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Initiatives for target groupsCEO Appearance: Supplementary Estimates (B) 2019-20

Fact Sheet

Subject: Initiatives for target groups

Key Message

  • Elections Canada significantly expanded the network of national and regional stakeholders with particular focus on groups known to face barriers to the electoral process such as Indigenous electors, new electors and people with disabilities.
  • These groups shared voter information campaign (VIC) materials on where, when and ways to register and vote, as well as opportunities to work an election.
  • In some cases they created voter information products to address specific needs of their clientele such as identification requirements.
  • They also conducted outreach events that often included vote simulations to familiarize electors with the voting process.
  • At the local level, Community relations officers (CROs) delivered information products, set up kiosks hosted discussion groups, and liaised with administrators of relevant organizations or facilities.

Facts

  • Inspire Democracy is Elections Canada’s stakeholder mobilization program. In advance of the election, the program negotiated 30 contracts and 91 informal agreements with stakeholder groups (Non-Indigenous contractor activities summarized below).
  • This is an increase from GE42 in 2015, where EC had 18 contracts and worked with 41 organizations informally.
  • The organizations distributed Inspire Democracy learning materials and shared VIC materials in print, digital, and alternative formats such as braille and large print. They also leveraged Elections Canada's translation of these materials into Indigenous and other languages by delivering these products to communities that would use them.
  • Though the VIC was a digital-first campaign, 316,935 hardcopy VIC resources were shared by our network, at the request of our stakeholders.
  • EC staff conducted 51 face-to-face outreach events across the country designed to equip stakeholders with the tools and knowledge necessary to conduct their own outreach efforts in advance of the general election. The primary focus was on early registration and closing registration gaps among Indigenous and youth electors.
  • These organizations in turn delivered presentations at 195 community outreach events.
  • Local outreach expanded to include Métis communities, minority official language communities, and, in light of the fact that election day and some advance polling days coincided in 2019 with Holy Days during which observant members of the Jewish community could be prevented from voting, communities with significant Jewish populations.
    • CROs were hired for: Youth; Indigenous; Homeless; Seniors; Ethnocultural; Accessibility; Official Languages; and Jewish populations.
  • CROs delivered information to these and other target groups locally. Approximately 23,385 electors visited kiosks set up by community relations officers and an estimated 7,572 electors attended presentations. Community relations officers also hosted discussion groups, distributed information products, and liaised with administrators of relevant organizations or facilities.
  • 1,529 community relations officers were hired for the 2019 general election, compared with 1,201 for the previous general election.
Contracts/Activities
Contracts Activities
ABC Life Literacy
  • created plain language products to help people with the election process
  • hosted learning activities that complement the voting guide
  • shared EC’s products through newsletters, social media and activities
Apathy is Boring
  • shared EC’s information through its online platforms
  • organized street teams in four cities to share information kits for the election
  • created and shared a youth-oriented Voter Journey video
Brain Injury Canada
  • shared information on accessible voting tools and services to Canadians with acquired brain injury
Canadian Alliance of Student Associations
  • created and shared digital toolkits designed for students (18–24)
  • shared information on voting on campus and working at a federal election
  • ran three student to encourage other students in take part in the election
Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
  • shared EC’s information digitally and via local networks across Canada
  • hosted webinars on accessible voting tools and services
Citoyenneté Jeunesse
  • promoted EC’s information and products on its website and network newsletters
Civic Action Leadership Foundation
  • shared voter information products through online platforms
Eviance
  • shared electronic and print voter information, including alternate formats, that meets the needs of electors across different disability groups
  • used online resources to help community members find and understand voter information
Institut du Nouveau Monde
  • promoted EC’s information and products digitally and in face-to-face events.
  • organized two roundtables to share information on participating in elections
Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities
  • shared materials about accessible voting digitally and in person
  • delivered Inspire Democracy workshops to communities of people with diverse disabilities and information activities for support workers
People First of Canada
  • hosted workshops and training activities about accessible voting services
  • shared information on assisting electors at the polls with support workers
  • hosted town halls and webinars on the different ways to register and vote
Canadian Muslim Vote
  • shared EC’s information with its members and sent voter information products to participating mosques
Canadian National Institute for the Blind
  • shared EC’s information in accessible formats with Canadians who are blind, partially sighted or deafblind.
  • hosted training events across the country on the accessibility tools and services that are available at the polls.
  • shared information about accessible voting with their members online.
Citizen Empowerment Project
  • shared Elections Canada voter information products to its members through online platforms to promote where, when and the ways to register and vote.
City for All Women Initiative
  • used social media network and face-to-face events to promote registration and share Elections Canada information in multiple languages
Democratic Engagement Exchange
  • developed Vote Pop-up - a toolkit to demystify the voting process
  • held 20 Vote PopUp training workshops across Canada and trained over 400 workshop leaders from diverse organizations
  • shared EC’s information online and hosted events and activities
Donna Jodhan
  • organized a tele-town hall style event to share information about the accessibility of the vote for 2019
Embers EastSide Works
  • held information kiosks for homeless electors in Vancouver
  • assisted in providing information about letters of confirmation of address
Information removed pursuant to Access to Information Act
  • disseminated election information to a network of vulnerable youth within the LGBTQIA community
Federation Jeunesse Canadienne Francaise
  • distributed EC information to ensure that francophone youth across Canada had information about registration and voting
Ryerson Leadership lab
  • organized and hosted outreach activities with young electors and provided data and analysis on the impact of these activities to EC
Special Olympics Ontario
  • hosted activities to highlight EC’s accessibility services and tools
  • shared EC’s information to participants of the Athletes Leadership Program