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ARTICLE · 28 AUGUST 2021

Election Day Is Almost Here—The Canada Elections Act's Time-Off Requirements

Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart
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Canadian voters will be going to the polls for a federal general election on September 20, 2021. For employers, this means certain rules under the Canada Elections Act...

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector

Canadian voters will be going to the polls for a federal general election on September 20, 2021. For employers, this means certain rules under the Canada Elections Act will apply on Election Day. Most importantly, employers must ensure that qualified electors (Canadian citizens 18 years of age and older) are guaranteed a period of time free from work to vote while polls are open.

The Canada Elections Act specifies that the following rules apply to employers on Election Day:

Consecutive hours for voting

132(1) Every employee who is an elector is entitled, during voting hours on polling day, to have three consecutive hours for the purpose of casting his or her vote and, if his or her hours of work do not allow for those three consecutive hours, his or her employer shall allow the time for voting that is necessary to provide those three consecutive hours.

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