Strong and Free Elections Act - Amendments to the Canada Elections Act
Backgrounder
On March 26, 2026, the Government of Canada introduced the Strong and Free Elections Act, with targeted, priority updates to the Canada Elections Act (CEA) aimed at strengthening and protecting Canada’s federal elections and electoral actors, from evolving threats.
The CEA is independently administered by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) and Elections Canada, with compliance and enforcement by the Commissioner of Canada Elections (CCE). The CEA includes political financing rules, strict spending limits, and robust reporting requirements. It has been updated by successive Parliaments as part of a longstanding tradition of continuous, incremental improvements to respond to evolving challenges.
The Strong and Free Elections Act includes measures to strengthen existing provisions and add new protections to adapt to emerging challenges, building on recommendations from the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions (PIFI), the CEO and the CEE. The changes will:
- Bolster election safeguards;
- Ban digital deepfakes of electoral actors;
- Mitigate unduly long ballots;
- Add new privacy policy requirements for federal political parties;
- Enhance physical security;
- Protect nomination and leadership contests;
- Close channels for foreign funding; and,
- Enhance enforcement.
Key amendments to the Canada Elections Act
Bolster election safeguards
| Item | Amendments |
|---|---|
| Extending key election protections to all times | This includes the extension of rules that prohibit foreign individuals or organizations from improperly influencing someone’s vote, as well as bans on offering or accepting bribes to influence a person’s vote. |
| Countering unduly long ballots | Voters may now sign only one candidate nomination paper, and each candidate will be required to have a unique official agent. |
| Combating election deepfakes | With the exception of parody and satirical content, the existing offence against impersonating certain electoral actors (e.g., the CEO, a candidate) with the intent to mislead voters will be expanded to ensure that it applies to realistic deepfakes. |
| Countering election disinformation | It will be against the law to knowingly spread false or misleading information about election activities or the voting process with the intent to disrupt an election or affect its results. This will only apply if the person chooses to spread information that they know is false. Good faith views or opinions believed to be true, and parody or satire, will not apply. |
| Targeting misuse of a computer | It will be against the law to tamper with or interfere with computer systems with the intent to disrupt the conduct of elections. This includes hacking, changing files, erasing information, or stopping systems from working properly. |
| Applying rules outside of Canada | New and existing protections will now apply to illegal activities that take place outside of Canada. This includes rules about impersonating electoral actors, the misuse of computers, and knowingly spreading false information about election activities and voting processes. |
New privacy policy requirements for federal political parties and enhanced physical security
| Item | Amendments |
|---|---|
| Ensuring personal information of Canadians is further protected | Federal political parties will need to incorporate new requirements as part of their privacy policies, including requiring them to:
|
| Protecting personal information in the preliminary list of electors | Only qualifying political parties will receive the preliminary list of electors for a riding from Elections Canada when they request it to better protect elector’s information. All confirmed candidates will continue to have access to the preliminary list of electors. |
| Protect regulated fundraising event participants | 5-day advance notice of a regulated fundraising event will no longer be required and location details of the event will be limited to the municipality and province or territory in the post-event public report. |
| Protect returning officers’ home address | The home address of returning officers will no longer be published in the Canada Gazette, with information instead limited to the municipality and province or territory. |
| Increase reimbursements for personal security expenses | Eligible candidates will be reimbursed up to a maximum of $3,250, versus the current max of $3,000. |
New protections for nomination and leadership contests
| Item | Amendments |
|---|---|
| Protecting nomination and leadership contestants and contests | Voters, nomination contestants and leadership contestants will be protected from evolving threats. New protections will apply inside and outside of Canada and will include bans against:
|
Protections for political financing
| Item | Amendments |
|---|---|
| Preventing anonymous/hard to trace contributions | Political parties and third parties (for political activities) will no longer be allowed to accept donations in forms that are difficult to track, like crypto currency, money orders, and pre-paid cards. |
| Ensuring transparency regarding source of third-party funding | Third parties’ political activities must be paid using donations from Canadian citizens and permanent residents. They will be only able to use their own money if donations represent 10% or less of their annual revenues. |
| Preventing foreign entities from donating to third parties | Foreign organizations and individuals will be banned from donating to a third party for regulated political or election activities. This expands the current rule that bans using these types of foreign donations. |
Stronger enforcement of the Canada Elections Act
| Item | Amendments |
|---|---|
| Higher Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMPs) | The maximum amount for AMPs will increase from $1,500 to $25,000 for an individual, and from $5,000 to $100,000 for organizations to serve as a more effective deterrent. |
| Ensuring all persons involved in breaking the law can be held accountable | Those who conspire, attempt or advise breaking the law, may also be investigated and held accountable. |
| New tools to facilitate administrative investigations | To enable more efficient investigations, the CEE will be able to summon individuals to testify, and require the production or preservation of documents upfront, without having to first seek approval from the courts. |
| Advancing investigations through federal/international collaboration | The CEE will have clear authorities to establish information-sharing agreements with federal agencies and international partners to facilitate investigations within and outside of Canada. |
Other changes are also being proposed through this legislation. For the full list, please consult the text of the Bill.