A voter walks past a sign directing voters to a polling station for the Canadian federal election in Cremona, Alta., Oct. 19, 2015.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
The federal government introduced new legislation Monday aimed at curbing foreign interference in Canadian elections, but is leaving Parliament with a tight schedule for passing the bill in time for the 2019 campaign.
Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act, introduces the concept of a “pre-writ” period with spending limits and disclosure rules for political parties and interest groups – an effort to address the fact that Canada’s move to fixed election dates has effectively prolonged the length of campaigns.
It also requires political parties to have a privacy policy that meets certain criteria before they can be registered by Elections Canada.
The proposed restrictions on partisan advertising come as new numbers show the federal Conservatives fundraised almost twice as much as the Liberals during the first three months of 2018.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he wants the changes in place for the next election, which is scheduled for Oct. 21, 2019.
“We know that the protection of our electoral system is absolutely essential, and over the years we have seen new threats and new challenges appearing that may affect the integrity of our electoral system,” he told reporters at an event in Vancouver on Monday. “We’re very proud to be able to modify the electoral system and create one that is more reliable.”
The government’s timeline places considerable pressure on the House of Commons and the Senate, given that Elections Canada’s acting chief electoral officer warned last week that the window is closing quickly for Parliament to pass legislative changes in time for the next election.
The legislation announced Monday includes all the measures introduced in November, 2016, as Bill C-33, a series of Canada Elections Act changes that were never put forward for parliamentary debate.
That legislation was primarily aimed at reversing controversial measures passed in 2014 by the previous, Conservative government in a bill called the Fair Elections Act. That bill limited Elections Canada’s work to increase voter turnout and added new voter identification requirements. All those provisions would be removed under Bill C-33 and the new bill.
Opposition MPs asked how Parliament will have enough time to make changes responsibly before the 2019 election.
“What a scenario for making mistakes – important mistakes – as to who governs this country,” NDP democratic reform critic Nathan Cullen told reporters before the bill was tabled.
Meanwhile, Conservative democratic institutions critic Blake Richards called for an update on any continuing investigations into foreign influence during the 2015 election.
Members of the House of Commons Procedure and House Affairs committee have met regularly with Elections Canada since the 2015 election to discuss additional options for legal changes. The committee issued a June, 2017, report responding to specific recommendations put forward in 2016 by Canada’s chief electoral officer.
The new government bill includes measures that touch on many of the issues raised by the chief electoral officer and the Procedure and House Affairs committee.
A spokesperson for Elections Canada declined to provide an immediate comment on the new bill.
During a committee appearance last week, acting chief electoral officer Stéphane Perrault was asked whether the window is now closing on any new legislative measures as part of the 2019 election plan.
“Obviously, our preference would have been for the legislation to have been introduced much earlier and passed at this point,” he told MPs. “There is still time, but time is ticking.”
The new legislation aims to address international concerns that foreign or unknown interests are able to influence elections by surreptitiously funding ads or “fake news” online through advertising on Facebook or other social media platforms.
The bill would eliminate the current spending limit of $500 on election spending by foreign entities. Organizations selling advertising space, including social media companies, will be prevented from knowingly accepting election ads from foreign entities. The legislation also includes new language aimed at preventing the publishing of false statements.
The bill would limit the federal campaign period to a maximum of 50 days. The pre-writ period would begin on June 30 of a fixed-date election year.
With a report from The Canadian Press
Bill Curry
Laura Stone