Elections Canada in the fallout from the Parliament Hill spy scandal is looking at ways to prevent foreign agents from interfering with any more federal elections. In early June, the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliament (NSICOP) disclosed there are multiple parliamentarians who have spied on colleagues and cooperated with hostile foreign nations to manipulate Canada's democracy. At least one MP was found to be a known informant for a foreign government. Now, Elections Canada has suggested steps should be taken to protect the elections system from future meddling by foreign entities, per an internal guide obtained through Access to Information (ATIP) by the Canadian Press. Elections officials proposed multiple "preliminary ideas for discussion," most of which fall under the categorization of strengthening the voting process for nominees and improving financial transparency. The guide, dated May 30, was written to aid Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault draft final recommendations, which will be submitted to the Commission of Inquiry on Foreign Interference later in 2024.The guide was issued despite feedback at the elections committee’s annual general meeting in September that there’s "little appetite for changes" to regulation of nomination contests, CP reported. But by May, an interim report from the China Inquiry, chaired by Justice Marie-Josée Hogue, suggested nomination contests could be a dangerous gateway to meddling."This is a critical gap, because a number of ridings in Canada are considered 'safe seats' for one party or another, so a successful nomination may amount to a candidate's election," the Inquiry report said.The document addressed to Perrault notes the Canada Elections Act as it stands has only "limited regulation" of federal nomination races and contestants.Given the China Inquiry findings and recommendations, Perrault "has an obligation to consider ways to strengthen the transparency and security of nomination contests," the guide states.Nominees must be Canadian citizens only, said the federal agency, explaining non-citizens should be barred from the process of choosing candidates. "Non-citizens may be more vulnerable to intimidation by a foreign state," the guide says. One proposal includes barring non-citizens from voting too. Further, parties should be required to publish contest rules and there should be a crackdown on illegal practices like one person voting multiple times, states the guide obtained through ATIP. Other recommendations to the Elections Act include a better way to track and verify campaign contributions remain under the $1,000 threshold, and an examination of the Act’s shortcomings like not including specific candidacy obligations and voting, counting and results reporting.Included in the list of strategies are requiring nominees to submit a financial return, parties to publish all details concerning nomination contest rules, and banning the purchase of bulk party memberships. "This would clearly be a mammoth endeavour for the agency and is not a favoured option," the briefing note reads."Such an approach would likely be strongly resisted by the parties as well.""We recognize that some changes may create a burden for political entities or affect internal policies.”“We believe the gain is important: Nomination contests that electors trust, and fewer opportunities for contest irregularities that lead Canadians to question the legitimacy of elected members of parliament."
