Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to participate in today's debate on Bill C‑25. During this debate, we have heard a number of interesting, enlightening and constructive speeches from all parties in the House.
This is a very important bill for ensuring that Canadians continue to trust in our democracy. This bill seeks to protect our elections and our rights, and I am proud to speak to it.
The integrity of our electoral system is based on clear, transparent rules that are adapted to the realities of our time. We have had to evolve and adapt to today's technologies, given the changes that have taken place in terms of communications, legislation and so on.
Trust in democracy is very important. For me, this concept is at the heart of our democracy. Democracy is built on trust between citizens and elected representatives. During election campaigns, when we meet with Canadians, we tell them about our policies and those of our party, and we listen to them in order to strengthen our democracy. Our role as members of Parliament is to be the voice of our constituents and stand up for them.
Even before an election, candidates also have a responsibility to present their values, their vision and their commitment to citizens and Canadians. That is what Bill C‑25 is doing.
I believe that democratic dialogue is essential. Fundraising is also a big part of the electoral process. Several MPs have raised issues directly related to the political party financing. It is good to innovate, improve practices and exercise greater caution when it comes to political financing. However, without rigorous oversight, this can open the door to undue influence. We must therefore protect ourselves against foreign interference, particularly with respect to anonymous funding and money that is difficult to trace, such as cryptocurrencies. Unregistered lobby groups are also an issue.
Historically, we have taken steps to protect our democracy. Since the 1970s, the Canada Elections Act has evolved in order to strengthen the integrity of political financing. Since then, important steps have been taken, notably in 2003 when a cap was put on political contributions, priority was given to individual contributions and restrictions were put on the role of corporations and unions. Today, Canadian citizens can make contributions to political parties, but corporations cannot. In 2006, another significant change was whereby only Canadian citizens and permanent residents are allowed to make contributions. These reforms have provided strong protection for our democracy.
Why do we need Bill C‑25? Its purpose is to modernize everything I just explained. It creates rules to deal with new threats that did not exist before. Since I first arrived in the House in 2015, we have seen the growth of fake news and everything else we have now that did not exist back then.
In particular, the bill tackles third-party financing and foreign sources. Several members talked about foreign interference in their speeches and questions today. We are getting more and more concerned about interference by foreign countries. Anonymous contributions can be difficult to detect when things like cryptocurrency, which I talked about earlier, and prepaid cards are used.
Regulations for third parties are essential too. Third parties play an active role in electoral debates even though they themselves are not candidates. The point is that their financing must be just as transparent as political party financing.
Regulating third parties is also very important. They actively participate in election debates without being candidates themselves. It is essential that their funding be as transparent as that of political parties. The bill emphasizes this point. It ensures that only Canadian citizens and permanent residents can make contributions. Contributions from corporations, unions, and associations are prohibited. There is also an obligation to disclose the source of funds and to file financial statements. When you get into politics, you quickly learn that when you run an election campaign with an official agent and a campaign manager, you have to be squeaky clean. You must be transparent. The sources of donations must be carefully verified.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers and official agents who support all the candidates in every riding across Canada. They do an outstanding job and incredible work for our democracy. They apply the law to ensure transparency with respect to contributions and ensure sound financial management during election campaigns. Candidates are required to submit their financial statements, which ensures transparency and fairness for everyone.
I want to say a quick word about cryptocurrency, or what I refer to as “opaque contributions”, because they are invisible. They are very hard to trace. The source of these donations has to be traced virtually. Anything virtual is harder to trace than something tangible, such as a cheque with photocopies taken of both sides. It is absolutely essential that legislation be passed to protect us in that regard. The anonymous and volatile nature of cryptocurrencies poses a significant risk to electoral integrity. The bill therefore prohibits political contributions made in cryptocurrency. This prevents money laundering. It prevents the transfer of foreign funds that can be easily transferred electronically and it prevents anonymous contributions. This represents a shift to a more modern approach, one that reflects our current reality in 2026.
Since we are talking today about protecting our constituents and their integrity, it is also important to talk about fair representation for our constituents, which is the other aspect of this bill. A strong democracy depends on territorial representation that accurately reflects the reality on the ground and the circumstances faced by local communities. Electoral redistribution has had a significant impact on my riding, which now includes three RCMs.
I inherited an RCM called Collines-de-l'Outaouais. It is an RCM I already knew very well, and I had the opportunity to spend time with its residents during the election campaign. In fact, I wanted to include them. I made a commitment to certain associations and individuals to include them in the new name of my riding, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation. It now encompasses three RCMs. There is the Argenteuil RCM on the east side, the Papineau RCM in the centre, and the Collines-de-l'Outaouais RCM. This riding encompasses approximately 41 municipalities across 5,600 square kilometres. I can say that it is important to include Collines-de-l'Outaouais.
The current name, Argenteuil—La Petite-Nation, does not adequately reflect this new reality. The new name will be Argenteuil—Papineau—Des Collines. I hope it is adopted in the House so that I can share the good news with my constituents. On behalf of my riding, I would like to say that this is not merely an administrative detail, as it concerns the collective identity of the people who live there. It is important to me to accurately reflect the communities that make up the region. The people of Collines-de-l'Outaouais need to be able to identify with their federal representation, and the people of Papineau also need to see their region fully recognized. That is why my riding should be renamed Argenteuil—Papineau—Des Collines.