The legislation, announced Thursday, also includes a ban on digital deepfakes of candidates, as well as other continuing measures to protect electors from unlawful attempts to influence their votes.ETHAN CAIRNS/The Canadian Press
The federal government has proposed amendments to the Canada Elections Act that will take aim at protest movements that load election ballots with dozens of names.
Bill C-25, the Strong and Free Elections Act, targets such long-ballot activism by limiting electors to signing one nomination form per candidate. Also, the bill will limit official agents to serving only one candidate.
Government House Leader Steven MacKinnon told a news conference in Ottawa on Thursday that Parliament has found the efforts of activists using the tactic to be “harassing behaviour.”
“I understand that they have a message they want to put forward,” he said.
But he said the results of those efforts are complicating the electoral process, and making the work of Elections Canada difficult.
“Citizens do not like this. Elections Canada does not like this. And there are other ways to put forward the message that they, I think, want to communicate,” he said.
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The Longest Ballot Committee, which says election rules should be created by a citizens’ assembly, not politicians, has said it will target the April federal by-election in Terrebonne, Que.
Ahead of the March 23 nomination deadline, a spokesperson for the group said they were out collecting nominations for Terrebonne.
Mr. MacKinnon said he does not expect the new amendments to become law before voters go to the polls in Terrebonne and two other ridings – University-Rosedale and Scarborough Southwest, both in Toronto.
He noted that several events had delayed government action on the matter, including a public inquiry on foreign interference in the election process that produced a report a year ago, as well as the federal election in April, 2025. The process also incorporated reflections of the Chief Electoral Officer and consultations with political parties, he said.
“I think this is actually a very, very quick turnaround if you look back over the history of responding to the advancements we try to make, and improvements we try and make as we learn after every election,” he said.
But Mr. MacKinnon rejected the idea that the by-elections would be vulnerable to democratic interference.
“The capacity that we have is capacity that does operate during by-elections,” he said.
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Referring to the amendments, he said, “We are now proposing to extend that.”
The Longest Ballot Committee previously protested other races such as the Battle River-Crowfoot by-election in Alberta last summer, which Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre won after losing his Ottawa-area riding in the general election.
The legislation, announced Thursday, also includes a ban on digital deepfakes of candidates, as well as other continuing measures to protect electors from unlawful attempts to influence their votes.
The government is proposing to invest $31.5-million over five years to enhance the ability of the Rapid Response Mechanism of Global Affairs Canada to respond to foreign information threats.
Under the proposed legislation, federal political parties will also have to incorporate new measures to bolster their privacy policies, and the home addresses of returning officers will no longer be published by the Canada Gazette.
Mr. MacKinnon thanked the opposition, saying he had worked with them to ensure as great a consensus as possible on the bill and the measures.
“I do believe that amendments to the Elections Act should be the subject of not, maybe total agreement, on every word, but a consensus on principles and a consensus generally speaking on measures to move forward,” he said.
Conservative MP and democratic-reform critic Michael Cooper said in a statement that the Liberal government has waited too long to act on threats to the integrity and safety of elections.
He said the Conservatives will carefully review the bill to ensure it protects democracy without treading on Canadians’ rights.
Meanwhile, Bloc Québécois House Leader Christine Normandin said she welcomed the time to analyze the proposed legislation.
She said the Commons committee on procedure and house affairs, of which she is co-chair, examined the longest-ballot issue, and the legislation is consistent with its views.
“We were all aimed at the same target, making sure that democracy is upheld,” she said.