Strong and Free Elections Act (S.C. 2026, c. 20)
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Assented to 2026-06-18
Strong and Free Elections Act
S.C. 2026, c. 20
Assented to 2026-06-18
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026
RECOMMENDATION
Her Excellency the Governor General recommends to the House of Commons the appropriation of public revenue under the circumstances, in the manner and for the purposes set out in a measure entitled “An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026”.
SUMMARY
This enactment amends the Canada Elections Act to, among other things,
(a) establish new prohibitions and modify existing prohibitions, including in relation to foreign influence in the electoral process, accepting or offering a bribe, unauthorized use of a computer, making or publishing false or misleading information respecting elections and the candidate nomination process;
(b) establish new prohibitions in relation to voting in a nomination contest or leadership contest;
(c) prohibit the acceptance or use of certain contributions by political entities and third parties, including from anonymous sources;
(d) provide for new requirements relating to political parties’ policies for the protection of personal information; and
(e) expand the scope of certain provisions relating to the administration and enforcement of that Act, including by increasing the maximum administrative monetary penalties that may be imposed for certain violations and by granting the Commissioner of Canada Elections certain powers in respect of any conspiracy or attempt to commit, or being an accessory after the fact or counselling in relation to, a contravention of that Act.
The enactment also enacts a statute to change the name of certain electoral districts as a result of proposals by the members of the House of Commons who represent those electoral districts.
His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
Short Title
Marginal note:Short title
1 This Act may be cited as the Strong and Free Elections Act.
PART 12000, c. 9Canada Elections Act
Amendments to the Act
2 Section 25 of the Canada Elections Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:List in Canada Gazette
25 Between the 1st and 20th days of January in each year, the Chief Electoral Officer shall publish a list in the Canada Gazette of the name, municipality, or its equivalent, and province of residence and occupation of the returning officer for each electoral district in Canada.
3 Section 71 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):
Marginal note:Contravention of section 92.3
(2.1) A nomination is not to be refused on the ground that an elector who signed the prospective candidate’s nomination paper contravened section 92.3.
4 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 92:
Marginal note:Conveying false or misleading information — nomination paper
92.1 No person or entity shall convey or cause to be conveyed false or misleading information to be included in a nomination paper.
Marginal note:Filing nomination paper — false or misleading information
92.2 No person who files a nomination paper under section 67 shall include false or misleading information in the nomination paper.
Marginal note:Signing multiple nomination papers
92.3 No person shall sign, for a given election, as an elector referred to in paragraph 66(1)(e) or (f), the nomination paper of more than one prospective candidate.
5 Subsection 93(1.1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Preliminary lists to parties
(1.1) The Chief Electoral Officer shall make available in electronic form or in formats that include electronic form, to each registered party or eligible party that requests them, the preliminary lists of electors for an electoral district in respect of which a writ has been issued if the party
(a) was represented in the House of Commons on the day before the day on which the writ was issued;
(b) endorsed a candidate in one of the last two elections in that electoral district; or
(c) endorsed candidates in at least two thirds of all electoral districts in the last general election.
Marginal note:Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act
(1.2) For the purposes of paragraph (1.1)(b), if the boundaries of an electoral district are revised or a new electoral district is established as a result of a representation order referred to in section 25 of the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act, a candidate who, in one of those last two elections, was endorsed in an electoral district that coincides with all or part of the revised electoral district or new electoral district is considered to have been endorsed in the revised or new electoral district.
5.1 Subsection 175(5) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Candidates may sign seals
(4.1) The candidates or their representatives may, when an advance polling station closes on each of the four days of advance polling, sign the seal on any ballot box that was used on that day.
Marginal note:Custody of ballot boxes
(5) Until the counting of the ballots on polling day, an election officer shall keep the sealed ballot box or boxes in their custody in accordance with the Chief Electoral Officer’s instructions. The election officer shall
(a) take every precaution to ensure the safekeeping of the sealed ballot box or boxes and to prevent any person from having unlawful access to the box or boxes; and
(b) if they deliver the custody of the sealed ballot box or boxes into the custody of another election officer, make a record that they have done so and ensure that the candidates are notified in writing.
6 The heading of Part 11.1 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Prohibitions in Relation to Voting at an Election
7 (1) Paragraph 281.7(1)(f) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(f) alter, deface or destroy a ballot, a special ballot, the initials of the election officer that are signed on a ballot or the number of the polling division or advance polling district that is marked on a ballot;
(2) Paragraph 281.7(1)(i) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(i) destroy, take, open or otherwise interfere with a ballot box, inner or outer envelope or book or packet of ballots or special ballots otherwise than as provided by this Act or by instructions of the Chief Electoral Officer.
8 (1) The portion of subsection 282.4(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Undue influence by foreigners
282.4 (1) No person or entity referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (d) shall unduly influence an elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election:
(2) Paragraph 282.4(1)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) a corporation or entity incorporated, formed or otherwise organized outside Canada if it does not carry on business in Canada or one of the primary activities that it carries on in Canada consists of doing anything to influence electors to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election;
(3) Subsection 282.4(1) of the Act is amended by adding “or” at the end of paragraph (c) and by replacing paragraphs (d) and (e) with the following:
(d) a foreign economic entity, a foreign entity, a foreign power or a foreign state, as those expressions are defined in subsection 2(1) of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act.
(4) The portion of subsection 282.4(2) of the Act before paragraph (b) is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Meaning of unduly influencing
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a person or entity unduly influences an elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election if
(a) they knowingly incur any expense to directly promote or oppose a candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party or the leader of a registered party or eligible party; or
(5) The portion of subsection 282.4(3) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Exceptions
(3) For greater certainty, subsection (1) does not apply if the only thing done by the person or entity to influence the elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for the particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, consists of
(6) Paragraph 282.4(3)(b) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) a statement by them that encourages the elector to vote or refrain from voting for any candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party in the election; or
(7) Subsection 282.4(5) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Selling advertising space
(5) No person or entity shall sell any advertising space to a person or entity to whom subsection (1) applies for the purpose of enabling that person or entity to transmit an election advertising message or partisan advertising message or to cause an election advertising message or partisan advertising message to be transmitted.
9 Section 282.7 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Offering bribe
282.7 (1) No person shall, directly or indirectly, offer a bribe to influence an elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election.
Marginal note:Accepting bribe
(2) No person shall accept or agree to accept a bribe that is offered to them to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election.
10 Subsection 330(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Prohibition — use of broadcasting station outside Canada
330 (1) No person shall, with intent to influence persons to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, nomination contestant, leadership contestant, registered party or eligible party, at an election, nomination contest or leadership contest, use a broadcasting station outside Canada, or aid, abet, counsel or procure the use of a broadcasting station outside Canada, for the broadcasting of any matter having reference to an election, nomination contest or leadership contest.
11 The portion of paragraph (a) of the definition third party in section 349 of the Act before subparagraph (i) is replaced by the following:
(a) in Divisions 0.1 and 0.2, a person or a group other than
12 The heading of Division 0.1 of Part 17 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Prohibitions in Relation to Foreign Property, Services and Funds
13 (1) The portion of the definition advertising in subsection 349.01(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:
- advertising
advertising means the transmission to the public by any means of an advertising message that promotes or opposes a registered party or eligible party or the election of a potential candidate, nomination contestant, leadership contestant, candidate or leader of a registered party or eligible party, otherwise than by taking a position on an issue with which any such party or person is associated. For greater certainty, it does not include
(2) The definition advertising in subsection 349.01(1) of the Act is amended by striking out “or” at the end of paragraph (e), by adding “or” at the end of paragraph (f) and by adding the following after paragraph (f):
(g) the making of telephone calls to persons only to encourage them to vote at a nomination contest or leadership contest. (publicité)
(3) Paragraph (b) of the definition foreign entity in subsection 349.01(1) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(b) a corporation or entity incorporated, formed or otherwise organized outside Canada if it does not carry on business in Canada or one of the primary activities that it carries on in Canada consists of doing anything to influence electors to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election;
(4) The definition foreign entity in subsection 349.01(1) of the Act is amended by adding “or” at the end of paragraph (c) and by replacing paragraphs (d) and (e) with the following:
(d) a foreign economic entity, a foreign entity, a foreign power or a foreign state, as those expressions are defined in subsection 2(1) of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act.
(5) The portion of paragraph 349.01(2)(b) of the Act before subparagraph (i) is replaced by the following:
(b) in relation to the election of a potential candidate, nomination contestant, leadership contestant, candidate or leader of a registered party or eligible party,
(6) Subparagraph 349.01(2)(b)(i) of the French version of the Act is replaced by the following:
(i) nommer le candidat potentiel, le candidat à l’investiture, le candidat à la direction, le candidat ou le chef de parti,
14 Section 349.02 of the Act is replaced by the following:
Marginal note:Definition of partisan activity
349.011 For the purposes of this Division, the definition partisan activity in section 349 also includes an activity that promotes or opposes a leadership contestant.
Marginal note:Prohibition — provision of property, services or funds
349.012 No foreign entity shall provide property or services or transfer funds to a third party for a partisan activity, for advertising, including election advertising and partisan advertising, or for an election survey.
Marginal note:Prohibition — circumventing prohibition under section 349.012
349.013 No foreign entity shall
(a) circumvent or attempt to circumvent the prohibition under section 349.012; or
(b) act in collusion with another person or entity for that purpose.
Marginal note:Prohibition — use of foreign property, services or funds
349.02 No third party shall use property, services or funds for a partisan activity, for advertising, including election advertising and partisan advertising, or for an election survey if the source of the property, services or funds is a foreign entity.
15 The Act is amended by adding the following after section 349.03:
DIVISION 0.2Prohibition on Accepting Certain Contributions
Marginal note:Prohibition — cryptoasset, money order or payment product
349.04 No third party shall accept a contribution made for partisan activity, partisan advertising, election advertising or election survey purposes that is in the form of
(a) a cryptoasset, namely a digital asset protected by cryptographic measures;
(b) a money order; or
(c) a prepaid payment product, namely a physical or electronic product that is or can be loaded with funds and that can be used to make withdrawals or purchase goods or services.
Marginal note:Return of cryptoasset, money order or payment product
349.05 If a third party receives a contribution referred to in section 349.04, the third party shall, within 30 days after becoming aware of the receipt of the contribution, take one of the following measures:
(a) return the contribution unused to the contributor;
(b) if it is not possible to return the contribution, destroy it unused;
(c) if it is not possible to return or destroy the contribution, convert it into money and pay the amount of it to the Chief Electoral Officer, who shall forward that amount to the Receiver General.
16 Subparagraph 349.4(2)(b)(i) of the Act is replaced by the following:
(i) it does not carry on business in Canada or one of the primary activities that it carries on in Canada during a pre-election period consists of doing anything to influence electors during that period to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at the following election, and
17 (1) Section 349.91 of the Act is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):
Marginal note:List of Canadian contributors
(2.1) If subsection 349.95(1) applies to the third party, the interim third-party expenses return shall include the following for each Canadian individual whose contributions of a total amount of more than $200 were used to pay for the regulated expenses under that subsection:
(a) their name and address;
(b) the amount of each contribution;
(c) a list of the property or services that was contributed; and
(d) the date each contribution was made.
(2) Paragraphs 349.91(4)(a) to (c) of the Act are replaced by the following:
(a) the amount of contributions for partisan activity, partisan advertising, election advertising or election survey purposes that were received during the period referred to in paragraph (1)(a);
(b) for each contributor who made contributions of a total amount of more than $200 for partisan activity, partisan advertising, election advertising or election survey purposes during the period referred to in paragraph (1)(a), their name and address and the amount and date of each contribution; and
(3) Subsection 349.91(7) of the Act is repealed.
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