On March 9, former central banker Mark Carney won the race to become leader of Canada’s ruling Liberal Party. Carney won 86% of the votes cast, beating former Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland. In January, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had announced he would step down, which forced the ruling Liberal Party to hold their election to replace him. While a federal election must be held by October 20 of this year, the Liberal Party is not likely to form a majority government, and so Carney is expected to call for an earlier election date.

On March 7, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Ontario’s law limiting spending by third-party political advertising violates the right to vote guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom.

The court concluded in its decision that, “By design, [the law] creates absolute disproportionality, or a disproportionality that is so marked on its face that it allows political parties to drown out the voices of third parties on political issues from reaching citizens during an entire year of legislative activity.”

Ontario’s Election Finances Act restricts the amount that third parties can spend on political advertising in the year before a provincial election period. Specifically, the law limits spending on third party advertising to $24,000 in any one electoral district and to $600,000 in total during the 12-month period before an election period. While it also regulates political advertising by political parties during the six-month period before an election, they are not subject to the same spending limits or time period restrictions.

The court reasoned, “When political parties face no limitations, curtailing the ability of third parties to use platforms that may be effective in reaching certain voters has the potential to overwhelm the political discourse and drown out third parties, thus interfering with citizens’ access to information letting them weigh and establish their views during an important time in the democratic cycle.”

A third party is any person or entity, other than a registered candidate, registered constituency association, or registered party, engaging in election advertising and may be a corporation, an unincorporated association, or a partnership.

On March 4, the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories recommended to the Commissioner the reappointment of Stephen Dunbar as Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for a second consecutive four-year term.

The CEO is an officer of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, appointed by the Commissioner of the Northwest Territories to a four-year term, and reporting to the Legislative Assembly through the Speaker.

According to the Public Affairs and Communications division of the legislature, Dunbar is currently leading a full repeal and replacement of the Elections and Plebiscites Act and is engaging with the NWT Association of Communities to discuss expanding Elections NWT’s mandate.

Dunbar, who was born and raised in the Northwest Territories, was appointed CEO of Elections NWT on November 25, 2021.

Beginning March 8, subaward reporting for U.S. Federal contracts will be enabled through SAM.gov instead of FSRS.gov.

On March 6, 2025, the federal government decommissioned The Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) Sub-award Reporting System (FSRS) through its FSRS.gov website. Data was able to be entered into the FSRS.gov system until the close of business on March 6. Visitors to FSRS.gov are redirected to SAM.gov/FSRS beginning March 7.

Federal Acquisition Regulation §52.204-10 requires prime contractors awarded a federal contract or order to file a FFATA sub-award report by the end of the month following the month in which the prime contractor awards any sub-contract greater than $30,000.

The federal lobbying registration threshold for organizations employing in-house lobbyists has been increased. Now, an organization employing in-house lobbyists whose total expenses in connection with lobbying activities do not exceed and are not expected to exceed $16,000 in the quarterly period is not required to be registered. The previous level was $14,000.

This threshold amount is adjusted every four years based on the Consumer Price Index.

A lobbying firm or individual lobbyist whose total income for matters relating to lobbying activities on behalf of a particular client does not exceed or is not expected to exceed $3,500 in the quarterly period is exempt from registration with respect to such client. The previous level was $3,000.

Other determinations for registration include whether a lobbyist is an individual who, with respect to a particular client, makes more than one lobbying contact and whose lobbying activities constitute at least 20% of the individual’s time in services for that client over any three-month period.

On April 14, a Canadian federal by-election will be held in the electoral district of Halifax (Nova Scotia) to fill a vacancy in the House of Commons. On March 2, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau officially announced the district’s by-election date. Member of Parliament Andy Fillmore, who had occupied the seat, resigned on August 31 of last year to run for Halifax mayor.

Because the vacancy occurred more than nine months before Canada’s fixed general election date of October 20, 2025, the by-election will take place before then. If a general election is called before election day for the by-election in Halifax, the by-election will be canceled.

On March 18, Manitoba will hold a by-election for the provincial constituency of Transcona. Advance voting will begin on March 8.

The vacancy in Transcona was created by the passing of the late Nello Altomare, former member of the legislative assembly for Transcona, on Jan. 14, according to the government’s press release.

The election was called on February 18, which started the campaign period.

Sometime before August 21, a by-election will be held for the seat of District 15 Brackley-Hunter River in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.

This by-election will be called because of the resignation of  Premier Dennis King, who resigned on February 21.

King has indicated he no longer wished to remain in politics.

The Election Act states the by-election Writ of Election must be issued within six months from the date the members seat is vacated.

On July 15, there will be a special election for the Ward 8 seat of the Council of the District of Columbia.

Trayon White, who was re-elected to the seat in 2024, was expelled from the council by a unanimous vote of his co-councilmembers earlier this month. The reason for the expulsion stems from pending federal corruption charges against White, who ran and was elected while facing these charges.

White, who has served in the council position since 2016, could choose to run again because he has not been found guilty of the charges against him.

Sometime before August 11, a by-election will be held for the seat of District 9 Charlottetown-Hillsborough Park in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island.

This by-election will be called because of the resignation of MLA Natalie Jameson, who resigned on February 11. Jameson will be the Conservative Party of Canada’s candidate for Charlottetown in the next federal election.

The Election Act states the by-election Writ of Election must be issued within six months from the date the members seat is vacated.

On March 17, a provincial by-election in Quebec will be held in the electoral division of Terrebonne, located in Lanaudière region, for the Quebec National Assembly.

The election will be held to fill the vacant seat of former Member of the National Assembly Pierre Fitzgibbon, a member of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, who resigned on September 4, 2024.

The by-election was announced by the government of Quebec on February 11.

On February 10, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

The FCPA is a federal law aimed at preventing the bribery of governmental officials of foreign nations by individuals and entities under the jurisdiction of the United States. The act is unique because its goal is not to curtail unethical and illegal behavior of U.S. governmental officials, but to govern the ethical and legal behavior of corporations and individuals doing business overseas.

In his Executive Order, President Trump states the reason for the pause is “FCPA enforcement impedes the United States’ foreign policy objectives and therefore implicates the President’s Article II authority over foreign affairs.” The order states there is “overexpansive and unpredictable” enforcement “for routine business practices in other nations.”

The order requires the U.S. Attorney General to cease initiating new investigations unless they are determined necessary. It also calls for a review by the Attorney General of current FCPA guidelines and policies within the next 180 days, with new guidelines and policies issued if the Attorney General sees fit.

Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, has called for snap provincial elections to be held on February 27. On January 28, the 43rd Parliament of the Province of Ontario was dissolved.

Ford has argued he needs a four-year mandate to fight the tariffs threatened by U.S. President Donald Trump.

On January 29 the issuance of writs for the general election were issued and February 27 was selected by the Lieutenant Governor as the date of Ontario’s next general election.

On February 3, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Esquimalt–Saanich–Sooke (British Columbia) is vacant.

After 14 years as a member of parliament, Randall Garrison resigned from the seat in December because of health concerns.

Under the law, if a vacancy occurs less than nine months before the fixed date for a general election, no by-election is called and the seat remains vacant until the general election., which must take place by October 20, 2025. Therefore, no by-election will be held to fill this vacant seat.