Am I required to give my employees time off to vote? | CFIB
Any eligible voter must have a certain number of consecutive hours to exercise their right to vote on an election day. If your employees do not have that number of consecutive hours because of their work schedule, you must grant the hours accordingly.
Federal elections
According to the Canada Elections Act, any eligible voter must have three consecutive hours to exercise their right to vote on a federal election day. If your employees do not have three consecutive hours because of their work schedule, you must grant the hours accordingly.
For example, if you live in a riding where polling offices are open from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and some of your employees are regularly scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., they do not have three consecutive hours for voting.
To provide these employees with the required hours, you could allow them to arrive late (at 12:30 p.m.), leave early (at 6:30 p.m.) or give them three hours off sometime during the day. As an employer, you have the right to decide when the time off will be given.
Please note that, for employers in the transportation industry, the obligation to provide three consecutive hours off to vote does not apply if the following four conditions are met:
- Your company transports goods or passengers by land, air or water
- Your employee is employed outside his or her polling division
- Your employee is employed in the operation of a means of transportation, and
- The time off to vote cannot be provided without interfering with the transportation service.
Provincial elections
Each province has the power to set its own election rules. This means that the mandatory number of hours may differ from the requirement for federal elections.
This does not mean you have to give an employee a specific number of hours off work. It means an employee must have a certain number of consecutive hours free to vote during polling hours.
For example: in Alberta the polls are open 9am-8pm, if an employee finishes at 5pm they have 3 consecutive hours and don’t require extra time off work.
Here are each province and territory’s requirements:
| Province or Territory | Hours to vote |
| Alberta | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If employee’s schedule does not allow for 3 consecutive hours, then the employer must provide the extra hours, with pay. Polls open: 9am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, In person, mobile voting, special ballot More information: Elections Alberta |
| British Columbia | 4 consecutive non-work hours. If employee’s schedule does not allow for 4 consecutive hours, then the employer must provide the extra hours, with pay. Polls open: 8am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, mail, “Vote Anywhere” locations listed on Elections BC website More information: Elections BC |
| Manitoba | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off. Polls open: 8am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, absentee ballot, at home (by contacting returning officer) More information: Elections Manitoba |
| New Brunswick | Employees entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 10am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections NB |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Employees are entitled to 4 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 8am-8pm (30 minutes earlier in most of Labrador) Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections NL |
| Northwest Territories | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 9am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections NWT |
| Nova Scotia | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 8am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot, by agent, home visit More information: Elections NS |
| Nunavut | Employees are entitled to 2 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 9am-7pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot, mobile poll, emergency method (for those in remote locations) More information: Elections Nunavut |
| Ontario | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 9am-9pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections Ontario |
| Prince Edward Island | Employees must have sufficient time to vote, at least 1 hour Polls open: 9am-7pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, mail in More information: Elections Prince Edward Island |
| Quebec | Employees are entitled to 4 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 9:30am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections Quebec |
| Saskatchewan | Employees are entitled to 3 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. Polls open: 9am-8pm Methods of Voting: Advanced, in person, special ballot More information: Elections Saskatchewan |
| Yukon |
Employees are entitled to 4 consecutive hours to vote. If an employee’s schedule does not allow for that, the employer must provide the extra time off with pay. |
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