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CANELECTGEN 004/25 CMP 004/25 241217Z MAR 25 Federal General Election - 28 APR 25

References:

A. CANADA ELECTIONS ACT
B. DAOD 7000-1 Completion Of Affidavits And Statutory Declarations
C. QR AND O 19.44 Political Activities And Candidature For Office
D. CANFORGEN 021/19 CMP 011/19 081436Z FEB 19 Access to Defence Establishments During Federal Elections
E. CDS PUBLICATION A-LG-007-000/AF-001 Federal, Provincial and Territorial Electoral Events
F. CANFORGEN 094/19 ADM RS 001/19 041432Z JUL 19 Political Activities and Campaigning Unclassified
G. DEFENCE CONTROLLED ACCESS AREA REGULATIONS SOR/86-957
H. 1000-1 (DHRBM) Acting Cds Directive for Federal Elections- Special Voting Rules, 13 AUG 2021

  1. The governor in council has issued a proclamation for a federal general election to be held on 28 Apr 25, and the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada has now issued the writs for that general election.
  2. The writ for the by-election to be held in the electoral district of Halifax on 14 April 2025 is deemed to have been superseded and withdrawn. The by-election and related CANELECTGEN 003/25 is cancelled.
  3. This message details obligations of CAF members, as well as the obligations of COs commanding a unit, a base or another element of the CAF.
  4. This general election will be held in the 343 electoral districts as defined following the mandatory review of the federal electoral boundaries that was completed in September 2023.
  5. For the purposes of the federal general election, a CAF elector is defined as a person who is:
    • A Canadian citizen,
    • 18 years of age or older on 28 Apr 25, and
    • A member of the regular force, the reserve force, or special force including a member of any of the subcomponents of the reserve force:
      1. The primary reserve,
      2. The cadet organizations administration and training service,
      3. The Canadian rangers, and
      4. The supplementary reserve
  6. Civilian personnel employed inside or outside Canada by the government of Canada or accompanying the CAF or a member of the CAF inside or outside Canada cannot vote at military polls. These civilian electors should consult Elections Canada's website at Elections Canada. However, in accordance with sections 199.1 and paragraph 228(b) of Ref A, COs may be called upon by the special voting rules administrator (SVRA) to support by delivering these civilian electors sealed outer envelope containing their vote to the chief electoral officer (CEO).
  7. The place of ordinary residence of a CAF elector is determined the same way it is determined for every other Canadian elector, in accordance with section 8 of Ref a:
    1. As a general rule, the place of ordinary residence of a person is the place that has always been, or that has been adopted as, their dwelling place, and to which the person intends to return when away from it. In other words, it is the place the person calls home,
    2. If a CAF elector is unable to determine where their place of ordinary residence is located using the general rule above, the following rules should also be used:
      1. A person can have only one place of ordinary residence, and it cannot be lost until another is gained,
      2. Temporary absence from a place of ordinary residence does not cause a loss or change of place of ordinary residence,
      3. If a person usually sleeps in one place and has their meals or is employed in another place, their place of ordinary residence is where they sleep, and
      4. Temporary residential quarters are considered to be a persons place of ordinary residence only if the person has no other place that they consider to be their residence, and
    3. The place of ordinary residence of a CAF elector currently posted outcan or deployed outside Canada is that persons last place of ordinary residence in Canada. The rules above should be used to determine where that persons place of ordinary residence was immediately before leaving Canada
  8. CAF electors who wish to vote must register on the list of electors. They may do so online at Canadian Forces Electors Homepage. They may also register and/or vote in one of the following ways:
    1. At a military polling station, which will be open at prescribed periods during the military voting period from 14 Apr 25 to 19 Apr 25 inclusive, or
    2. At a civilian registration and voting opportunity, such as:
      1. Any local Elections Canada office in Canada,
      2. By mail, within Canada or from abroad,
      3. At the advance polling station associated with the elector s home address, from 18 to 21 Apr 25 inclusive, or
      4. At the polling station associated with the elector s home address, on 28 Apr 25
  9. In order to register and/or to vote, CAF electors must provide identification documents:
    1. At a military polling station, a CAF elector must provide any one of the following:
      1. Ndi 10 - temporary identification card,
      2. Ndi 20 - permanent identification card,
      3. Ndi 60 - permanent Geneva convention card,
      4. CFLRS exacta centre card, or
      5. One piece of identification issued by a Canadian government (federal, provincial/territorial or local) or educational institution with the bearer s name, and
      6. One of the following recently produced documents:
        1. Posting message,
        2. Course loading message,
        3. Military personnel record resume (MPRR),
        4. Enrolment transfer posting (ETP) instruction
    2. At a civilian registration and voting opportunity, a CAF elector will be considered the same as any other civilian Canadian elector. Civilian polling stations have no information that identifies CAF electors as CAF members. Every elector needs to provide proof of both identity and address. The list of pieces of identification accepted at civilian registration and voting opportunities is available on Elections Canada s website under Voter Identification.
  10. During a federal general election, the Canadian Elections Act imposes statutory duties on all COs commanding a unit, a base or another element of the CAF. The statutory duties of COs are outlined at sections 204 to 219 inclusive of Ref A and include:
    1. Informing members of their unit, base or other element regarding various aspects of the electoral process at several key moments of the election period, and
    2. With regard to the establishment of military polling stations, either:
      1. Establishing one or more polling stations for members of their unit, base or other element,
      2. Establishing one or more joint polling stations for members of two or more units, bases or other elements of the CAF, with the support of and in collaboration with all cos whose units, bases or other elements will be served by the joint polling stations, or
      3. Collaborating with and supporting another co-responsible for establishing one or more joint polling stations
  11. All COs commanding a unit, a base or another element of the CAF shall be available at their unit, base or other element during the electoral period in order to ensure that they are able to fulfill their statutory duties. COs who will be absent from their base, unit or other element during the election PD must appoint another officer to assume command in accordance with QR and O 3.23(2) for the duration of the absence
  12. Upon receipt of this message, all COs commanding a unit, a base or another element of the CAF shall:
    1. Make a solemn declaration on the prescribed form, titled quote solemn declaration of the member of the Canadian Forces deemed to be an election officer (EC 78005) end quote, before a commissioner for taking affidavits. The form will be provided by the appropriate lo. For a list of CAF officers deemed to be commissioners for taking affidavits, consult DAOD 7000-1 at Ref b. The completed declaration shall be placed on the COs service record and retained for a PD of 10 yrs,
    2. Publish in routine orders the notice specified in para 204(1)(a) of Ref A, and
    3. In collaboration with other COs, decide whether one or more joint polling stations should be established and, should one or more such joint polling stations be required, decide which CO will be responsible for establishing it
  13. The minister of national defence has designated, in accordance with section 199.2 of Ref a, the CAF electors named below as LOs. The role of these LO s is to facilitate the transmission of information between elections Canada and COs. For that purpose, LOs are authorized to communicate directly with COs and with elections Canada. Each lo will exercise their liaison duties with respect to a specific region:
    1. BC-
      1. Primary Cdr Jason Bergen, 250-363-7855
      2. Substitute Cdr Dan Saunders, 250-363-1900 x 60130
      3. Substitute LCdr Elizabeth Mohammed, 250-363-1900 x60150
    2. AB YK NW NV-
      1. Primary LCol R.A. Cooper, 780-973-4011 x5707
      2. Substitute Maj Jillian Pare, 780-973-4011 x8181
    3. SK MB NW-ON-
      1. LCol Joseph Doubrough, 204-833-2500 x5281
      2. Maj Mary Valair, 204-833-2500 x4692
    4. ON less NW-ON and NCR-
      1. Primary LCol Grant McDonald,416-633-6200 x5100
      2. Substitute Maj David Signal, 416-633-6200 x5113
    5. QC less NCR-
      1. Primary LCol J.F. Legault, 343-549-6328
      2. Substitute Maj Guy Beriau, 514-252-2777 x4445
    6. NB PEI -
      1. Primary LCol Chris Nolan, 902-427-0757
      2. Substitute Maj Kathleen McBurney 902-427-0766
    7. NS NL-
      1. Primary Cdr Timothy Berryhill, 902-721-8611
      2. Substitute LCdr J.A. Ducharme, 902-721-6868
    8. NCR-
      1. Primary Cdr Natasha Mang, 343-999-6052
      2. Substitute Maj Bryan Dell, 343-571-7855
    9. USA (CDLS (w))-
      1. Primary Maj Martin Simard, 855-311-9683
      2. Substitute lt(n) morgan lalonde, 202-682-7682
    10. USA (NORAD) -
      1. Primary Maj Jeff Lee, 719-554-6320
      2. Substitute Maj Alexandre Ouellet, 719-554-4435
    11. EUROPE - LCdr Daniel Campbell, 49-0-2451-717-115
    12. Rest of world Maj Michel Courchesne, 418-559-5917
    13. Deployed units -
      1. CJOC primary LCol M.J. Beaulieu, 613-995-0483
      2. CJOC substitute Maj Jimmy Page, 613-995-8102
      3. CANSOFCOM primary LCol Dianne Godfrey-White, 613-945-2210
      4. CANSOFCOM substitute Maj Andrew Spencer, 613-993-6894
  14. LOs are in a position to resolve many elections-related problems. COs should address their enquiries on election matters or issues arising out of the military voting programme to the appropriate lo. Upon receipt of this message, all COs who have not already done so shall communicate with their designated LO in order to receive further instructions
  15. Election cost recovery. All incremental costs will be managed within existing departmental budgets, reimbursable post election. Local finance staffs are responsible to track detailed expenditures, with further instructions to be issued through l1 comptrollers, funding pressures shall be reported through the quarterly financial review process (q reviews). OPI CMP L1 comptroller
  16. Per Ref C, COs are responsible to ensure that any activity that takes place on a defence establishment, including a unit, a base or another element under their command, does not affect the actual or perceived political neutrality of the CAF
  17. During a federal election period, section 81.1 of Ref a provides candidates and their representatives a right of access to government property for the purposes of campaigning. This right includes buildings, land, streets, and any other places on governmental and other property open to the public without charge on a continuous, periodic, or occasional basis. All COs must be familiar with Ref c and with the interpretation guidelines issued at Refs D and F. These Refs also include limitations and necessary restrictions regarding entry to controlled access areas which remain governed by Ref G.
  18. A returning officer or their staff shall be given reasonable access to areas of defence establishments when required, including but not limited to, any exercise of their duties per sections 43 and 43.1 of Ref A or the emergency or other use of a DND facility as a contingent polling station as per subsection 122(3) of Ref A. COs are instructed to consult with their lo, the coordinating officer and their staff, and the office of the judge advocate general if any uncharacteristic situations arise.
  19. CAF members are reminded of existing regulations concerning political activity which prohibit in particular their participation in political meetings on defence establishments and, for regular forces members, their active participation in the affairs of a political organization or party. All CAF members must be familiar with Ref C and with the interpretation guidelines recently issued at Refs D and F.
  20. Additional information on election matters is available at Ref E and on Elections Canada's website.
  21. The minister of national defence has designated, in accordance with section 199.1 of Ref a, the following CAF elector as the coordinating officer for the administration of the military voting programme: Capt(N) J. Salt. The coordinating officer will be assisted in his duties by LCol M. Tompkins. Enquiries on election matters or issues arising out of the military voting programme that were not resolved by the appropriate LO will be Referred by the LO to the coordinating officer.

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