The Canadian federal election is on Monday, April 28. Voting hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Under the Canada Elections Act, all employees who are eligible to vote are entitled to three consecutive hours free from work to cast their vote during voting hours on election day.

If an employee’s work schedule does not provide them with a three-hour window to vote, their employer must grant them enough time off to meet this requirement. There can be no deduction from the pay the employee would have received had they worked the scheduled hours and not taken the time off.

How it works in practice 

• If an employee’s work schedule already allows for a three-hour window to vote (before or after their shift), the employer does not have to provide additional time off.

• If an employee’s shift makes it impossible to have three consecutive hours free during voting hours, the employer must provide paid time off to ensure compliance.

• The employer can decide when the time off is taken.

Examples 

• No additional time off required: An employee working 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. has five hours (4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.) to vote after work. The employer does not need to provide additional time off.

• Time off required: An employee working from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. does not have a three-hour window before or after work. The employer must adjust the schedule — for example, by allowing the employee to leave early at 6:30 p.m. with pay.

If you have any questions please contact your HR Partner or HR Operations Consultant. For the Faculty of Health Sciences, please contact your respective FHS HR Partner.