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Serving Canadians Everywhere

Transcript of video

Music

Visual: Close-up of a woman putting up a poster on a door that says "Vote" with an arrow showing the direction to follow. Wide shot of the main entrance to St. Nicholas Anglican Hall above which it says "Welcome to St. Nicholas Anglican Hall." A woman and two girls come out and two men enter. Close-up of a family made up of a man, a woman and their daughter; there is a stroller behind them. They are all kneeling down. The man is holding a yellow sign that reads "Elections Canada–Vote." The woman is holding her daughter in her arms and making the peace sign with the index and middle fingers.

Voter (speaking): It's the power of choice.

Voter: I have the power to – to sort of bend the future and I'm doing it today.

Visual: Image of a man and a woman laughing in a parking lot where there are a few cars. The backdrop to the parking lot is a landscape of mountains and a body of water. Close-up of a woman talking into the camera. Behind her are people walking about in a polling place.

Voter: It's a good day to vote.

Visual: Close-up of a man talking into the camera. Behind him is the entrance to a polling place.

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Visual: Black background with white text.

Super: On October 21, 2019, Canadians across the country headed to the polls to vote in the federal election.

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Visual: Wide shot of a landscape with the sea and mountains near the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Wide shot of a church with trees and grass in the city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Two poll workers sit side by side at a polling place. There are papers in front of them and a wall behind them where there is a round sign that says "Vote."

Voter: I have like a pack of eight of us in my nursing class, and we all are going to vote.

Visual: Close-up of a woman talking into the camera. Behind her is a bulletin board with a large yellow poster that says "Vote" and an arrow pointing to the left.

Voter: It means a lot to many people to feel like, okay, this is our right to pick who will represent us.

Visual: Close-up of a man in an outside parking lot talking into the camera. People are walking about behind him.

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Visual: Close-up of a church in Montréal with yellow signs saying "Vote" and a wheelchair ramp.

Voter: For the first time when I voted I feel excited and also proud because finally I think I have become part of this country.

Visual: Close-up of a man standing just outside a polling place and talking into the camera. While the man is speaking, there is a wide shot of a yellow "Vote" sign high up on a wall and just below it people entering a polling place inside a building. Then, there is a wide shot of another yellow "Vote" sign on a post and people coming out of a polling place in the background. Return to the close-up of a man standing just outside a polling place and talking into the camera.

Voter: Today is a great day for Canada. It's a day of evolution. It's a day where we raise our voices for tomorrow, for the future.

Visual: Close-up of a man standing in front of the door of a polling place with two yellow signs that say "Vote." The man is talking into the camera.

Voter: Voting makes me feel that I exist, that I am a human being, that I am respected.

Visual: Close-up of a woman talking into the camera. She stands in front of the same polling place door as the previous man but at a different angle.

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Visual: Around 10 students walking on campus between two faculties at the University of Ottawa.

Voter: I think it's wonderful that we have the opportunity to vote on campus, because I'm not from here but I can vote in my riding, even if I am far away.

Visual: While the young woman is speaking, there is a wide shot of an employee sitting at a table with a yellow sign that says "Voter Registration Desk." The employee is filling out papers and an elector is sitting in front of her. There are other voting tables in the background. The second wide shot is of a poll worker giving a paper belonging to the elector in front of him to a man who is seated. Other people are seen in the background. Then, the last wide shot is of a female elector at a polling station dropping her ballot into a ballot box behind which two poll workers are seated. In the background, there is another polling station and a vestibule.

Voter: That means a lot because it's such an important thing that so many people have to fight so hard for.

Visual: Close-up of a man talking into the camera.

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Visual: Wide shot of a woman entering a polling place in Toronto. On the door, there is a yellow sign that says "Vote." There are plants on both sides of the entrance, and No Parking signs and a Wheelchair Access sign.

Voter: It's pretty amazing to be able to vote in Canada because I'm from a very homophobic country, so we don't actually have the rights there.

Visual: Close-up of a man talking into the camera. He is standing in front of several people waiting in line. Beside him, there is a close-up of a yellow sign that says "Vote."

Voter: For example, as a gay man, I can't decide anything. So, here, I get to express how I feel.

Visual: While the man continues speaking, two shots appear. First, there is a wide shot of a poll worker telling someone where to go; there is a voting table in the background at which two poll workers are seated. Then, there is a shot of two seated poll workers with their backs to the camera and several electors walking by in front in front of them.

Voter: Clearly as you get older you understand that freedom and voting are an important concept.

Visual: Close-up of a man and woman standing in front of a voting room. The woman is talking into the camera.

Voter: It's our first time voting together as a family, so we're looking forward to it.

Visual: Close-up of a woman and a man who is holding his daughter up on his shoulders. They are in a hallway with people waiting behind them. The man is talking into the camera.

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Visual: Wide shot of a large sign held up by three posts in front of a forest with leafless trees. The sign says "Welcome to Sagkeeng Territory. Signatory to Treaty 1. 1871."

Voter: I feel empowered, I guess, to go out and provide my voice to what's happening in this country.

Visual: Close-up of a woman sitting in front of the same advance polling place as the previous man. She is talking into the camera. While the woman continues speaking, two poll workers are seen sitting at a voting table. There are two ballot boxes on the table, one for the vote and the other for feedback on accessibility and the voting experience.

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Visual: Wide shot of a Winnipeg street with traffic. Close-up of a yellow sign that says "Vote" on a column in a hallway with people in the background.

Voter: I'm glad that I did my research, and I'm glad I voted for something that I believe in.

Visual: Close-up of the same woman talking into the camera. In the background, there is a voting room with tables.

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Visual: Wide shot inside a polling place of an elderly woman in a wheelchair. Another woman is pushing the wheelchair. Upon her arrival, the elderly woman gives her ballot to a poll officer seated at a table. There are also three other tables, each with two poll officers seated at them.

Voter: Lots of people out for voting, which is great.

Visual: Panoramic, bird's eye view of the city of Iqaluit, Nunavut, with houses alongside the sea and the mountains.

Voter: I hope it will be like that all over Nunavut. Come out, vote.

Visual: Close-up of a woman talking into the camera inside a polling place. There are many people walking about behind her.

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Visual: Wide shot of a lighthouse on Merry Island, British Columbia, with the sea and three islands.

Voter: What it means for us out here at a remote location like the Merry Island Light Station, having the opportunity for Elections Canada to come out and see us personally and give us that extra special consideration to be able to cast our votes in the federal election.

Visual: Voice-over of a man while the camera pans over the view. First, there is a close-up of the inside of a helicopter with the pilot and dashboard; then, there is a shot of the sea and a house by the sea. Then, there is a close-up through the helicopter window of a house surrounded by grass and another house just behind it on the seashore. Then, there is a wide shot of a man walking on a paved path with grass on each side of it and a house to the left where there is a flagpole with the Canadian flag blowing in the wind. The man is followed by a female poll officer dressed in orange and then a male poll officer also dressed in orange. The following close-up is of the two officers working in a room, taking envelopes out of a bag. Lastly, there is a wide shot of an Elections Canada ballot box that says "West Coast Light Station."

Voter: Is a really big deal for us.

Visual: Close-up of the man who has been talking for the last few moments. He is inside his house in his living room; there are two windows, a couch, and objects in the background.

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Visual: Wide shot through a grid. There is a car coming off a ferry onto a bridge in Nanaimo, British Columbia. Then, there is a wide shot of a road near the ferry with people walking along a fence. Because of the rain, some carry an umbrella while others wear a hooded jacket.

Voter: We feel very fortunate that we are able to have a free and safe and voices heard election.

Visual: Close-up of a family of four (a man, his wife, their son who is standing between them, and their daughter who is standing in front of the father).They are standing outside a polling place. The woman is talking into the camera. Behind them, a door is open. On another door beside the woman, there is a yellow sign with an arrow pointing to the entrance.

Voter: I voted on behalf of my grandchildren here. I voted on behalf of this community. I voted on behalf of how I felt today. We have freedom of speech, so I think that's worth its weight in gold.

Visual: Voice-over of a woman during a series of shots. First, there is a wide shot of a woman climbing stairs while another woman with a coffee seems to be waiting for her at the top. There appears a yellow sign that says "Vote" with an arrow pointing to the polling place. Other arrow signs are seen in the background. Wide shot of on an entrance door with a yellow sign that says "Vote" and an arrow pointing straight ahead. People enter. Then, there is another series of shots. First, there is a close-up of a woman in the parking lot of a polling place with her hands in her coat pockets, smiling. Above her, there are several flags (of Canada and the provinces) blowing in the wind. Several cars are parked and one is moving behind her. The next shot is a close-up of a man laughing inside a polling place; he almost moves out of the frame. Then, there is a close-up of a woman and a man smiling in a parking lot outside. Four shots follow quickly. There are three close-ups one after the other of a different man laughing and then one of a woman with an umbrella, also laughing. Then, there is a shot of three women arm in arm, smiling. Then, a man comes out of a polling place, looking at the camera and giving a thumbs-up high in the air. In front of the polling place door with a yellow sign that says "Vote," another man is standing and there are two poll officers with name tags around their necks standing in the doorway.

Music fading out

Visual: White background with the Elections Canada logo and three lines of information beneath it.

Super: elections.ca – 1-800-463-6868 – 1-800-361-8935 (TTY)

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When an election gets called, Elections Canada's role is to provide more than 27 million Canadian citizens who are eligible to vote with the opportunity do so. This applies no matter where they are in Canada or the world.

A man rides an all-terrain vehicle with a ballot box attached to the front past a small wooden building with an Elections Canada sign on its side
An election official in Nunavut delivers voting supplies using an all-terrain vehicle.

Canada is the world's second-largest country in terms of its geographical size, and some areas are much harder to reach than others. To make sure every elector has a chance to cast a ballot, Elections Canada makes special efforts to reach those in remote and rural areas.

Over the years, we've delivered voting supplies to isolated communities by parachute or dogsled. Today, we mostly use trucks and planes, but on occasion we also use boats, helicopters and snowmobiles to get the job done.

Voting in urban and rural Canada

A big city like Toronto might have a polling station every few blocks, but things are quite different in Nunavut, Canada's largest riding. Elections Canada spends a lot of time trying to find the best polling locations so that residents in places with fewer roads or public transit options still have the most accessible options available.

A Woman and a man carrying a small girl on his shoulders wait at a pedestrian crossing on city street
In densely populated cities, you may be able to walk to your station.
A yellow sign with the word vote and the Elections Canada logo is posted on a patch of lawn in front of an empty street in a rural neighbourhood
In rural areas with fewer people, polling stations are likely more spread out.

Sometimes, serving Canadians everywhere means making special efforts. Workers at an oil field camp in Alberta or at a mine in Quebec, for example, can't always get to a regular polling station. Neither can people on military bases, in long-term care centres or in prisons. Elections Canada makes arrangements to provide services in these locations, and more, so that eligible electors can exercise their democratic right to vote.

An elderly black woman sits up in a hospital bed smiling while her husband stands next to her with his arm around her. A second woman faces them explaining something
Hospital visits during an election help some Canadian patients vote from their beds.

Serving Canadians around the world

If you're a Canadian citizen and are 18 or older, you now have the right to vote no matter how long you've been out of the country. In the weeks leading up to an election, Elections Canada sends thousands of ballots to Canadians around the world so they can mail in their ballot.

Whether you're mailing your vote from the United States or Australia, Elections Canada has developed a special system of barcodes and double envelopes to keep the vote secret and prevent double-voting. Canadians at home can also request a ballot to vote by mail, using the same basic system.