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Elections Canada Engagement with Public Health AuthoritiesCEO Appearance on the Special Report of the Chief Electoral Officer: Administering an Election during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Fact Sheet

Key Messages

  • Elections Canada is proactive in its engagement with public health authorities.
  • Elections Canada aims to deliver the next general election (GE) in accordance with local public health standards in place.

Facts

Electoral security and safety demand a whole-of-government approach

  • Elections Canada has been proactively engaging the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety to share planning assumptions and seek observations and guidance on the implementation of proposed adaptive measures to deliver a safe election for all participants. 
  • Elections Canada is also working with the Government Operations Centre to refine the electoral security Concept of Operations so as to include a whole-of-government response to multi-tier health-related emergencies during an election.

Public health response to the pandemic is local

  • In Canada, responding to a public health crisis is largely a matter for provincial and local authorities. 
  • Elections Canada will take into account the rules and regulations issued by local public health authorities in each electoral district, and adapt the delivery of electoral services and incident management practices during evolving situations. To do so, timely and factual information on developing situations across Canada is crucial.
  • In addition to its ongoing cooperation with the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Government Operations Centre, Elections Canada will develop a solid network of relationships with local and provincial public health authorities in advance of the next general election.