“We must protect our democracy and keep our public institutions strong. This bill reviews political donations, including cryptocurrency. I want the minister to talk about why it is important to know where political donations come from.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canada has one of the strongest democracies in the world, but we can never take that for granted. We need to protect the independence of our judiciary. We need a strong parliamentary system, and we need strong journalism. Obviously we can never take our democracy for granted. We need to strengthen those institutions. I know that one of the measures that struck me as being particularly important in this legislation is reviewing the ways people can make political donations, including the use of crypto. I wonder if the minister wants to speak to the importance of knowing where the money that fuels our democracy comes from.”

“Canada has very strict rules on political donations, and corporations and unions cannot give money directly to candidates. People can use cryptocurrency to break these rules. This bill bans cryptocurrency from being used to fund our elections or candidates.”

“Mr. Speaker, Canadians need to know that we have one of the most successful and most rigorously managed election contribution systems in the world. It is completely transparent and strictly limited with respect to donation amounts, and it is one that does not permit corporations, unions or others to participate directly in the financing of political parties or of candidates. Cryptocurrency, and its rise, has obviously presented, in the context of those very efficient and well-run systems, as in other areas such as money laundering and the like, ways of getting around the laws. We have taken measures in the bill to make sure that cryptocurrency would play no part in the funding of our political process or of candidates.”

“We worked with other parties to update our election laws based on recommendations from election officials and the inquiry into foreign interference. We are catching up on these changes to keep our elections among the best in the world.”

“Mr. Speaker, as the member knows, after every election, the Chief Electoral Officer, the commissioner of Canada elections and, in this instance, the inquiry into foreign interference all presented recommendations, as our election officials do after every election. They present their views. Because of the last Parliament’s minority status, we are actually catching up on the recommendations from the prior election. We are very happy to have worked with our friends across the aisle on those very recommendations to find a consensus on making the fixes, doing the tweaks and making the reforms necessary to make sure our elections administration stays as it currently is: among the finest, most reputed and reputable in the world.”

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“A public inquiry showed that Canadian democracy is strong and voters decide our elections, even though foreign interference happened. This bill adds rules to protect our security and computer systems, and we are open to more ways to protect our elections.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is a great question, and I am not claiming we have solved everything, but I can say one thing. We held a public inquiry into foreign interference, and although some instances of interference were identified and named, the commissioner concluded that, on the whole, Canadian democracy is in good shape and that it is Canadians who determine the outcomes of elections. That said, when it comes to digital sovereignty, it is true that we must protect our institutions. This bill contains specific provisions on security and cybersecurity, and we will continue to implement them. Elections Canada has become very effective in this area. I would be happy to continue this discussion with my colleague. We are always ready to explore ways to protect our sovereignty and our institutions through various measures, including legislative ones.”

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“We are trying to pass laws to help with costs and criminal justice, but the Conservatives are delaying them. I work with members from all parties to protect trust in our democracy. Elections Canada runs fair elections, and all parties should work together to update election rules.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are working. In fact, we are trying, in the face of Conservative obstruction, to pass a very sweeping set of criminal justice measures and affordability measures. The Conservatives are filibustering two of them right now, the spring economic statement bill and the lawful access bill, that we are very much hoping to accomplish for Canadians. I do want to suggest that the member’s question might be a little off tone. I have worked very closely with his colleague from St. Albert—Sturgeon River and parliamentarians from all sides of this House so that we can do just that: ensure trust in our democratic institutions. Elections Canada is the pride of this country. It runs efficient and fair elections. No one ever questions its methods. It suggests many ways, after elections, that we can reform, tweak or change some of the rules. We do that together with all parties, and we agree on the rules of the game. That is the very basis of achieving trust in our democracy.”

“We tried to change our voting system, but Canadians and members of Parliament did not agree on how to do it. Canada has a great democracy, and this bill makes a few updates to improve it.”

“Mr. Speaker, that is an excellent question, but first I want to come back to my colleague’s previous question about music. I want to recommend that he listen to Le Diable à Cinq, a group that has done La Petite Nation proud. This band just released a new album and I would invite my colleague to get a copy and listen to it all summer long. As for the issue of proportional representation or democratic reform, we tried to bring about democratic reform here and it became quite clear that there was a lack of consensus, both among parliamentarians and among Canadians. We have a great democracy. In my opinion, we have one of the best democratic systems in the world. It is not perfect, but that is why we are making a few changes today. We can be proud of our democracy.”

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“Elections Canada runs our elections well. This bill came from everyone working together and listening to experts. Some of the changes will take effect between elections, and I want the member to share his thoughts on that.”

“Mr. Speaker, Elections Canada as an organization is recognized virtually around the world as a first-class institution that does a great service for Canadians in terms of its conduct and the manner in which it administers national elections. It is something that we can all be proud of. The member for St. Albert—Sturgeon River provided his comments on Bill C-25, and in listening to him, I got the sense that, yes, there may be some changes in the future, but the legislation as we see it today has been achieved through consensus, whether through committee discussions or by listening to all the stakeholders, who have ultimately helped put in changes. Some of these changes are going to have impacts that will occur between elections. I am wondering if my colleague could provide his thoughts on that.”

“We must protect our elections from false information, fake videos, and social media influence. We are working with Elections Canada so Canadians can always vote based on the facts.”

“Mr. Speaker, it is very satisfying to work on ensuring trust in our democratic institutions. We need to remain vigilant. I need not explain all of the reasons why and how society, social media and other things have influenced and impacted our democracy. As many stakeholder groups have pointed out, we need to be watching and on guard for things like misinformation, disinformation and deepfakes, and need to continue to be vigilant so that Canadians can always make an informed choice based on truth and facts. That is our goal. I am sure that is the goal of all members of the House. We are going to continue working through Elections Canada to make sure that fair elections are a defining characteristic of our country.”