The committee met to study the main estimates for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer for 2026-27 and the state of civic resilience in Canada. Appearing were Stéphane Perrault, Chief Electoral Officer; Odette McCarthy, Executive Director of Equitas; Amanda Munday, Executive Director of New Majority; and Sabreena Delhon, Chief Executive Officer of the Samara Centre for Democracy.
Stéphane Perrault outlined Elections Canada’s $69 million annual appropriation for salaries and $205.2 million in planned statutory spending, emphasizing readiness for a potential election under a minority government. He reported that audits of the 45th general election are nearly complete, much faster than in the past, and that improvements to special ballot procedures and training are in place for upcoming by-elections, including a write-in ballot for Terrebonne due to 48 candidates. He noted that a complaint from Ryan Davies was caught by a security filter and not transferred to the commissioner, but that protocols have since been tightened with supervisor oversight, and he undertook to investigate whether other complaints were similarly missed. Perrault also highlighted modernization efforts, including a new data infrastructure and a social media monitoring unit, and said electronic voter information cards are being considered as a complement to paper ones.
Odette McCarthy argued that civic education is vital to counter rising polarization and distrust, especially among youth, and that programs teaching democratic skills help bridge the gap between interest and action. She recommended strengthening civil society organizations and school curricula to provide more spaces for participation and dialogue across differences.
Amanda Munday reported that youth voter turnout rose to 55.9% in 2025, but noted that many young people still do not know an election is happening, citing logistical barriers rather than apathy. She recommended reducing barriers to voting, such as implementing “vote anywhere” and mandating that party platforms be released before advance voting begins, and proposed a $20 million annual Canadian democracy endowment to support year-round civic engagement.
Sabreena Delhon stated that Canada has been complacent about democratic resilience and needs to invest in civic education as a national defence measure, regulate foreign-owned social media platforms with design-code legislation, and create civic infrastructure like hubs for community connection. She also supported the creation of a Canadian democracy endowment to sustainably fund civil society, and noted that toxic parliamentary culture discourages participation, particularly among women and underrepresented groups.
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