Protecting Democracy

Safeguarding our Elections

As we approach the next federal election, Canada may face threats to our elections and democratic institutions.

Here, you will find Canada’s plan to defend Canadian democracy and further strengthen our electoral systems against cyber-enabled and other threats. This plan was announced on January 30, 2019 by the Minister of Democratic Institutions, the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Minister of National Defence. Take a look at their speech from the announcement.

Enhancing citizen preparedness
- Foreign and malicious actors are becoming more creative at using online platforms to manipulate opinions. By become better informed about the tactics used online to deceive, Canadians are the best line of defense in our efforts to fight foreign interference.
Improving organizational readiness
- Greater coordination amongst government systems will identify threats, emerging tactics and systems vulnerabilities in order to strengthen security practices.
Combatting foreign interference
- Canada’s security agencies will work to prevent covert, clandestine or criminal activities from foreign actors from interfering in our electoral processes.
Expecting social media platforms to act
- Disinformation online can create confusion and exploit existing social tensions. The government is looking for concrete actions to increase transparency, authenticity and integrity of their systems to help safeguard our election.
  - On May 27, 2019, the Government of Canada announced the Canada Declaration on Electoral Integrity Online, part of the government’s continued action to ensure that Canadians are protected and safe in a digital world.

You can continue to rely on Canada’s strong electoral process, including:

The election management and enforcement regime, comprised of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Commissioner of Canada Elections;
The use of paper ballots by our federal election system; and
New measures introduced in Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act.