Agent for former Conservative MP Wajid Khan pleads guilty under Elections Act
OTTAWA – The official agent for former Conservative MP Wajid Khan has been fined...
View ArticleExactly what’s holding up those Tory election reforms?
Van Loan's update on a long-standing promise to modernize elections
View ArticleConservative MP accuses Elections Canada investigators of ‘malice and contempt’
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s parliamentary secretary is demanding that Elections Canada put...
View ArticleCommons Speaker sends MP suspension question to committee
OTTAWA – Manitoba Conservative MP Shelly Glover has changed her mind and decided to...
View ArticleLittle accountability for millions spent by federal party riding associations
OTTAWA – Riding associations for federal political parties are sitting on nearly $30 million...
View ArticleElections Canada doesn’t have Quebec’s powers to dig up illegal financing
OTTAWA – Elections Canada says under its current powers it would not be able...
View ArticleQ&A: Canada’s top election official on voting, cheating and reforming
In this week’s Maclean’s I write about Marc Mayrand, Canada’s chief electoral officer. Mayrand...
View ArticleElections Canada sets up all-party advisory panel after spending controversies
OTTAWA – The head of Elections Canada has set up a new advisory panel...
View ArticleJudge lifts publication ban on witness names in robocalls investigation
OTTAWA – A judge has lifted a publication ban on the names of six...
View ArticleThe QP Clip: How does Poilievre define consultation?
Pierre Poilievre, the Democratic Reform Minister who has a curious running definition of democratic reform, plans to table legislation to amend the Elections Act. Whether or not he consulted with the...
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Electoral showdown: Pierre Poilievre vs. Marc Mayrand
“The fair elections act would keep everyday citizens in charge of democracy by putting special interests on the sidelines and rule-breakers out of the game altogether.” —Pierre Poilievre, the Minister...
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The sketch: Poilievre holds the future of our democracy in his hands
Pierre Poilievre. (Adrian Wyld, The Canadian Press) So it is that Pierre Poilievre, the precocious obfuscator, the baby-faced irritant, the talented politician who was elected at the age of 24 and who...
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Procedural wars: Fair Elections Act edition
Government House leader Peter Van Loan has now moved a time allocation motion for the Fair Elections Act—allotting three further days of debate at second reading. (How much debate should a bill have...
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The sketch: Is the Fair Elections Act a lesson in democracy?
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand It is not well and truly a fight until someone moves a concurrence motion. A day earlier the government side had provided the House of Commons with the necessary...
View ArticleIs there a spending loophole in the Fair Elections Act?
The Harper government’s proposed reforms to election law include the following exclusion to what is considered a campaign expense. 376(3) The commercial value of services provided to a registered party...
View ArticleThe cases for and against vouching
Among the more contested facets of the Fair Elections Act is its elimination of the “vouching” option, whereby anyone lacking the requisite proof of their current address can have a voter from the same...
View ArticleMarc Mayrand speaks up
As evidence against expanding the use of the voter information card, Conservative MP Scott Reid tabled the case of Scott Reid. It is the argument of the chief electoral officer, the mild-mannered but...
View ArticleHow would you like your electoral reform?
In addition to testifying yesterday, Marc Mayrand presented the Procedure and House Affairs committee with an itemized list of the changes he would like to see made to the Fair Elections Act, with...
View ArticleThe state of the Fair Elections Act debate
So to Marc Mayrand, Harry Neufeld, Preston Manning and assorted other critics of the Fair Elections Act, you can add 150 academics who have written an open letter to explain their concerns. For the...
View ArticleNDP MPs cleared on use of parliamentary resources in byelections
OTTAWA – Elections Canada says New Democrat MPs did nothing wrong when they used their free parliamentary mailing privileges to send partisan flyers into several ridings involved in byelection...
View ArticleKey director not consulted on Fair Elections Act
OTTAWA – The Harper government did not consult the director of public prosecutions about its controversial plan to put him in charge of the investigative arm of Elections Canada — a move that departs...
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Linda Frum vs. Elections Canada
Over Twitter last week, Bruce Anderson and Linda Frum got into a bit of a debate over the question of what role Elections Canada should play in increasing voter turnout. And this has attracted some...
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Knock, knock. Who’s there? Not the enumerators.
Shaun Best /Reuters Once upon a time, Canadians knew they were eligible to vote because a pair of enumerators showed up at their front door and put them on a list. If you weren’t home, they’d come back...
View ArticleGovernment refuses to reveal cost for splitting Elections Canada
OTTAWA – The Harper government is refusing to disclose how much it will cost taxpayers to separate the commissioner of elections from Elections Canada – a move Conservatives insisted upon even though...
View ArticleElections investigator feared operational woes over move
OTTAWA – Canada’s chief elections investigator pushed hard against moving his operations out of the same building as Elections Canada, fearing it would interfere with his ability to investigate...
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Five stories in Canada we’re watching
Universal History Archive/Getty Images SCOC TO ISSUE RULING IN CANDACE DERKSEN CASE The Supreme Court of Canada will issue a ruling today on whether to reinstate the murder conviction for a man accused...
View ArticleChief elections investigator protested move from Elections Canada building
OTTAWA – Canada’s chief elections investigator pushed hard against moving his operations out of the same building as Elections Canada, fearing it would interfere with his ability to investigate...
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The pros and cons of first past the post
OTTAWA — As part of his 32-point plan to “restore democracy,” Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that if elected, he would create a special, all-party parliamentary committee to study...
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Court refuses to stay federal voter ID rule
TORONTO — Suspending a single provision of the Conservative government’s new voter law with a federal election only months away at most is just too risky, an Ontario judge ruled Friday. In his 25-page...
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Riding analysis shows spending for longer campaign favours Tories
(THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Chartrand) OTTAWA – The imminent federal election campaign will see more money splashed around than ever before in Canada and the deep-pocketed Conservatives can claim a...
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Confusing vote rules for expats ‘ridiculous;’ Elections Canada denies blame
TORONTO — A long-term Canadian expat who cast a ballot last month for the Oct. 19 election should not have done so, Elections Canada said Thursday. Essentially, officials say, the local returning...
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What to expect when you’re electing: A voter’s election guide
Chris Young/CP 1. How to register If you were mailed a burgundy slip from Elections Canada with your name on it, you’re automatically registered to vote. If you think it disappeared in the recycling...
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Elections Canada reports higher voter turnout for advance polls this weekend
OTTAWA — The opening day of advance polls brought out a big increase in the number of voters casting ballots ahead of the Oct. 19 election. Elections Canada says it estimates some 850,000 people voted...
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More than 3.6 million voters cast ballots at advance polls
A woman examines her ballot card as she prepares to cast her vote for the federal election in a polling station on Toronto’s Ward Island on Monday, May 2, 2011. (Chris Young/CP) OTTAWA — More than 3.6...
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Why Canadians voted early — and in droves
Darryl Dyck/CP Actor Gordon Pinsent walked out of the Elections Canada office in downtown Toronto, Blue Jays cap in hand, without casting his ballot. “I was hoping to get in there, but it’s going to be...
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Five things you need to know before heading to the polls
(CP photo) 1. When can I vote? Polls are open for 12 hours across the country, with times staggered slightly to accommodate the country’s numerous time zones. The hours are as follows: Newfoundland:...
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Operation E-Day: Get out the vote
Justin Trudeau, Stephen Harper, Tom Mulcair. (CP;CP;REUTERS) OTTAWA — The longest and most expensive election campaign in modern Canadian history will be decided tonight when the last of the ballots...
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Google tells us you still have election questions
A worker at a polling station in Toronto’s Beaches–East York riding picks out a poster in preparation for the federal election on May 2, 2011 (Chris Young/CP) It’s election day and you still have...
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Elections watchdog: Long campaign caused delays
A voter enters a polling station for the Federal Election in Toronto, May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Mark Blinch OTTAWA – Elections Canada experienced some headaches dealing with the longest federal campaign in...
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Canada must reform its stunningly inadequate political advertising rules
Voters wait in line at a polling station in Quebec City, October 19, 2015. Canadians go to the polls in a federal election on Monday. (Mathieu Belanger/Reuters) Bruce Anderson has been a prominent...
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