Election Integrity and Security

This web page will help you understand the various people and procedures involved in protecting Canada's federal electoral system.

As maintaining the integrity of the electoral process is at the core of everything Elections Canada does, the agency has created an Electoral Integrity Framework. This framework outlines six essential principles against which Elections Canada's programs and services can be measured, and helps structure analysis and decision making to support the consistent and rigorous application of the provisions outlined in the Canada Elections Act: accessibility, fairness, independence, reliability, security and transparency.

• Electoral Integrity Framework

The delivery of federal elections is protected by many legal, procedural and technological safeguards that are designed to ensure the integrity of the voting process.

• Safeguards in the electoral process
• A shared responsibility

Safeguards in the electoral process

An election has integrity when it is carried out in a way that respects electoral law and procedures, includes an enforcement regime that imposes penalties for intentionally breaking the law, and respects the principles of electoral democracy.

While Elections Canada has their own set of safeguards to protect the integrity of federal elections, other jurisdictions also have their own combination of measures in place to successfully ensure the protection of their elections. Safeguards for any given election must be looked at as a whole.

There are various safeguards in place throughout the federal electoral process:

Voter registration safeguards
Voting safeguards
Safeguards for counting votes and reporting results
Political financing, spending and advertising safeguards
Safeguards to deal with emergencies and incidents
Investigating and punishing lawbreakers

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A shared responsibility

There is no one simple solution that eliminates threats to election security while maintaining an accessible, fair and transparent electoral process. These threats—including criminal acts, terrorism, cyberattacks, foreign interference and attempts at spreading inaccurate information— are complex and reach beyond our borders and the realm of election management.

In the current environment, delivering a secure election requires collaboration among many players. Federal agencies, political actors, the media, digital platforms, civil society and individual Canadians must all play a role.

Elections Canada's role

With the support of national security and intelligence agencies, Elections Canada can focus on its top priority: administering elections and making sure Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to register, vote and be a candidate.

To deliver on this priority: 

• We maintain a strong security position and abide by government-wide best practices.
  • With the support of our security partners, we maintain up-to-date situational awareness of new and emerging threats.
  • Working closely with the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security and other security agencies, we have made major investments to strengthen our IT infrastructure, monitor our systems 24/7 and protect our data.
  • We have implemented security by design, making security a foundational part of every new IT system or process that we develop.
  • We continually train employees and field staff on how to safeguard information and practise good cyber safety.
• We provide Canadians with information on the ways to register and vote, on how to be a candidate and on the safeguards that protect the integrity of our elections.
  • Before and during an election, we run a multimedia campaign so that Canadians have easy access to reliable information.
  • We put all our communications—TV and radio ads, videos, social media content—in a repository on our website to make it easy to find out whether an advertising or communication product actually came from us.
• We monitor the information environment (the news media, the Web, social media, etc.) to find out about:
  • Incidents that could affect the smooth administration of a general election or by-election
  • Inaccurate information on the electoral process, which could prevent people from exercising their rights to register, vote or be a candidate
  • Social media accounts and websites that impersonate Elections Canada, which could lead to confusion
• We correct the record.
  • If we see incorrect information about the electoral process, we proactively communicate the correct information.
  • If we see fake accounts or websites impersonating Elections Canada, we ask that they be removed. The agency has contacts at digital platforms who handle cases of impersonation of Elections Canada; this impersonation is illegal.

The Role of the Commissioner of Canada Elections

• The Commissioner of Canada Elections is the independent officer responsible for ensuring that the Canada Elections Act (the Act) is complied with and enforced.
• When Elections Canada becomes aware of potential violations to the Act, the agency refers that information to the Commissioner of Canada Elections for consideration and possible investigation.
• Members of the public who think that someone may be breaking election law can contact the Commissioner of Canada Elections to make a complaint.
• If a complaint falls within the Office's mandate, the Commissioner can investigate and, if required, take compliance or enforcement action.
• Breaking federal election law can lead to serious consequences, including undertakings, administrative monetary penalties, compliance agreements and criminal charges.

Collaboration with other agencies and departments

Elections Canada coordinates with other federal organizations that contribute to election security, including:

• Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
• Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (part of CSE)
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
• Public Safety Canada
• Global Affairs Canada

We meet regularly with these agencies and departments to share information; discuss our distinct and complementary roles, responsibilities and protocols under potential scenarios; plan communications; and detect and respond to any threats to the integrity of an election, while remaining independent.

As the environment continues to evolve, these working relationships remain crucial to ensuring the overall security of elections. We work with agencies such as CSE and CSIS, which have mandates to monitor for and investigate foreign interference and have both produced reports about the risks this interference poses to various parts of Canada's democratic process.

In addition to the ongoing collaboration described here, the Government of Canada has implemented a Critical Election Incident Public Protocol for election periods. If the Government becomes aware of an interference attempt during an election, heads of national security agencies will brief senior public servants , who will then notify the Prime Minister, political party officials and Elections Canada. A public announcement would be made to inform Canadians about any incident that threatens the integrity of an election.

The Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force, which includes CSE, CSIS, Global Affairs Canada and the RCMP, also works independently to identify threats of covert, clandestine or criminal activity by foreign actors.

The Task Force would inform Elections Canada only if a threat could affect the agency's ability to administer an election.

At the local level, during an election we work with the RCMP and police of jurisdiction to ensure a safe environment at the polls.

Political participants, digital platforms and others

Many players are involved in the democratic process, including political parties, candidates, third parties, digital platforms, the media and civil society groups. We regularly consult and engage with these different entities on issues related to the electoral process. Everyone involved must do their part. They can do so by:

• protecting their IT infrastructure and data
• ensuring that the information they produce and share is accurate
• promoting digital literacy and critical thinking

Your role

As an individual Canadian, you have a role to play as well. You can take steps to protect yourself and others:

• Be cyber safe. Learn about cyber security risks that could affect you and how you can protect yourself. Visit the Government of Canada's Get Cyber Safe website.
• Be aware. Some of what you see online may not be what it seems. Carefully consider whether the source is reliable and the information is correct.
• Look to Elections Canada for facts about federal elections, about where, when and the ways to register and vote; and about the safeguards in the electoral process. Contact us if you have questions.

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Reliable information on the electoral process

Some information on the Internet and social media is reliable, but some information can be either mistakenly misleading (misinformation) or deliberately misleading (disinformation). During an election, there may be more information available than usual. To exercise your right to vote, it is important that you have accurate information.

Elections Canada is the official source of information about the federal election process. Look to us for facts about where, when and the ways to register and vote, and about the safeguards in the electoral process.

Tips to make sure that you are getting reliable information

• Consider bookmarking our website and our official social media channels. We share information regularly and correct the record when necessary.
• Refer to Elections Canada's repository of multimedia communications and information campaign materials so you can check if something that says it's from Elections Canada really is from us.
• Be aware that what you see online may not be what it seems. Carefully consider whether the source is reliable and the information is correct.

To learn more, check out our videos.

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Useful links

• Commissioner of Canada Elections
• FAQs for electors
• Communications Security Establishment (CSE)
• Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
• Democratic institutions

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