DOMINIC LeBlanc, federal Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, on Wednesday introduced amendments to the Canada Elections Act (CEA) to enhance citizens’ participation and trust in Canada’s electoral process.

The amendments brought forward in Bill C-65, the Act to Amend the Elections Act build on the Government of Canada’s work to remove barriers to voting and encourage voter participation, better protect personal information, and further strengthen electoral protection measures, including against foreign interference.

The Bill seeks to enhance voter participation, including by:

• adding two additional days of advance voting;
• improving the process to vote by special ballot (i.e., vote by mail);
• making the “Vote on Campus” program permanent;
• offering dedicated, onsite voting for electors in long-term care;
• giving voters who require assistance, such as persons with disabilities, the choice of who may assist them when voting;
• ensuring that the fixed date election in 2025 does not conflict with Diwali by moving it to the following Monday;
• taking steps toward voting at any polling station in an elector’s riding;
• assessing the measures needed to move to an expanded “Election Day” to include three days of voting.

Safe and secure elections are essential to voter engagement and trust, the government said. The integrity of the electoral process will also be enhanced by changes to the CEA to help counter disinformation, the misuse of technologies, and foreign interference, including:

• ensuring that key protections against foreign interference are not limited to the election period;
• banning intentionally false or misleading statements about election activities or the voting process to disrupt an election or its results;
• prohibiting contributions through money orders, pre-paid gift cards and crypto-assets, whose source can be unknown or difficult to trace;
• introducing new third party contribution rules to increase transparency and mitigate dark or foreign funds from entering the system;
• clarifying that certain offences—such as impersonating a candidate or falsely claiming a document was issued under the authority of the Chief Electoral Officer—include the misuse of artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, or any other means.

The Government of Canada is also taking further steps to better ensure that Canadians can confidently engage in the electoral process knowing that their personal information is protected. Bill C-65 proposes new privacy policy requirements for federal political parties, and those acting on their behalf, including physical, organizational and technological safeguards, new disclosure requirements in the event of a breach, and enforcement measures under the administrative monetary penalties regime of the CEA.

The Government of Canada said it is committed to strengthening and protecting democratic institutions. The amendments to the CEA have been informed by recommendations from the Chief Electoral Officer and the Commissioner of Canada Elections following the 2019 and 2021 general elections, commitments outlined in the Supply and Confidence Agreement, as well as the evolving global and domestic context.

The government said that Canada’s democracy is among the strongest and most stable in the world. Regular review of and updates to the CEA help ensure that the fundamental legislative framework that regulates Canada’s electoral process continues to keep pace with the realities and challenges facing Canadian democracy.

LeBlanc said: “Canada has one of the strongest, most resilient democracies in the world. By making it easier for Canadians to vote and further cracking down on money from unknown or foreign sources, we are further strengthening it. Our government believes that a strong democracy begins with enabling all Canadians to freely exercise their fundamental right to choose their representatives – and we’ll always be there to defend that right.”