Roughly 928,000 voters used a special ballot within their home riding, while another 215,000 Canadians cast special ballots from outside their electoral district—including deployed military personnel, inmates and electors temporarily away from home.
Around 57,000 Canadians living abroad also voted by special ballot.
This marks the highest national turnout percentage in just over three decades. The last time voter participation surpassed this level was during the October 1993 election, when 69.6 per cent of registered voters cast a ballot.
On Vancouver Island specifically, voter engagement was even stronger. Every riding saw a turnout above 70 per cent.
The highest was in Saanich–Gulf Islands, where 77.82 per cent of registered electors—nearly 80,000 voters—cast their ballots. Close behind was the riding of Victoria, which saw a turnout of 74.72 per cent, with over 75,000 people heading to the polls.
This year’s federal election featured 1,959 confirmed candidates across 16 registered political parties. In a statement, Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault thanked the roughly 230,000 people who worked on the election, noting they helped ensure the integrity and secrecy of the vote was upheld regardless of how or when Canadians chose to cast their ballots.
Monday’s vote quickly shaped up to be a two-horse race between the Liberals and Conservatives, as support for the NDP and Bloc Québécois shrank in many regions.
The Liberals are projected to win 169 seats—just shy of the 172 required for a majority—allowing Carney to form a minority government. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s party came close but fell short, while the NDP suffered some of the steepest losses of the night.
In a major turn of events, both Poilievre and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh were projected to lose their seats. Shortly after midnight in B.C., Singh announced he would be stepping down as leader, with the NDP expected to lose official party status in the House of Commons.
Elections Canada will publish finalized numbers and the Official Voting Results in the months ahead, along with additional reporting on the delivery and conduct of the 2025 election.
