Returning Officers Named for Federal Ridings

Summary#

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer published a list of the people appointed as returning officers for every federal electoral district. This list, prepared under the Canada Elections Act, was signed by Stéphane Perrault on December 22, 2023 and appeared in the Canada Gazette on January 13, 2024.

What it does#

• Publishes the name, address and occupation of each person appointed as a returning officer for each federal electoral district.
• Fulfills a requirement of the Canada Elections Act and follows the boundaries set by the 2013 Representation Order and related statutes (including the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act).
• Makes the official list publicly available in the Canada Gazette so people can see who is responsible for running elections in each district.

Who's affected#

• Returning officers and their offices (the people named on the list).
• Local election staff and election administrators who work with returning officers.
• Candidates, political parties and campaign teams who need to contact their local returning officer.
• Voters and local community groups who may want to know who manages voting and nominations in their district.
• Journalists, researchers and others who track election administration.

Why it matters#

Knowing who the returning officer is matters because that person runs the local administration of federal elections and by-elections. The public list makes it easier to find and contact the right official for questions about voting, candidate registration, polling places or election procedures. This is a routine but important transparency step in preparing for federal elections.