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OTTAWA — The Liberal government is proposing new legislation to strengthen election integrity by banning digital deepfakes of candidates, cracking down on unduly long ballots and protecting nomination and leadership contests.
The bill, introduced Thursday, would extend existing election protections beyond the campaign period itself, making them effective year-round.
The government says this would include the extension of rules forbidding foreign people or organizations from improperly influencing someone’s vote, as well as bans on offering or accepting bribes to influence a vote.
Government House leader Steven MacKinnon said the changes follow recommendations made by the chief electoral officer, the commissioner of elections and the public inquiry into foreign interference.
He thanked opposition parties for their help in creating the bill.
“I do believe that amendments to the Elections Act should be the subject of, not maybe total agreement on every word, but a consensus on principles and a consensus, generally speaking, on measures to move forward,” he said.
The bill would make it illegal to knowingly spread false or misleading information about election activities or the voting process with the intent to disrupt an election or affect the outcome.
The Liberals insist that measure would apply only to individuals who choose to spread information they know is untrue. Good faith views, opinions believed to be true, and parody or satire will not be affected, says a background document on the legislation.
The government says the bill would ban sophisticated video deepfakes of candidates intended to mislead Canadians.
The legislation also takes aim at long ballots — which have become a controversial feature in recent years as a protest group opposed to Canada’s first-past-the-post system has flooded ballots in specific ridings with dozens of independent candidates.
MacKinnon said the message to the Longest Ballot Committee is that “the Parliament of Canada finds that to be harassing behaviour.”
Under the new legislation, voters would be permitted to sign only one candidate’s nomination paper, and each candidate would be required to have a unique official agent.
But it’s not clear whether those changes will actually stop the protest group from signing up dozens of candidates to run.
The Longest Ballot Committee has targeted the upcoming byelection in Terrebonne, where more than 45 candidates are already signed up.
All but seven are listed as independent candidates and those who appear to be part of the longest ballot movement have unique official agents.
Officials who briefed reporters on background said the changes are meant to act as a deterrent and the commissioner of elections has wide discretion on penalties, which would start with a written warning or a fine as low as $50.
The bill also would bring new muscle to enforcement of the Canada Elections Act.
The maximum amount for administrative fines would increase to $25,000 from $1,500 for an individual, and to $100,000 from $5,000 for organizations.
The bill would introduce new privacy policy requirements for federal political parties, including one that would shield the addresses where political fundraisers are held from public disclosure.
The Liberals say the bill would protect nomination and leadership contests from threats, including undue foreign influence, bribery and intimidation.
The legislation also includes measures on political financing. Political parties and third parties would be prohibited from accepting donations in forms that are difficult to trace, such as cryptocurrency, money orders and prepaid cards.
The government said Thursday it would spend $31.5 million over five years to strengthen Global Affairs Canada’s Rapid Response Mechanism, which keeps an eye out for foreign information threats intended to harm Canadian interests.
It also plans to update a federal protocol, established in 2019, on protecting elections.
Under the protocol, a panel of senior bureaucrats has the power to warn the public during the election campaign if it decides one or more incidents threatened Canada’s ability to hold a free and fair vote.
The panel of bureaucrats includes the clerk of the Privy Council, the national security and intelligence adviser, the deputy attorney general and the deputy ministers of public safety and foreign affairs.
The Liberals say the protocol will be updated through a new cabinet directive to add a means of appointing a person outside of government to the panel, in consultation with political parties and leaders in the Senate.
The government is also committing to improved communication with Canadians about threats to elections, and to fighting those threats through regular reports, including an after-action report following an election.
MacKinnon noted the government held weekly briefings during the last election about incidents that could have threatened a free and fair vote.
“We must continue to be open and to build trust in our democratic systems,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 26, 2026.
Jim Bronskill and Sarah Ritchie, The Canadian Press
