On August 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called for an early election to be held on September 20.

The election is being called in the hopes voters will approve of his government’s post-pandemic recovery plan.

Previously, the next state fixed-date election was set for 2023.

The campaign is to last 36 days.

On August 14, Canada’s federal ethics office issued a report finding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his position to seek to influence a decision of the Attorney General of Canada relating to a criminal prosecution involving a Canadian corporation based in Montreal.

The 63-page report, released by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, was prepared by Commissioner Mario Dion.

Dion concludes in the report that Trudeau violated section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act.

Section 9 prohibits public office holders from using their position to seek to influence a decision of another person to further their own private interests or those of their relatives or friends, or to improperly further another person’s private interests.

Included in the report is a summary of the official response from Trudeau’s legal counsel denying culpability.

On April 30, the Trudeau government, through the Minister of Democratic Institutions, introduced a bill intended to reform federal elections in Canada.

Bill C-76, the Elections Modernization Act, amends the Canada Elections Act to limit election periods to a maximum of 50 days, to establish spending limits for third parties and political parties during a defined period before the election period of a general election held on a day fixed, and to establish measures to increase transparency regarding the participation of third parties in the electoral process.

To achieve third party transparency, the bill adds reporting requirements for third parties engaging in partisan activities, partisan advertising, and election surveys to the reporting requirements for third parties engaging in election advertising and creates an obligation for third parties to open a separate bank account for expenses related those matters. In addition, the bill also creates an obligation for political parties and third parties to identify themselves in partisan advertising during the defined period before the election period.

The legislation also amends the Parliament of Canada Act to prevent the calling of a by-election when a vacancy in the House of Commons occurs within nine months before the day fixed for a general election under the Canada Elections Act.

Another other goal of the bill is to reduce barriers to both electoral and voting participation.

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On January 18, a lawsuit was filed challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent appointments to head the ethics and lobbying sections of the Canadian government.

The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Watch, a non-profit Canadian organization concerned with government accountability, alleges the Cabinet failed to consult with the opposition party, as required by law, before making the appointments. The lawsuit also asserts the Cabinet has a conflict of interest because of ongoing ethics investigations, which prevent it from legally allowing the appointments.

On January 9, Mario Dion was selected to replace Mary Dawson, whose term had expired, as Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. On November 30, Trudeau nominated Nancy Bélanger as the next Commissioner of Lobbying. Bélanger replaced Karen Shepherd, who occupied the position through term extensions following the expiration of Shepard’s seven-year term in June 2016.

Democracy Watch’s press release is available here.

On November 30, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the nomination of Nancy Bélanger as the next Commissioner of Lobbying.

Bélanger, if approved by the House of Commons and the Senate, will replace Karen Shepherd as the head of The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying. Shepard currently occupies the position through term extensions following the expiration of Shepard’s seven-year term in June 2016.

Bélanger’s has previously held the position of General Counsel for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.

The Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, won the October 19 general election in Canada by a landslide, taking 184 seats. Only 170 seats are needed to form a majority government. Stephen Harper, the Conservative Prime Minister, was unseated after three terms and almost 10 years in office.

Trudeau has stated plans to reduce greenhouse emissions, legalize marijuana, and improve infrastructure.

Photo of Justin Trudeau by Alex Guibord on Wikimedia Commons.