Introductory Remarks by the Chief Electoral Officer

On behalf of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, which handles the activities of Elections Canada and the Commissioner of Canada Elections, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the website of the Visitors Program for the 44th general election.

Since the 43rd general election in October 2019, which resulted in a minority Parliament, Elections Canada's goal has been to be prepared to deliver an election at any moment's notice. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 was an unprecedented challenge; it required us to adapt our services to ensure the safety of electors and poll workers and to account for the needs of vulnerable electors.

The 44th general election Visitors Program provides an opportunity for us to share our experience of organizing an election during a pandemic with our partners, electoral management bodies at the provincial, territorial and international levels. The Visitors Program website will help you learn more about our efforts to review and adjust our regulatory framework and operations in the context of the pandemic.

While this year's Visitors Program will be held virtually, we hope that it will help strengthen collaboration between electoral management bodies and thus ensure the collective development of our competencies. Such collaborative work, which enables a strong electoral democracy, is one of the priorities listed in Elections Canada's Strategic Plan 2020–28.

I hope that you enjoy your visit to our Visitors Program website.

Stéphane Perrault

Chief Electoral Officer of Canada