Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon announced several measures meant to “maintain the strength and resilience of Canada’s electoral system.
MacKinnon introduced the Strong and Free Elections Act, which would address recommendations from the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (PIFI), as well as those from the chief electoral officer and the commissioner of Canada Elections.
MacKinnon said, “these targeted amendments will further strengthen and secure Canada’s federal elections.”
“The Canada Elections Act is renowned for its elections safeguards, robust political financial rules and transparency requirements. Part of its strength comes from regular updates and incremental improvements,” he said.
“Canada’s elections belong to Canadians. Outside money, influence and threats have no place in them,” MacKinnon said at a news conference on Parliament Hill Thursday afternoon.
MacKinnon also stressed that the new measures will “reinforce Canada’s commitment to free and fair elections and to maintaining public confidence in Canada’s democratic institutions.”
The bill would extend existing election protections beyond the campaign period itself, making them effective year-round.
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The government says this would include the extension of rules forbidding foreign people or organizations from improperly influencing someone’s vote, as well as bans on offering or accepting bribes to influence a vote.
The bill also would make it illegal to knowingly spread false or misleading information about election activities or the voting process with the intent to disrupt an election or affect the outcome.
The new bill also would introduce new privacy policy requirements for federal political parties.
The government says the bill would ban sophisticated video deepfakes of candidates intended to mislead Canadians.
The legislation also takes aim at long ballots, which have become a controversial feature in recent years, as a protest group trying to lobby against Canada’s first-past-the-post system flooded the ballot in specific ridings with dozens of independent candidates.
Under the new legislation, voters would be permitted to sign only one candidate nomination paper, and each candidate would be required to have a unique official agent.
The legislation also includes measures on political financing. Political parties and third parties would be prohibited from accepting donations in forms that are difficult to trace, such as cryptocurrency, money orders and prepaid cards.
The bill also would bring new muscle to enforcement of the Canada Elections Act.
The maximum amount for administrative fines would increase to $25,000 from $1,500 for an individual, and to $100,000 from $5,000 for organizations.
MacKinnon also announced that the government will invest $31.5 million over five years to enhance the capacity of Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism and “strengthen its ability to detect and respond to foreign information threats that aim to harm Canadian interests at all times.”
–with files from The Canadian Press
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