Submission of the Special Recommendations Report of the Chief Electoral Officer: Protecting Against Threats to the Electoral Process

GATINEAU, QC, Nov. 4, 2024 /CNW/ -

• The Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, has submitted a special recommendations report to Parliament: Protecting Against Threats to the Electoral Process.
• The report proposes twenty-two recommendations aimed at strengthening existing safeguards and expanding provisions in the Canada Elections Act to further protect elections against foreign interference and maintain electors' trust in the electoral process.
• The report focuses on two areas of concern:
  – Social media, disinformation and democratic processes
  – Political entities, including nomination and leadership contests
• The recommendations seek to make the electoral process more resilient and more transparent.
• See the summary of the report for an overview of the Chief Electoral Officer's recommendations. Read the full report with the complete list of recommendations.
• Some of these recommendations are also included, in whole or in part, in Bill C-65 (An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act), which is currently before Parliament.
• The Chief Electoral Officer's last recommendations report, Meeting New Challenges: Recommendations from the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada following the 43rd and 44th General Elections, was published in June 2022. While it did not specifically address foreign influence, it included recommendations aimed at protecting the integrity of the electoral process from threats, including those from foreign sources.

"The topic of foreign interference is serious and complex. All actors involved in federal elections need do their part to confront this evolving challenge. The recommendations in this report represent part of Elections Canada's contribution to addressing the larger issues related to foreign interference."

—Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer

Elections Canada is an independent, non-partisan agency that reports directly to Parliament.

Subscribe to our news service at elections.ca.

SOURCE Elections Canada

Elections Canada Media Relations, [email protected]