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Every Keyword: riding (also called an "electoral district") in Canada has an Elections Canada office, which opens when any general election or Keyword: by-election is called. The returning officer for a riding works at the Elections Canada office along with the election workers who help plan, manage budgets and resources, revise electoral lists, and communicate with the public.

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When you work at an Elections Canada office, you work for the entire Keyword: election period (36 to 50 days before an election) between 7.5 to 12 hours a day, including weekends.
The number of days you work will depend on the job.

This office is a busy place during an election period and can at times be stressful. Election workers prepare everything people need to easily vote:

Spotlight on community relations officers

The Community Relations Officer Program is a key part of Elections Canada's outreach activities. Its goal is to provide information to assist electors who face barriers to registering and voting such as:

  • youth
  • First Nations people, Métis, Inuit
  • seniors
  • ethnocultural communities
  • electors with disabilities
  • electors who are homeless
  • official language minority electors

During each federal election, returning officers are asked to evaluate, within their electoral districts, the needs of these groups of electors. The returning officer decides on the appointment of the appropriate number of community relations officers to liaise with electors in these groups.

Community relations officers engage with electors to remove Keyword: barriers to registration and voting and improve knowledge and understanding of the election. Community relations officers share information on when, where and the ways to register and vote. They make voting as accessible as possible. To find out with which groups the community relations officer works in your community, call your Elections Canada office (during an election only).

As a result of COVID-19 safety and security measures, community relations officers will be working from home. No in-person events will be planned. Instead, Elections Canada will provide these officers with a suite of digital information products to be shared with key contacts from the target groups to disseminate to their members. They will also engage in phone contact with community leaders or use a virtual platform (Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp) to do so.

If you're interested in being a community relations officer, you need experience in building good community relationships and in working with different communities. You must know about the groups' customs, cultures and sensitivities and have established contacts with organizations that offer services to them.

How to apply

Check the Elections Canada Employment page, or reach out to your Elections Canada office (during an election only). Returning officers hire office staff both before and after the election is called.

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