Briefing material – Appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (March 2, 2023)

Statistics previously reported to PROC

In comparison:

The CCE received a total of 3,942 new complaints in 2021, all topics combined.
This is in addition to the 803 files that remained active at the beginning of the year.

10 separate allegations of foreign interference were brought to our attention.
- These 10 allegations generated 158 complaints in total.
- Of those 158 complaints, 100 involved an article in a foreign publication concerning a party leader.
Following a review of these complaints, we concluded that there was no contravention of the Act since the content was of an editorial nature.
These files are all now closed.

In comparison:

The CCE received a total of 8,117 new complaints in 2019, all topics combined.
This is in addition to the 688 files that remained active at the beginning of the year.

These are allegations of what the complainants perceived to be foreign interference. The Act defines the scope of our compliance and enforcement activities. It is very common for us to receive complaints that fall outside the scope of the Act or that are unfounded.

I can confirm that we have received complaints in response to the allegations of foreign interference that have recently circulated in the public environment.
These are serious allegations, and I am seized with the importance of this matter. We commit to carefully and thoroughly review all information to which we have access, including any new facts that come to our attention regarding this and any other allegation of foreign interference.
On that note, I encourage anyone who has witnessed or may have tangible information on a potential contravention of the Canada Elections Act, including with regard to foreign interference in a federal election, to contact our office.
Responsive: In keeping with the confidentiality provisions of the Act, I am unable to provide further details.