No voter information cards for upcoming B.C. byelection due to Canada Post strike

Elections Canada says it will not be sending out voter information cards for an upcoming federal byelection in B.C.'s Lower Mainland due to an ongoing strike by postal workers.

The byelection in the Cloverdale-Langley City riding is scheduled for Dec. 16, and was called after former Liberal MP John Aldag resigned to run for the provincial NDP in the 2024 election.

Two weeks before the byelection, the federal elections body is encouraging thousands of voters to check its website as they will not be receiving voter information cards in the mail.

More than 55,000 postal workers walked off the job on Nov. 15, halting deliveries of letters and packages. As of Monday evening, no deal had been reached between the Canadian Union of Postal Workers and the Crown corporation.

Elections Canada said in a statement on Monday that voters have until Dec. 10 to get registered or update their address before election day.

"Electors can also register or update their registration when they go to vote at their advance or election day polling station," the authority said.

The postal workers' union and Canada Post were not immediately available to comment. 

The byelection for the federal seat is the 11th such campaign since the 2021 federal election.

Cloverdale-Langley City covers an area of Surrey, B.C., as well as the entire City of Langley. The 2021 census showed there were around 130,000 residents there.

Campaigns in Cloverdale-Langley City have been closely fought during the previous two elections, with Aldag losing by fewer than 1,500 votes in 2019 to the federal Conservatives, and winning by about 1,650 votes in 2021.

Six candidates are running for the seat, according to Elections Canada. The Liberals are represented by Madison Fleischer, a local business owner who recently faced questions over her claims to Métis heritage.

The federal Conservatives hope to retake the riding with their candidate Tamara Jansen, a former MP who previously held the seat from 2019 to 2021. 

The New Democratic Party, Green Party, Libertarian Party and People's Party are also running candidates in the seat.

Elections Canada says there will be four advanced voting days — from Dec. 6 to 9 — at assigned polling stations in the Cloverdale-Langley City district. Registered voters can also cast a ballot at the Elections Canada office between now and Dec. 10.