Voting Information and Party Platforms

How can you vote, when and where? Where do Canadian political parties stand on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues? What comments and commitments have party leaders made? Here's what you need to know:

How, When, and Where to Vote

Ensuring your voice is heard in the upcoming federal election starts with knowing your voting rights and how to cast your ballot. Below, find key information on how, when and where you can vote.

For detailed information on voting, we encourage you to visit the Elections Canada website here. For information on voting as a trans or gender diverse person, click here.

To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on election day and prove your identity and address. Learn more about acceptable identification and proof of address options here.

Check Your Voter Registration

Before heading to the polls, make sure you’re registered to vote! You can:

Check your registration status online at Elections Canada
Update your information if you’ve moved or changed your name
Register if you’re voting for the first time

Deadline to Register: You can register online or at your local Elections Canada office any time up until April 22nd, or at your polling station when you go to vote.

Tip: Registering in advance makes the voting process faster on election day!

Vote Early - Advance Polls and Mail-in Ballots

You can vote at advance polls at your assigned polling station from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the following dates: Friday, April 18, Saturday, April 19, Sunday, April 20, or Monday, April 21. You can locate your assigned polling station through your voter information card, if you’ve received one, or by visiting Election Canada’s Voter Information Service here.

You can vote through a mail-in ballot by visiting this link on the Elections Canada website to apply online to receive a mail-in ballot. The deadline to apply to vote by mail-in ballot is Tuesday, April 22, 6 p.m., Eastern time. Be sure to return your completed ballot by election day, Monday, April 28 - so we recommend moving quickly to ensure your ballot is received on time.

Voting on Election Day

To vote, you must be a Canadian citizen, be at least 18 years old on election day and prove your identity and address. You can vote at your assigned polling station on election day, April 28th. Polls are open for 12 hours. To find your local polling station, you can reference your voter information card or check the Voter Information Service.

Party and Leader Positions, Platform Commitments and Past Comments on 2SLGBTQIA+ Issues

Context is key: This federal election is taking place in a Canada where anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate has risen by 338% since 2016, where provincial governments in Alberta and Saskatchewan have restricted the freedom, rights and (in the case of Alberta) healthcare access of young trans people and their families.

Beyond our borders, Russia and other foreign actors are pushing anti-queer agendas to further sow division in Canada, to turn Canadians against their queer and trans neighbours and weaken our democracy. US President Donald Trump has undertaken an existential assault on transgender Americans - denying transgender Americans accurate identity documents, eroding healthcare access and cutting funding for lifesaving services.

Beyond queer issues, this election is taking place amidst affordability and housing crises making life harder for everyone, and disproportionately impacting queer and trans people who already face economic disadvantage. People across Canada are struggling, angry and worried. That's why it's more important than ever that we speak up for human rights, freedom and equality - and that we elect Members of Parliament who will strengthen our democracy, support diversity and uphold equality.

Mark Carney and the Liberal Party of Canada

As a new leader, we could find no public statements related to 2SLGBTQIA+ rights from Mark Carney. Recently, when asked about legislation introduced by the Government of Alberta related to transgender youth, people and families, he emphasized the importance of upholding the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Over the course of the past ten years, the Liberal Party of Canada, in government, has undertaken numerous initiatives to advance equality and human rights for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including:

Past Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized to 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians for decades of discrimination against them by the Government of Canada
Liberal Ministers introduced Canada’s Conversion Therapy Ban and enshrined trans rights in Canada’s Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act, with the support of a majority of representatives in the House of Commons and the Senate.
The Liberal government introduced Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQ+ Action Plan, which included a commitment of $100 million dollars over 5 years to various 2SLGBTQIA+ initiatives.
In the past two years, numerous Liberal ministers and members of parliament have criticized policies introduced by Premiers in New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Alberta related to transgender issues, school inclusion and healthcare access.

The Liberal Party of Canada platform for the 2025 federal election includes the following commitments on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues:

Protect the safety of 2SLGBTQI+ people by maintaining support for Fierté Canada Pride in administering funding for security needs at Pride festivals across the country.
Add additional funding for the LGBTQI+ International Assistance Program to provide support for LGBTQI+ individuals facing persecution abroad, promote global equality, and partner with international organizations. We will also expand the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership.
Make funding permanent for the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund to support community organizations and networks that protect rights and advance equality across Canada.

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada

Pierre Poilievre has weighed in on the dangers of what he described as "gender ideology" in Canadian schools, opposed access to gender-affirming healthcare for young trans people and stated that he is only aware of two genders.

Poilievre is the only leader of a major political party to support Premier Danielle Smith and the Government of Alberta’s legislation related to transgender people, transgender youth and their families. The legislation in question restricts healthcare access for transgender young people, limits the freedom of transgender youth to be themselves at school, and bans transgender women from participating in women’s sports.

The Conservative Party of Canada has two openly queer individuals running for re-election, and at least two other 2SLGBTQIA+ candidates.

In 2023, the membership passed 2 policy resolutions related to transgender people at their national convention. The first policy supports banning transgender women from women's spaces, sports and services. The second would ban access to gender-affirming healthcare for transgender minors.

Party Leader Pierre Poilievre voted against marriage equality in 2005, and voted to reopen the marriage equality debate in 2006. He recently indicated his support for marriage equality following questions from reporters, stating that it has been a "success" in Canada.

In 2016, the party updated its platform to recognize same-sex marriage, signaling a move towards greater inclusivity. This builds on work undertaken during the Harper administration (2006-2015), where some LGBTQ+ issues, including refugees, advocating for decriminalization, and embassy support for human rights defenders, were explicitly integrated into Canadian foreign policy.

The Conservative Party of Canada includes no commitments to advancing equality, freedom and human rights for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. The only reference to our communities is included in a commitment to revoke a Corrections Services Canada that allowed transgender women to be housed in a prison aligned with their gender identity. Notably, the platform mentions women only 4 times, with three of those mentions captured within the aforementioned commitment.

Jagmeet Singh and the New Democratic Party of Canada

The NDP supported the banning of conversion therapy and enshrinement of transgender human rights protections. Both of these policy issues were initially introduced as Private Members Bills by NDP MPs. The NDP has consistently urged greater support for LGBTQ refugees, as well as greater funding for 2SLGBTQIA civil society organizations, nonprofits and charities. Throughout their history, the NDP have often been the first party on the provincial and federal level to explicitly support 2SLGBTQIA+ human rights and policies that advance equality for 2SLGBTQIA+ people.

Many NDP MPs, including the leader, vocally opposed policies related to transgender people, youth and families introduced in New Brunswick, Saskatchewn and Alberta. They have also criticized policies related to transgender and queer issues introduced by American President Donald Trump. The NDP were the first party with an openly queer MP and the first with an openly Two-Spirit MP.

The NDP has pledged to improve access to gender-affirming healthcare, with a statement reading that “make sure people can get the gender-affirming care they need, and work with trans and gender-diverse organizations and fight to combat gender-based and trans-based violence”.

The NDP platform for the 2025 federal election made few specific commitments on 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, but it did include a line stating that they "would take new steps to protect diversity in Canada, including supporting 2SLGBTQI+ communities who are increasingly subjected to hate and to violence"

Jonathan Pedneault, Elizabeth May and the Green Party of Canada

The Green Party of Canada is the only major federal political party with an openly queer (co-) leader. The Green Party was also the first (and only) party to have a non-binary person - Avi Kuttner as (interim) leader of the party.

As part of their published plans, the Green Party has pledged to “Stop the Hate”, fund community programs that address discrimination, protect LGBTQ2+ rights and access to gender-affirming healthcare.

In past statements, the previous Green Party Leader Avi Kuttner called for a strategy to end conversion practices following the passage of Canada’s conversion therapy ban, stable funding for trans and 2SLGBTQIA+ organizations, better healthcare access, stronger citizenship and immigrant policies for queer and trans people, and a strategy to combat anti-trans hate.

The Green Party of Canada platform includes the following commitments:

Establish safe and timely pathways to asylum for 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals fleeing gender-based or state-sponsored persecution.
Fully implement the 23 recommendations from the LGBT Purge Fund’s Emerging from the Purge report, ensuring justice and reparations for 2SLGBTQIA+ Canadians affected by state discrimination.
Improve access to justice by ending discriminatory policing practices and expanding trauma-informed, culturally safe legal supports for 2SLGBTQIA+ people, with a focus on survivors of state violence and hate crimes.
Strengthen federal employment equity programs to explicitly include gender identity and gender expression, and require federally funded employers to uphold non-discrimination standards for 2SLGBTQIA+ workers.
Strengthen enforcement of the federal ban on conversion therapy to ensure survivors have access to justice and support services.
Strengthen the federal census to accurately capture data on trans and non-binary Canadians, ensuring better policy decisions based on real demographic data.

Yves-François Blanchet and the Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Québécois has previously indicated “We have always been for LGBTQ rights and will continue to defend these rights”. Their caucus has voted in favour unanimously of recent legislation related to 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, including Canada’s conversion therapy ban and transgender human rights legislation.