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Tough Limits on Foreign Election Influence

An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026

Summary

  • Tightens election integrity by banning foreign entities from providing property, services, or funds to third parties for partisan activities or election surveys, prohibiting circumvention and collusion, and restricting use of foreign broadcasting to influence contests.
  • Cracks down on misinformation and deepfakes with new offences for false statements about voting processes, impersonation via AI-generated images/voices, misleading publications, and unauthorized computer use intended to affect election results.
  • Bans political and third‑party contributions in the form of cryptoassets, money orders, and prepaid payment products, and requires prompt return/destruction or remittance if received; strengthens penalties and investigative powers, and lets the Commissioner institute prosecutions.
  • Requires registered parties to maintain privacy policies that meet statutory standards, recognizes security-related expenses, adjusts access to preliminary elector lists, and streamlines certain publications to protect safety.
  • Applies key prohibitions inside and outside Canada and enacts riding name changes across several provinces.

Builder Assessment

Vote Yes

The bill materially strengthens election integrity, combats foreign interference and disinformation, and improves enforcement efficiency—foundational to a stable investment climate and public trust. While it adds compliance steps for parties and third parties, the burden is targeted and can be mitigated with clear guidance and risk‑based administration.

  • Aligns with safety and security by addressing deepfakes, bribery, foreign funding, and cross‑border manipulation.
  • Improves institutional efficiency via clearer offences, scalable penalties, enhanced investigative powers, and streamlined prosecutions.
  • Potential overreach risks include burdens on small civil‑society groups and donors; mitigate with de minimis thresholds, standardized templates, and timely guidance.
  • Consider narrowly tailored safe harbours for good‑faith errors and rapid correction mechanisms to avoid chilling legitimate discourse while maintaining strong deterrence.
  • Maintain strict foreign‑influence barriers while simplifying compliance steps (e.g., pre‑approved refund workflows) to reduce friction without weakening protections.

Question Period Cards

How will the new requirement that third parties fund regulated expenses only from Canadian individuals—and the 10% own‑funds threshold—avoid chilling legitimate policy advocacy by charities and small community groups, and will the government publish clear, plain‑language guidance before the next writ?

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What safeguards ensure the new bans on cryptoasset, money order, and prepaid product contributions do not unintentionally exclude unbanked Canadians or create refund delays, and what alternative compliant methods will be standardized across campaigns and third parties?

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Given the expanded offences on false statements and impersonation, what thresholds, safe harbours, and timelines will Elections Canada use to distinguish bad‑faith disinformation from good‑faith errors or satire, to protect freedom of expression while enforcing the law quickly and fairly?

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Principles Analysis

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Canada should aim to be the world's most prosperous country.

Primarily an election integrity and security bill; any prosperity impact is indirect via institutional stability and investor confidence.

✗

Promote economic freedom, ambition, and breaking from bureaucratic inertia (reduce red tape).

Introduces new compliance duties (e.g., privacy policies, contribution handling, GAAP statements for certain third parties) and new restrictions on third‑party financing and contribution forms, adding procedural burden.

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Drive national productivity and global competitiveness.

Does not target productivity directly; any benefit is through safeguarding democratic processes rather than economic competitiveness levers.

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Grow exports of Canadian products and resources.

No trade, market access, or export development measures.

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Encourage investment, innovation, and resource development.

Election security can support investment climate, but bans on crypto contributions and tighter third‑party rules do not materially affect business innovation or development policy.

✓

Deliver better public services at lower cost (government efficiency).

Clarifies offences, scales administrative monetary penalties to harm, enhances investigative powers, enables direct prosecutions by the Commissioner, and formalizes cooperation with national‑security agencies—streamlining enforcement and deterrence.

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Reform taxes to incentivize work, risk-taking, and innovation.

No tax measures.

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Focus on large-scale prosperity, not incrementalism.

Scope is electoral integrity rather than broad economic transformation.

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C-25

PartyMinister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
StatusAt second reading in the House of Commons
Last updatedN/A
TopicsNational Security, Criminal Justice, Technology and Innovation, Foreign Affairs, Indigenous Affairs
Parliament45