Issue
Democratic Renewal & Electoral Reform
Federal electoral framework under the Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9), administered by Elections Canada. Voting age is 18 since 1970; federal elections are held by simple-majority single-member plurality (first-past-the-post). The 2015 Liberal commitment to make 2015 the last election under FPTP was abandoned in 2017 after the Electoral Reform Committee report did not produce consensus. Federal-redistribution cycles every 10 years under the Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act; the 2022 redistribution would have reduced Quebec's seat count from 78 to 77, prompting Bill C-14 of 44-1 (the constitutional 'no province loses' amendment, royal assent June 23, 2022). Active 2024-2025 files: the Electoral Participation Act (C-65 of 44-1, two extra advance voting days and tightened political-financing rules), the Foreign Influence Transparency Registry under C-70, and the 2025 federal election review.
Where parties stand
Compare side-by-side- Bloc QuébécoisBLOC
The Bloc Québécois supports the federal first-past-the-post system (the Bloc has historically benefited from FPTP's seat-vote-share gap in Quebec, winning 32 of 78 Quebec seats with 32.8 percent of Quebec votes in 2021), opposes proportional representation that would dilute regional party representation, defends Quebec's distinct procedural authority over its provincial electoral system under Bill 17 of 2022 (Loi modernisant la Loi électorale), and pushes for stronger restrictions on foreign-interference and third-party advertising under the Canada Elections Act. Supports voting age remaining at 18 (opposes Bills C-227 of 44-1 and C-210 of 45-1).
Source - Conservative Party of CanadaCONSERVATIVE
The federal Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre supports the existing first-past-the-post electoral system (the CPC has historically benefited from FPTP's seat-vote-share gap especially in Western Canada), opposes proportional representation, supports the Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9) framework with limited reform, supports the public-inquiry-into-foreign-interference (Hogue Commission, final report January 2025), pushed for parliamentary review of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) outputs, and calls for stronger third-party-advertising disclosure under the existing Canada Elections Act.
Source The federal Green Party has supported proportional representation since its founding in 1983. Specifically calls for Mixed-Member Proportional (MMP) as recommended by the 2004 Law Commission of Canada Voting Counts report. Supports lowering the federal voting age to 16 (backed C-227 and the 45-1 C-210 successor), permanent independent citizens' assemblies on key files (along the lines of British Columbia's 2004 citizens' assembly on electoral reform), and a citizen-initiated referendum mechanism for constitutional questions. Opposes the first-past-the-post system that distorted the 2019 and 2021 election results.
Source- Liberal Party of CanadaLIBERAL
The federal Liberal Party under Mark Carney maintains support for the first-past-the-post electoral system (the Trudeau Liberal government broke its 2015 electoral-reform commitment in 2017), passed Bill C-76 (Elections Modernization Act, S.C. 2018, c. 31) creating the Commissioner of Canada Elections office with expanded investigative authority, supported Bill C-70 (Countering Foreign Interference Act, S.C. 2024, c. 16) creating the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act with a public registry, opposes lowering the federal voting age to 16 (the Carney government opposed Bill C-227 of 44-1 and C-210 of 45-1 sponsored by NDP MP Taylor Bachrach), and supports the Hogue Commission's January 2025 final report findings.
Source The federal NDP under Jagmeet Singh supports proportional representation (specifically Mixed-Member Proportional as recommended by the 2017 House Special Committee on Electoral Reform), lowering the federal voting age to 16 (Bills C-227 of 44-1 and C-210 of 45-1, both NDP-supported), citizen-initiated referendums on constitutional questions, mandatory voting (compulsory turnout as in Australia and Belgium), stronger third-party-advertising disclosure under the Canada Elections Act, and the Confidence and Supply Agreement framework for hung Parliaments (the 2022-2025 NDP-Liberal SCA was the most prominent recent example). The Trudeau Liberal government broke its 2015 electoral-reform commitment in 2017.
Source
Bills affecting this issue
- C-230Federal45-1Third reading
An Act to amend the Financial Administration Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts (debt forgiveness registry)
Financial Administration Act amendments.
- S-219Federal45-1In committee
An Act to establish Judicial Independence Day
Establishes Judicial Independence Day.
- C-25Federal45-1In committee
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and to enact An Act to change the names of certain electoral districts, 2026
Canada Elections Act amendments and electoral district renames.
- C-15-43Federal43-2First reading
Whistleblower Protection (Public Sector) Amendment Act
Whistleblower Protection (Public Sector) Amendment Act. Earlier version of the modernized whistleblower protection regime.
- S-226Federal45-1Second reading
An Act respecting Jury Duty Appreciation Week
Designates the second week of May as Jury Duty Appreciation Week.
- S-237Federal45-1In committee
An Act respecting a Cities and Municipalities Day
Establishes a Cities and Municipalities Day.
- S-240Federal45-1First reading
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (declaration of exception pursuant to subsection 33(1) of the Charter for mandatory minimum sentences for child sexual abuse and exploitation material offences)
Procedural notwithstanding-clause Senate bill aimed at restricting how the federal government can invoke section 33.
- C-248Federal45-1First reading
An Act respecting the holding of a pan-Canadian conference on time change
Designation of Daylight Saving Time conference for provincial-federal coordination.
- C-210Federal45-1First reading
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (oath of office)
Lets MPs take their oath of office without swearing allegiance to the monarch (King Charles III).
- S-224Federal45-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Director of Public Prosecutions Act
Strengthens Director of Public Prosecutions independence.
- S-222Federal45-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum
Procedural Senate amendment to the Canada Elections Act and referendum regulation.
- S-208Federal45-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
Criminal Code on independence of the judiciary (Senate).
- S-213Federal45-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (demographic information)
Canada Elections Act demographic data (Senate).
- C-1Federal45-1First reading
An Act respecting the administration of oaths of office
Pro forma session-opening bill.
- S-1Federal45-1First reading
An Act relating to railways
Pro forma session-opening Senate bill. Asserts the Senate's right to set its own agenda.
- S-291Federal44-1First reading
An Act to establish Judicial Independence Day
Designates a Judicial Independence Day to recognize the importance of an independent judiciary.
- S-13Federal44-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Interpretation Act and to make related amendments to other Acts
Interpretation Act amendments to add a 'cessation of First Nations rights' non-derogation clause.
- C-408Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Referendum Act
Updates the federal Referendum Act on ballot wording, thresholds, and Elections Canada administration.
- C-65Federal44-1In committee
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act
Adds two extra advance voting days, expands election-worker protections, and updates federal political-financing rules.
- S-17Federal44-1Third reading
An Act to correct certain anomalies, inconsistencies, out-dated terminology and errors and to deal with other matters of a non-controversial and uncomplicated nature in the Statutes and Regulations of Canada and to repeal certain provisions that have expired, lapsed or otherwise ceased to have effect
Miscellaneous Statute Law Amendment Act. Routine housekeeping fixes across federal statutes.
- C-405Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Parliament of Canada Act
Targeted Criminal Code and Parliament of Canada Act amendments.
- C-377Federal44-1In committee
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (need to know)
Lets MPs and senators apply for 'secret' security clearance so they can receive classified national-security briefings.
- S-252Federal44-1Third reading
An Act respecting Jury Duty Appreciation Week
Designates the second week of May as Jury Duty Appreciation Week.
- C-290Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act and to make a consequential amendment to the Conflict of Interest Act
Modernizes federal whistleblower protection: broader reprisal definition, private right of action, shifted burden of proof.
- S-283Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (demographic information)
Elections Canada demographic-data reporting.
- C-316Federal44-1In committee
An Act to amend the Department of Canadian Heritage Act (Court Challenges Program)
Codifies the Court Challenges Program in law so a future government cannot quietly defund it.
- S-272Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Director of Public Prosecutions Act
Strengthens the independence of the Director of Public Prosecutions from political direction.
- C-347Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (oath of office)
Bloc bill: lets MPs take their oath of office without referencing the monarch (King Charles III).
- C-341Federal44-1First reading
An Act to Amend the Inquiries Act
Modernizes the federal Inquiries Act.
- C-331Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act (duty of candour)
Statutory CSIS duty of candour when applying for court warrants. Builds on Federal Court findings in Re: X.
- S-257Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting against discrimination based on political belief)
Adds 'political belief' as a prohibited ground of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.
- S-206Federal44-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (disclosure of information by jurors)
Criminal Code disclosure of information by jurors.
- C-14Federal44-1Royal assent
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (electoral representation)
Constitutional change that prevents Quebec from losing a House of Commons seat in the 2022 redistribution.
- S-213Federal44-1In committee
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (independence of the judiciary)
Criminal Code amendments on independence of the judiciary.
- C-257Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (protecting against discrimination based on political belief)
Adds political belief as a prohibited ground in the CHRA.
- C-254Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act (change of political affiliation)
Requires floor-crossing MPs to resign and run in a by-election.
- S-207Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to change the name of the electoral district of Châteauguay—Lacolle
Routine renaming of the Châteauguay-Lacolle federal electoral district.
- C-227Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (voting age)
Lower voting age to 16 (PMB precursor to C-210).
- C-210Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (voting age)
Earlier PMB to lower federal voting age to 16.
- C-7Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts
Parliament of Canada Act updates on leadership allowances.
- S-2Federal44-1Third reading
An Act to amend the Parliament of Canada Act and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts
Recognizes Senate groups beyond government and official opposition (ISG, CSG, PSG) for procedural roles and allowances.
- S-228Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 (property qualifications of Senators)
Removes the constitutional $4,000 property qualification for senators.
- S-226Federal44-1First reading
An Act to amend the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Parliament of Canada Act (Speaker of the Senate)
Lets senators elect their own Speaker (currently appointed on PM's advice).
- S-201Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and the Regulation Adapting the Canada Elections Act for the Purposes of a Referendum (voting age)
Procedural Senate amendment to the Canada Elections Act and the referendum-regulation framework.
- S-221Federal44-1Second reading
An Act to amend the Governor General’s Act (retiring annuity and other benefits)
Governor General's Act retiring annuity changes.
- S-1Federal44-1First reading
An Act relating to railways
Pro forma Senate session-opening bill.
- C-1Federal44-1First reading
An Act respecting the administration of oaths of office
Pro forma session-opening bill that asserts the Commons' right to set its own agenda.