Commons Passes New Democrat Prescription for Elections Canada
MP Carol Hughes, Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing
OTTAWA, ON – Elections Canada will now have the teeth it needs to conduct the kind of investigation needed for the electoral fraud allegations that have seized parliament, says Carol Hughes.
Charges of misconduct are centered on the riding of Guelph, where Liberal supporters received fraudulent phone calls directing them away from their actual polling stations to ones that did not exist.
“The motion that passed unanimously on Monday means that Elections Canada will be able to request the documents it needs from political parties and telecom companies in order to conduct investigations,” said Hughes. “It ensures that our electoral laws are not broken which will help our democracy keep up with the technology we have available now.”
The government jumped on board to support the New Democrat motion which gives them just 6 months to make changes to the Election Act. An amendment also passed that makes these powers retro-active so that Elections Canada can deal with the backlog of complaints from the 41st General Election in a timely manner.
“We want to have a strong democracy with transparent processes that safeguard the importance of an individual’s vote,” said Hughes after the vote. “It is imperative that Canada keeps a good reputation and provides a positive example to other countries with democratic aspirations. This is a good day for the health of Canadian democracy.”
