Photo: Sebastian Kasten · CC BY-SA 3.0Only 34% of electors voted in Nunavut in 2021, fewer than in 99% of Canada’s ridings
Iqaluit is a city by Statistics Canada’s count of municipalities. Who leads Iqaluit’s council isn’t on an open record: there’s no open list of councils in Nunavut. The riding (a federal electoral district, which elects one MP) covering Iqaluit is Nunavut, and Lori Idlout (Liberal Party of Canada) represents it in the House of Commons. No provincial riding is named for Iqaluit, as no open boundary file exists for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut that we could find.
What stands out in how Iqaluit is governed
A close federal race
In 2021 the winner in Nunavut led the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada) by 11.8 points, a closer finish than in 69% of Canada’s 338 ridings. How Iqaluit has voted ↓
Low federal turnout
At the 2021 federal election, 99% of the country’s ridings out-voted Nunavut. The 2021 turnout ↓
Compared with the province’s municipalities of 1,000+ residents (2021 Census; MAMH, MMAH and Statistics Canada).
Three governments, and who does what
Iqaluit, a city in Nunavut, shares the work with the province and Ottawa.
Local services, by-laws and property tax.
Schools, health care, highways, municipal law.
assembly.nu.ca ↗Passports, pensions, EI, defence, immigration.
ourcommons.ca ↗Who to ask
Green: municipal. Gold: provincial. Grey: federal.
No county or regional government sits above Iqaluit’s council; Qikiqtaaluk is only a census division, a unit for statistics.
From the council table to Ottawa
Every elected tier that speaks for Iqaluit, from the most recent elections.
- 1Iqaluit councilCity
- 2Legislative Assembly of Nunavut–
- 3House of CommonsNunavut
Party colours are neutral on purpose: they tell parties apart and aren’t the parties’ own. MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada
When Iqaluit votes
The last and next general elections at each level; a by-election can come in between.
| Election | Last | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Iqaluit council | 23 October 2023 | – |
| Legislative Assembly of Nunavut | 27 October 2025 | – |
| House of Commons | 28 April 2025 | – |
Provincially the last general election was on 27 October 2025, for the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut; federally, on 28 April 2025. Municipal elections in Nunavut were last held on 23 October 2023. Why not 2025? Elections Canada publishes those counts under non-commercial terms, and its open data stop at the 2021 election.
Election dates: the legislatures, MMAH and MAMH
The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut: riding not placed
Provinces and territories run schools, health care and municipal law; each riding elects one MLA.
Find your MLA on the legislature’s site
assembly.nu.ca ↗Legislatures: their own member pages
Lori Idlout represents Nunavut in Ottawa
Each riding elects one MP to the House of Commons; the general election of 28 April 2025 chose the 45th Parliament.
Nunavut · Liberal Party of Canada · member since 11 March 2026 · first elected 2021
en.wikipedia.org ↗- Liberal Party of Canada1
As Wikidata records them.
Lori Idlout’s party, the Liberal Party of Canada, has 1 of the 1 seats from Nunavut.
The MP’s record
Elections Canada’s transposition of the 2021 vote onto today’s Nunavut gives the New Democratic Party 48%, a lead of 11.8 points over the runner-up (Liberal Party of Canada). The current Parliament is Lori Idlout’s 2nd, counting from a first win in 2021. Elected under the New Democratic Party banner in 2025, Lori Idlout crossed the floor to the Liberal Party of Canada on 11 March 2026.
MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026
Nunavut stayed with the New Democratic Party in 2021, electing Lori Idlout
These are the 2019 and 2021 results on the 2013 map of Nunavut; its boundaries changed for the 2025 election.
41% had won it for Mumilaaq Qaqqaq (New Democratic Party) in 2019. 849 votes separated Lori Idlout (New Democratic Party) from Pat Angnakak (Liberal Party of Canada) in Nunavut in 2021, when the winner took 48%.
All 3 candidates in Nunavut, 2021
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lori Idlout | New Democratic Party | 3,427 | 47.7% |
| Pat Angnakak | Liberal Party of Canada | 2,578 | 35.9% |
| Laura Mackenzie | Conservative Party of Canada | 1,184 | 16.5% |
Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Having a say in how Iqaluit is run
Check or update the federal list.
elections.ca ↗Every MP lists an office.
ourcommons.ca ↗Ridings, registration and voting dates.
elections.nu.ca ↗What this data can and can’t tell you
- Not on this page. The open lists stop short of party labels, council budgets and band councils, so those are missing here.
- Election results. Two maps are in play: the 2013 ridings, on which 2019 and 2021 were counted, and the 2023 ridings, onto which Elections Canada transposed the 2021 vote poll by poll.
- Which riding. A riding is listed when 5% or more of the place’s 2021 Census residents live in it; the largest share comes first.
- Who holds each seat. Wikidata, edited by volunteers, is the source for each MP, and it can trail a change of seat by a little.
Questions about how Iqaluit is run
Who is the MP for Iqaluit?
For Iqaluit, it’s Lori Idlout (Liberal Party of Canada), who holds Nunavut.
Which party won Iqaluit in the 2021 federal election?
The New Democratic Party: Lori Idlout won Nunavut in 2021 and still holds it.
Who is the MLA for Iqaluit?
Use the Legislative Assembly of Nunavut’s own list: every MLA is there by riding, though Iqaluit isn’t placed in one here.
Who heads the council in Iqaluit?
Iqaluit is a city; its own website or the province’s municipal directory names the head of council.
Sources: MPs: Wikidata (CC0), 45th Parliament statements, read 7 November 2026; ridings: 2023 Representation Order, Statistics Canada · Municipality types: Statistics Canada census subdivisions · Federal results: Elections Canada, 43rd and 44th general elections and the 44th’s transposition to the 2023 ridings, via open.canada.ca. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada · MPs’ records: Wikidata (CC0), positions held and party memberships, read 8 November 2026. Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.
Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).