Protecting candidates
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the health of candidates and the public, Elections Canada has introduced new procedures and guidelines for candidates, canvassing and candidates' representatives. The agency has also increased access to online services for candidates, making it safer for them to complete mandatory requirements.
Candidate
The nomination process
Prospective candidates can complete and submit their nomination form online by creating an account on the Political Entities Service Centre (PESC), Elections Canada's secure portal for candidates and political entities. They can also use PESC to get electoral products and submit financial returns.
To reduce the need for in-person interactions, Elections Canada encouraged candidates to submit their nomination documents, including elector signatures, through PESC.
Collecting electors' signatures
The Canada Elections Act requires each prospective candidate to collect the signatures of at least 100 electors residing in the electoral district in which they intend to run (or at least 50 signatures for electoral districts listed in Schedule 3 of the Act). The signatures must be witnessed.
Elections Canada developed a new form, called Section F – Electors Consenting to Candidacy, that enabled candidates to collect elector signatures one at a time by email or other electronic methods or in person.
The form had space for the information and signature of both a single elector and a witness. Electors still had to physically sign the form in the presence of the witness, but they could return a scanned copy to the candidate for inclusion in their nomination submission.
To help candidates collect elector signatures in the pandemic context, Elections Canada issued specific COVID-19 guidance.
Solemn declaration by videoconference
To complete the nomination process, prospective candidates must make a solemn declaration before a returning officer or other authorized person, as defined in the Canada Elections Act.
To facilitate this process, Elections Canada allowed candidates to make their solemn declaration virtually by arranging a videoconference with the returning officer.
During the appointment with the returning officer, candidates had to present their identification documents as outlined in the Candidate List of Authorized ID. When completing the solemn declaration, they could either apply a "wet ink" signature and then scan and email the document to the returning officer, or they could provide an accepted electronic signature.
Canvassing
Elections Canada issued Campaign guidance for canvassing during COVID-19 and strongly encouraged candidates and their representatives to respect the guidelines.
These guidelines were developed in collaboration with Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. All candidates and canvassers were also expected to follow local public health measures.
Elections Canada also published an interpretation note that clarifies the rights of candidates to canvass and campaign in residential areas and public places and the limitations on those rights.
Candidates' Representatives
The role of candidates' representatives is to observe the election proceedings and to provide the level of scrutiny necessary for a fair and transparent voting process.
Elections Canada issued Guidelines for Candidates' Representatives in 2019 to help them perform their duties in accordance with the Canada Elections Act. These guidelines establish the number of candidates' representatives permitted (per candidate) at registration desks and polling stations.
Elections Canada issued an addendum to these guidelines to inform candidates' representatives about health and safety measures at polling places and their related responsibilities during an election in the pandemic context.
This addendum did not impact the rights of candidates' representatives, but some procedures, such as the examination of voter identification, were adjusted. Elections Canada also asked candidates to determine a reasonable number of representatives per polling place.
Additional guidelines were also issued for candidates' representatives observing the special voting rules process and the counting of special ballots.
For more information
Episode 3-Dialogue - Field Personnel Intranet (elections.ca)
Host & Guests
- Olivier Girouard
- Acting Senior Director, Field Governance & Operational Readiness
- Chris Morris
- Acting Assistant Director, Candidate Services
Chris Morris and Olivier Girouard discuss the candidates' nomination process, including completing the solemn declaration virtually, and more.
Text version of "Episode 3-Dialogue - Field Personnel Intranet (elections.ca)"
Olivier:
Hello Chris, how are you?
Chris:
Good afternoon Olivier, I'm doing well.
Olivier:
Great, thank you for being on Dialogue TV. So Chris, you've been around at Elections Canada quite a while. So, tell us a little bit more about you and what kind of services you provide.
Chris:
Well, I joined Elections Canada almost seven years ago now. I first started off by working on the Election Simulation back in 2015, and I joined the Candidates Services team in 2016 to help in the development of the Political Entities Service Centre portal and the EC Connex Nomination Module. I was named the acting Assistant Director of Candidate Services in April 2020, and it sure has been an exciting year.
Olivier:
Great, well thanks for sticking around. Let's start this discussion with, I guess the returning officers' primary concern: dealing with candidates' nomination process in a pandemic situation. What will be different for those that have been around during the last general election?
Chris:
Well, we've introduced a few new tools to make this process easier under the pandemic conditions. The first of which is candidates will now be able to complete their solemn declaration requirement virtually, by arranging a video conference with the returning officer. Our new documentation will be available on the Field Personnel Intranet soon, but to put it simply: the candidate and returning officer will meet over Webex as an alternative to meeting in the office to conduct the solemn declaration and sign the relevant forms. While this measure was introduced to respond to the pandemic situation, we will also be maintaining it moving forward to provide more options for candidates who may have trouble coming into an RO office or finding someone else to administer their declaration.
Olivier:
And what about elector signatures?
Chris:
Well, under the current provisions of the Canada Elections Act, candidates are still required to collect elector signatures. This could change, depending on the final wording of Bill C-19. In the meantime, we've developed a new form for candidates to collect these signatures. The new form allows candidates to collect elector signatures one at a time, either by going door to door or by distributing the form electronically. Electors will still have to physically sign the form in the presence of a witness, but they can return a scanned copy to the candidate for inclusion in their nomination submission. As a result, returning officers may see elector signatures submitted using multiple forms. We've prepared a fact sheet for candidates to communicate how best to leverage the new form, which should be on elections.ca soon.
Olivier:
That's great work, and your work didn't stop there. I understand that you and your team have modernized other online services for political entities. Can you talk about those changes for EC Connex and for the PESC portal?
Chris:
Sure thing. I'll start by talking about the EC Connex Nomination Module. We were very pleased to see returning officers complete the EC Connex Nomination Training exercise recently, and we've already made a few minor adjustments to the system to address the biggest workflow issues. Additionally, I do have a few helpful suggestions for returning officers. The first is to keep those Quick Steps close by when completing the nomination verification process, and the second is, if you run into any issues, please contact the Field Support Network. The Electoral Administration and Procedures help desk, as well as our team of subject matter experts are more than ready to assist you. The biggest thing for returning officers to know about the PESC portal is that we want candidates using it. So really, we want returning officers promoting the use of the PESC portal as much as possible for submitting nominations, receiving electoral products, and submitting financial returns. The PESC portal provides candidates with a guided walkthrough of the nomination process, and allows them to submit electronically as well. This does mean that for every electronic nomination, there won't be any data entry for the returning officers. Additionally, candidates will be able to access the suite of election products and materials online, which will reduce the need for candidates and campaigns to come into your offices to collect those materials physically. We're not asking for returning officers to provide support services for the PESC portal; feel free to direct those enquiries to the Political Entities Support Network, and our team of agents will be more than happy to guide the clients through the system.
Olivier:
How many people will be on the support desk answering the phones?
Chris:
On the Candidates Services side, we've got a team of almost 15 people who are ready to support both returning officers and, also, all of our external clients on the Political Entities Support Network.
Olivier:
Fantastic. So, you've touched on, you've addressed online services; however, some activities will happen at the polls and candidates' representatives will be sitting beside DROs [deputy returning officers]. What will change for them?
Chris:
Well, the candidates' representatives provide an important role in the transparency of our electoral process. We've prepared a new addendum to the Guidelines for Candidates' Representatives to communicate Elections Canada's expectations under the pandemic restrictions. Candidates' representatives will continue to be required to follow the CPS's [central poll supervisor's) or DRO's instructions at polling places. We are asking all candidates and returning officers to work together to determine a reasonable number of candidates' representatives per polling place.
Olivier:
Excellent Chris, thank you and thank you to your team for the excellent work over the last two years now. Have a nice day, and to all the returning officers out there - see you next time.
Chris:
Thanks very much, have a good day.