Bill C-65

Electoral Participation Act

An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act

Sponsor

Dominic LeBlanc  Liberal

Status

In committee (House), as of June 19, 2024

Subscribe to a feed (what's a feed?) of speeches and votes in the House related to Bill C-65.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament often publishes better independent summaries.

This enactment amends the Canada Elections Act to, among other things,
(a) provide for two additional days of advance polling;
(b) authorize returning officers to constitute polling divisions that consist of a single institution, or part of an institution, where seniors or persons with a disability reside and provide for the procedures for voting at polling stations in those polling divisions;
(c) update the process for voting by special ballot;
(d) provide for the establishment of offices for voting by special ballot at post-secondary educational institutions;
(e) provide for new requirements relating to political parties’ policies for the protection of personal information;
(f) establish new prohibitions and modify existing prohibitions, including in relation to foreign influence in the electoral process, the provision of false or misleading information respecting elections and the acceptance or use of certain contributions; and
(g) expand the scope of certain provisions relating to the administration and enforcement of that Act, including 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 provides that the Chief Electoral Officer must make a report on the measures that need to be taken to implement a three-day polling period, a report on the measures that need to be taken to enable electors to vote at any place in their polling station, a report on the feasibility of enabling electors to vote at any polling station in their electoral district and a report proposing a process for the determination of whether a political party has as one of its fundamental purposes the promotion of hatred against an identifiable group of persons.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from the Library of Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Votes

June 19, 2024 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act
June 19, 2024 Failed 2nd reading of Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (reasoned amendment)
June 17, 2024 Passed Time allocation for Bill C-65, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Oct. 31, 2024

  • Allen Sutherland, Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Machinery of Government, Privy Council Office
  • Rachel Pereira, Director, Democratic Institutions, Privy Council Office
  • Sara Bannerman, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Communication Policy and Governance, McMaster University, As an Individual
  • Jean-François Daoust, Professor, School of applied politics, Université de Sherbrooke, As an Individual
  • Holly Ann Garnett, Associate Professor, Royal Military College of Canada, As an Individual
  • Ryan Campbell, Board Member, Fair Vote Canada

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Nov. 5, 2024

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Nov. 7, 2024

  • Daniel Rogers, Director, Canadian Security Intelligence Service
  • Rachel Pereira, Director, Electoral and Senatorial Policy Unit, Privy Council Office

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Nov. 21, 2024

  • Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
  • Colin Bennett, Professor Emeritus and Associate Fellow, Department of Political Science, Centre for Global Studies, University of Victoria, As an Individual
  • Gerald Chipeur, Lawyer, As an Individual
  • Michael Pal, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
  • Alim Lila, Vice-Chair, Indo-Caribbean Canadian Association
  • Ayesha Khan, Management Board Member, Indo-Caribbean Canadian Association

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Nov. 26, 2024

Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Dec. 3, 2024

    Procedure and House Affairs Committee, on Dec. 5, 2024