# Electoral Participation Act

The Electoral Participation Act (French: Loi sur la participation électorale), commonly known as Bill C-65, is a bill introduced on March 20, 2024, by Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc during the first session of the 44th Canadian Parliament.
On January 6, 2025, the Parliament of Canada was prorogued by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which resulted in the bill dying on the order paper.

## Provisions
### Campaign finance

The Bill proposes additional regulatory requirements related to contributions that are difficult to trace. Political parties, candidates and a range of other participants in the electoral system would be prohibited from accepting contributions in the form of a cryptoasset, money order or prepaid payment product, such as a prepaid credit card.
The Bill would require third parties to Elections Canada the name and address of any contributor of more than $200 whose funds are used for partisan activities, partisan advertising, election advertising and election surveys in the election and pre-election periods.
In addition, third parties that receive contributions would be required to use only contributions from Canadian individuals for regulated expenses, such as partisan and elections advertising.

### Election participation

The Bill would amend the Canada Election Act with a view to encourage and support voter participation. Two additional days of advance polling would be authorized, as would increased flexibility for holding advance polling in remote, isolated communities with smaller populations.
In addition, the Chief Electoral Officer would be explicitly authorized to establish offices for voting by special ballot in post-secondary educational institutions. The Bill would also broaden the circumstances in which an elector could vote at a polling station in their electoral district other than the polling station associated with their name on the list of electors

### Political candidates

The Bill would ease requirements that must be met for political candidates to be nominated to run for election. The general requirement to obtain at least 100 names, addresses and signatures of electors consenting to a candidacy will be reduced to 75

### Foreign influence

The ban on foreign persons and entities unduly influencing electors to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate or party would be extended to apply at all times, rather than only during the election period. The current prohibition on selling advertising space to foreigners or foreign entities for election advertising messages would be expanded to include the sale of advertising space for partisan advertising messages and would now apply outside of the election period.
The Commissioner of Canada Elections would be able to hold accountable individuals who counsel others to commit an election offence, even where the offence or contravention is not committed.

### Election date

The bill proposes moving the fixed election date of the 45th Canadian federal election from October 20, 2025, to October 27, 2025. According to the federal government the election date move is intended to avoid the federal election coinciding with Diwali, and the 2025 Alberta municipal elections.
This change also impacts pensions for some members of Parliament, as MPs need at least six years of service to qualify for a parliamentary retirement pension. The one-week delay in the election date means that the 80 current MPs that first elected in the 2019 Canadian federal election (held on October 21, 2019) will reach this six-year mark and qualify for the pension. The official opposition Conservatives argued that the pension eligibility was the real motivation for the change, an accusation which the government denied.
Of the 80 MPs who would become eligible for a pension if the election date is moved later: 32 are Conservatives, 22 are Liberals, 19 are Bloc Québécois, 6 are New Democrats, and 1 is independent.
On May 31, 2024, NDP MP Lisa Marie Barron stated that the NDP would be moving an amendment at committee stage to remove the fixed election date change from the bill.