Mr. Speaker, I am certainly proud to rise on behalf of my constituents to speak to Bill C-25. I would like to mention at the beginning that I will be sharing my time with my esteemed colleague from Richmond—Arthabaska.
Today we are debating an important piece of legislation that is especially relevant to the democratic process that Canadians take part in during each federal election, which results in our having the true privilege and honour to serve in this place and represent them.
There are several aspects to the bill, and while my colleagues across party lines have spoken to different mechanisms within the legislation, I will be focusing on two that are of particular importance to me.
Before I do that, I want to be clear: This bill does have merits. Many of its provisions, which I think our shadow minister has already mentioned, are certainly welcome, and the bill deserves to be studied further at the committee stage of the process. I believe most of our colleagues here today would agree with that. They would also agree that trust in our democracy remains of the utmost importance to Canadians.
As parliamentarians, we all have a duty to uphold democracy and ensure the interests of Canadians are represented in that process. Democratic trust binds all actors within our federal elections, and that trust is earned. Some of the most important actors in our democratic processes are the voters, who cast their ballots in each election. They deserve the ability to trust that their will is reflected in the outcome of our elections in every constituency across this country, regardless of the result of each of those votes.
That brings me to the two most important points I would like to focus on today. First, there is the work done by Conservatives in mobilizing action to defend our democracy against the longest ballot committee movement. Second, there are the gaps that currently exist in protection from foreign interference, which have been allowed to persist over the last 11 years under the Liberal government.
While it is great to see the Liberals begin to take these concerns seriously, it is unfortunate that they have chosen to wait so long to bring any meaningful change forward. However, that is nothing new. As is commonly said, imitation is the greatest or sincerest form of flattery, and Conservatives are very proud to be making real change from the opposition benches to ensure better government and better democracy in this country.
As the member of Parliament for Brandon—Souris, I have heard the concerns of my constituents. Both during and following last year's federal election, I heard loud and clear that the actions of the so-called longest ballot committee significantly impacted the ability of many Canadians to cast their ballot. Any action that is deliberately confusing or attempts to discourage voters and that creates unnecessary burdens for the staff at Elections Canada, who in many cases come out of retirement just to work on our election days, does not serve the best interests of our democratic system. This was an absolutely unacceptable act to voters, to my constituents back at home, and I heard that at door after door.
In fact, those efforts created barriers, particularly for some of the most vulnerable in our society, or seniors and individuals with disabilities, which my constituents found exceptionally distasteful. Canadians need to be able to trust in our system, but they are right to question why loopholes in the Canada Elections Act allow groups to intentionally disrupt the voter process in the first place.
In July 2025, the leader of the official opposition, who has been the target of several campaigns by the longest ballot committee, and our shadow minister for democratic reform wrote a letter to the Liberal government demanding the rapid implementation of legislation and that priority should be placed on this by the government to protect Canadian federal elections from these tactics.
This is why, in October 2025, I was proud to table a petition to Parliament in response to the actions of the longest ballot committee. My petition received hundreds of signatures from Canadians who supported calling on the Government of Canada to amend the Canada Elections Act to prohibit an individual from serving as the official agent for more than one candidate in a federal election.
There were further deliberations, which I was proud to take part of as a member of the procedure and House affairs committee, that resulted in a report with seven or eight recommendations to the government to take action, and we are pleased to see that many of them are reflected in this bill. We are pleased that Bill C-25 would adopt some of our ideas and partially reflect the concerns of the petitioners who took time out of their busy schedules to respond to the need for change in this area.
Conservatives have pushed for simple measures like this, which are very clear in their purpose, that would ensure that trust remains a cornerstone of any general election or by-election that takes place in Canada. Conservatives have repeatedly called on the Liberal government to get serious, and finally, in Bill C-25, we have forced the Liberals to produce a piece of legislation in the House that seeks to significantly change the Canada Elections Act. Some of those changes are close to what Conservatives have called for. Other changes in this bill would have significant impacts on administrative monetary penalties in the act and the suggested powers granted to the commissioner of Canada elections. These are among several other changes that need careful consideration and study, so we believe strongly in sending this bill to committee for the in-depth analysis that that part of our legislative process allows.
However, what I find most troubling about where we are now is the fact that four federal by-elections have taken place since the federal election last year and, in these by-elections, Canadians voted under the pressures of the longest ballot committee, most recently in the riding of Terrebonne earlier this week. The Liberals want to pat themselves on the back for tabling this legislation, but Canadians are right to question why, despite warnings from Conservatives, the Chief Electoral Officer and others, who gave recommendations to prevent this type of disruption all the way back in 2024, it took so long to see legislation developed and debated. It was just a few weeks ago. There will be more to say regarding this at committee.
Now, I will transition my comments to the foreign interference part of this piece of legislation. Canadians expect their governments to act in the face of all threats to our democracy, whether they be foreign or domestic, in a rapid and decisive manner. This brings me to my second point. While I have concerns with the actions of the Canadians who choose to protest through the longest ballot committee, I also have concerns with the lack of action to combat foreign entities who would seek to influence the outcomes of our election. This meddling by foreign actors in Canadian elections is a pervasive threat to Canada's democracy. These threats are real, and we know where they come from.
The Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions was before my time, before I was elected to this place, but I want to thank Commissioner Hogue for her diligence and efforts. The commissioner found that “foreign states are trying to interfere in our democratic institutions, including electoral processes.” She expressed serious concerns with foreign interference in the nomination race for a former member for Don Valley North in 2019, and significant events have taken place in the years since.
Bill C-25 would take steps to address these election interference gaps, such as prohibiting undue influence by foreigners related to electors' voting, refraining from voting or voting for a specific candidate, party or election. It would also touch on pieces of third-party finance with relation to funds coming from foreign actors.
I would recognize that, after questioning from the member for St. Albert—Sturgeon River, the minister responsible did take it under consideration that the bill would allow a 10% financing gap, and he committed to studying at committee that some of those provisions should be removed from the process or at least looked into at the committee stage. We look forward to the minister's following through on that process.
Regardless of the Liberals' failures on this file so far, I am encouraged that the bill has come forward. I am very much looking forward, as a member of the procedure and House affairs committee, to discussing this bill in depth at committee.
Through this legislation, I am hopeful that Canada and Canadians could finally take actions that Conservatives have been recommending for some time, which we know are in the best interests of supporting and defending this democratic institution and the process that gets members elected here, to ensure Canadians can have the confidence and the trust in our institutions they deserve. That is their right. That is why I am very glad to support this bill's moving forward to the committee stage.
