Even before the polls opened, a record number of people – more than 7 million – had already cast their ballots in advance.

Here’s how election day is unfolding:

• The first polls opened at 07:00 EDT (12:00 BST) in Newfoundland and parts of Labrador earlier today. They will close at 19:00 EDT (00:00 BST)
• The next to follow were the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and the rest of Labrador. Polls here will close at 19:30 EDT (00:30 BST)
• Polls in Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and bits of British Columbia opened at 09:30 EDT (14:30 BST). Voters can cast their ballot until 21:30 EDT (02:30 BST)
• And finally, the rest of British Columbia and Yukon opened at 10:00 EDT (15:00 BST) for voting. These polls will close at 22:00 EDT (03:00 BST)
• Preliminary results will likely come in late on Monday night or early on Tuesday morning, local time
• The biggest sweep of polls close at 21:30 EDT, including in Ontario and Quebec. If the Conservatives or Liberals win big in the eastern part of the country, it is possible the election can be called earlier in the night

Robin Levinson King
Reporting from Toronto

During last year’s by-election in St Paul’s, Shirley Grossiand her husband Giancarlo Grossi were divided on who to vote for – theLiberals, who had ruled the riding for over 30 years, or theConservatives.

To the surprise of many, Conservative Don Stewart won the by-election. Now the couple want him to stayin parliament, and hope to see the Tories form the next government.

For Giancarlo, his support comes down to concerns about howthe Liberals have handled immigration.

“I just want change,” he says.

“We say we’re doing better but our services have diminished. If you’regoing to allow a lot of people in the country, you have to be ready for it.”

His wife Shirley says she’s worried about crime.

“I have this neighbourhood app and everyone’s complaining. Theycapture someone and the next day they’re out,” she says. “If you don’timplement tougher measures they’re just going to commit crimes.”

Crime, immigration, the economy – these are standard issues in anyelection. But this election, many Canadians say there is one big issue that hastrumped them all – US President Donald Trump and his threats and tariffsagainst Canada.

Giancarlo says Canadians should focus on what’s happening at home, not south of theborder.

“I think it (tensions with US) will pass,” he says.

And even if not: “Regardless of who’s in power, if Donald Trump doesn’t want to listento you, he won’t. There’s no logic.”

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Ottawa

Polls suggest Liberals are doing far better than expected in large part because anxious Canadians are shifting to the larger parties, fearing their vote might be wasted otherwise.

It’s certainly something we’ve been hearing in our conversations with voters.

Ian Wells, a 23-year-old student who plans to go into teaching, decided against voting for the smaller left leaning New Democratic Party. He says his priority now is “how best to stave off the conservatives”.

What’s happening in the US with the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump “horrifies him”, he says, referring to the judge who was arrested, and the way the administration has handled deportations and revoked foreign students’ visas.

He says he doesn’t want Canada going in that direction. “I don’t necessarily know for sure if Pierre Poilievre is that here, but he’s close enough to it that I don’t want to risk anything like that,” he explains.

As we’ve been reporting, today’s snap election in Canada is considered to be a referendum on almost 10 years of Liberal rule.

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats to the nation’s sovereignty have also cast a long shadow over Canadian politics over the last few months.

As voters head to the polls to choose their new leader, here is some BBC content to help you take a step back and look at the wider context and key issues that have come up in this election:

• Who’s who? BBC’s Toronto-based reporter Nadine Yousif looks at the candidates running in this election
• BBC reporter Ali Abbas Ahmadi travels to Nunavut – Canada’s largest federal district – where 40,000 inhabitants will be represented by one person in parliament, to see how people there might vote
• Our correspondents in China, India, Australia and elsewhere analyse why this election is being closely watched across the world
• And the BBC’s Environment Correspondent Matt McGrath looks at why Canada’s top candidates are talking up fossil fuels as climate slips down the country’s agenda

Ali Abbas Ahmadi
Reporting from Toronto

Outside a Toronto polling place, 50-year-old Noel D’Souza tellsme about his chief concerns going into this election.

“Crime is something that’s been on a lot of people’sminds,” he says.

Car thefts appear to be on the rise in the Greater Toronto Area,and D’Souza “doesn’t want it to become a big problem [in hisneighbourhood]”.

He adds that it is important to “make sure we make the mostof our economy”, and that the rising cost of living is making lifedifficult for many Canadians.

I thank him for speaking to me, and he smiles and replies:”Good luck to us all!”

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Ottawa

At the riding in Ottawa South, we also spoke to those votingConservative, including two elderly couples.

George Pires used to be a fan of Donald Trump, but no longer,and says he doesn’t take his threats seriously.

“That’s not going nowhere, Canada’s stronger than that,” heinsists.

Repeating Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre’s signatureline, he says the country needs “change” after three terms of Liberal rule.

Another man agrees. “The last elections, it’s been liberal, andthe country’s gone downhill,” he tells me after casting his vote.

It’s been a few hoursnow since the final polling stations opened in British Columbia and Yukon, meaningthat voting is now in full-swing across Canada.

Here’s a quick look atthe voting process has been playing out across the country.

Eloise Alanna
Reporting from Montreal

A young woman in Montreal, who identifies as “fiscallyconservative and socially liberal,” has voted for the Conservativesdespite long-standing support for the Liberals.

She says if her peers knew how she voted, she would be seen as”harsh and selfish” and fears facing repercussions.

Sitting on a park bench in the sunshine, she explains that herviews have shifted because she believes the country needs to “correctcourse” to better protect women’s rights.

“I’m pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ, and pro-immigration,” shesays, “but some of the views being imported into Canada are veryanti-woman.”

As a woman, she explains that she sees a “distain towardswomen which is chilling to the bone,” adding: “I don’t have hatredtowards that, I have fear.”

She argues the current government is not doing enough to upholdCanadian values, particularly on women’s rights, and says she is tired of theLiberal’s “smoke and mirrors, with nothing behind it.”

She also voices concern about the economic struggles faced byimmigrants, saying many are unable to send money home or access healthcare.”I want people to live the Canadian dream,” she says, “but weneed immigrants with compatible views.”

Ultimately, she says her decision is about cutting back onimmigration and foreign aid. “The Conservatives may not fix thingsovernight,” she says, “but they are the only ones who can give ushope.”

In Chambly, Quebec, Bloc Quebecois leader Yves-François Blanchet has cast his vote in today’s election.

He heads the Quebec-sovereigntist party that only runs candidates in the French-speaking province.

The 60-year-old became leader of the Bloc in 2019, but first got involved in politics in the 1980s as a member of the youth committee of the provincial Parti Québécois.

Nada Tawfik
Reporting from Ottawa

We’ve been speaking to a few voters who turned up shortly afterpolls opened in the Ottawa South riding. Several issues came up from healthcareand housing to the economy more broadly.

But among liberal voters, one overarching theme was the threatsfrom US President Donald Trump.

It’s the first time Vency Okoye is voting, and she said the lastfew months had decided her vote.

She describes Prime Minister Mark Carney as strong, confidentand fiscally responsible. “He has a PhD in economics and the man actually knowswhat he’s doing,” she tells me.

Friends Michelle and Claudia say it felt like Conservativeleader Pierre Poilievre was really in Trump’s corner until it became apolitical liability.

“It definitely felt very wishy washy and didn’t ring true forme,” Michelle says.

Another woman told me that it took the conservative leader “solong to say something against the country downstairs” that she felt it showedweakness.

Ali Abbas Ahmadi
Reporting from Toronto

I’m speaking to voters in the Scarborough-Agincourt riding onthe outskirts of Toronto.

Zhu Zhang, an engineer who has just cast his vote, tells me thatthe “deal with the United States” and immigration were his biggestconcerns.

“If the Conservatives win, they will bring some change -especially with criminals”, he says, emphasising that crime is a bigproblem in the Greater Toronto Area.

Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre just voted in Ottawawhere he is MP for Carleton, where 91 candidates are on the ballot.

Poilievre has represented the riding since 2004.

He was accompanied to the polling station by his wife Anaida.

Asya Robins
Live reporter

The snap election Canadians are voting in today was calledby Prime Minister Mark Carney after he took control of the Liberal Party,replacing his colleague, Justin Trudeau.

Here’s a quick look at what has happened so far today,following an electoral campaign dominated by US President Donald Trump’s claimsof Canada becoming a 51st US state, and tariffs on Canadian exportssouth of its border.

• Polls have now opened across all of Canada. Voting will continue throughout the day with the last polls scheduled to close at 22:00 EDT (03:00 BST)
• Roughly 7.3 million people – about a quarter of all eligible voters in the country – have already voted in advance polls, according to Elections Canada
• Earlier, US President Donald Trump urged Canadians to vote towards becoming “the cherished 51st State of the United States of America”, in a post on his Truth Social account
• In response,Conservative Party leader Pierre Poillievre told Trump to “stay out of our election”, adding thatCanada “will NEVER be the 51st state”
• And in an apparent reference to Trump, Liberal leader Mark Carney told Canadians that Canada decides “what happens here”

We’ll continue to bring you the latest developments throughout the day, so stick with us.

Polls in all Canadian provinces are open and we’re seeing images coming through of people waiting in queues to cast their votes.

Liberal leader Mark Carney tells Canadians that Canada decides”what happens here”, in what appears to be a reference to PresidentTrump, who repeated his calls for Canada to become the 51st US state in a post on Truth Social earlier today.

In a video posted on X, external, Carney tells the public to choose to be”united and strong” against the “crisis in the United States,”which he says doesn’t stop at Canadian borders.

He says the US can “become divided and weak, but this isCanada”.

Earlier, Carney’s opponent Pierre Poilievre also responded to Trump,which you can read in our previous post.

As we have just reported, US President Donald Trump has postedon social media, reiterating claims that he wants to make Canada the 51st stateof America.

In response, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre hastold Trump to “stay out of our election”.

Posting on X, external, Poilievre says the only people “who willdecide the future of Canada are Canadians at the ballot box.

“Canada will always be proud, sovereign and independent andwe will NEVER be the 51st state.”

He adds that Canadians can vote for change so they can “stand upto America”.

Poilievre was thefirst leader to respond to President Trump’s post- we will bring you the reaction from other partyleaders if we get them.

US President Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social account, external urging Canadians to vote towards becoming “the cherished 51st State of the United States of America”.

“Elect the man who has the strength and wisdom to cut your taxes in half, increase your military power, for free, to the highest level in the World, have your Car, Steel, Aluminum, Lumber, Energy, and all other businesses, QUADRUPLE in size, WITH ZERO TARIFFS OR TAXES,” he writes.

The US president calls to end an “artificially drawn line from many years ago”, adding: “Look how beautiful this land mass would be.”

He also says America “can no longer subsidize Canada with the Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year that we have been spending in the past” unless it is a US state.

Eloise Alanna
Reporting from Montreal

Bob Croskey was first inline this morning at La Maisonnette des Parents, a community centre inMontreal’s Little Italy currently serving as a polling station.

A retired historian originally from the UnitedStates, Bob is voting for the first time as a Canadian citizen.

Though he says heremains “fundamentally American,” with family roots there stretching back over200 years, he tells us he feels “deeply ashamed” of the United States today.

“It’s deeply depressing that we have a criminalelected president of the US,” he says.

Living in Canada, Bob says he feels “protected”and is “very glad and grateful” to the country for “taking me in.”

Polls are now open in the rest ofBritish Columbia, which will elect 43 MPs today and Yukon – one of Canada’s three northern territories – which has just one seat up for grabs.

That means across all of Canada right now, the country’s politicalfuture is now being decided.

We will continue to bring you the latest, stay with us.

There are six different time zones in Canada, and this meansthat polling stations across the country open at different times.

Polls have just opened in a third group of areas, spanning severalprovinces across three of those time zones.

Ontario -in Canada’s most southern province, there are 122 seats up for grabs.

Quebec -in the largely French-speaking province, there are 78 seats in the running.

Manitoba -14 seats are up for grabs in the central Canadian province.

Saskatchewan -there are 14 constituencies in this province, also in the centre of Canada.

British Columbia -in the western-most province of Canada, there are 43 seats available/

Nunavut -voting is taking place for one person to represent the territory that has apopulation of about 40,000 people.