2000, c. 9 Canada Elections Act 1 Subsection 2(1) of the  Canada Elections Act  is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order: designated groups  has the meaning assigned in section 3 of the  Employment Equity Act . ( groupes désignés ) Canada Elections Act Clause 1 : New. 2 The portion of subsection 415(1) before paragraph (a) of the Act is replaced by the following: Procedure for non-voluntary deregistration 415 (1) If the Chief Electoral Officer believes on reasonable grounds that a registered party, its leader, its chief agent or one of its other officers has omitted to perform any obligation referred to in section 412 or 413  or sections 446.2 to 446.4 , the Chief Electoral Officer shall, in writing, notify the party and any of its officers who are named in the registry of political parties that the party or officer must Clause 2 : Text of relevant portion of subsection 415(1): 415 (1) If the Chief Electoral Officer believes on reasonable grounds that a registered party, its leader, its chief agent or one of its other officers has omitted to perform any obligation referred to in section 412 or 413, the Chief Electoral Officer shall, in writing, notify the party and any of its officers who are named in the registry of  political  parties that the party or officer must 3 The Act is amended by adding the following  after  section 446: SUBDIVISION C Diversity-Related Obligations of Registered Parties Application 446.1 This Subdivision applies to registered parties whose candidates for the most recent general election  received  at that election at least 2% of the number of valid votes cast, or at least 5% of the number of valid votes cast in the electoral districts in which the registered party endorsed a candidate. Information — diversity 446.2 (1) A registered party must make the following information accessible to the public on the party’s Internet site: (a) any rules in use by the registered party or any of its electoral district associations relating to the selection of candidates; (b) any program or policy that the registered party has implemented for the purpose of achieving greater  diversity  in the selection of candidates; (c) a description of those programs and policies and how they relate to each designated group and any  other  group identified by the registered party for the purpose of achieving greater diversity in the selection of candidates; (d) a description of all measures taken by the registered party to effectively implement such programs and policies, including whether the party requires formal search committees in the selection of candidates; (e) a description of how the effectiveness of these measures will be assessed; and (f) a description of the cumulative progress made by the registered party in achieving the objectives of any program or policy in respect of each designated group and any other group identified by the registered party for the purpose of achieving greater diversity in the  selection  of candidates. Information — women candidates (2) A registered party must make the following information accessible to the public on its Internet site: (a) a statement of the registered party’s plan for established targets — by number, percentage or range — or target numbers or percentages for women to be nominated by a specific date; (b) any rule in use by the registered party to govern the nomination of women as candidates in electoral district associations when a sitting member of the House of Commons representing it is not anticipated to run in the next general election or has resigned; (c) any rule in use by the registered party to govern the nomination of women as candidates in electoral district associations when the registered party’s candidate came within a margin of 10% or fewer of the votes cast for the candidate declared elected in the electoral district in the previous general election or by-election; and (d) a description of the cumulative progress made by the registered party in meeting the targets under paragraph 446.2(2)(a). Annual update (3) The information made accessible under paragraphs 446.2(1) and (2) must be updated once each calendar year. When no policy or plan 446.3 If a registered party has not adopted a program or policy referred to in paragraph 446.2(1)(b) or a plan  referred  to in paragraph 446.2(2)(a), or if a registered party does not have any rules in place under paragraph 446.2(2)(b) or (c), the registered party must instead maintain a statement setting out its reasons for not adopting a program, a policy, a plan or rules — as the case may be — and must include a proposed timeline, if any, for its adoption. Contact information 446.4 A registered party must make accessible to the public, on the party’s Internet site, the name and contact information of a person to whom concerns about the  registered  party’s obligations under sections 446.2 and 446.3 can be addressed. Clause 3 : New. 4 Section 535.1 of the Act is replaced by the following: Demographic information 535.1 (1) For the purposes of collecting and analyzing demographic information on candidates, nomination contestants and leadership contestants, the Chief Electoral Officer must provide a self-identification questionnaire to (a) candidates who filed nomination papers under section 67; (b) nomination contestants identified in nomination contest reports in accordance with paragraph 476.1(1)(c); and (c) leadership contestants registered under subsection 478.3(3). Variables (2) The Chief Electoral Officer must collect, using the questionnaire provided under subsection (1), any demographic information that the Chief Electoral Officer  considers  appropriate, in a format that supports disaggregation and analysis of intersecting variables. Designated groups (3) Any demographic information collected must include variables relevant to each designated group. Voluntary participation (4) Responses to the self-identification questionnaire are voluntary. Authorized use (5) The demographic information collected under subsection (1) is confidential and must be used only for the report prepared under section 535.11. Report on demographic Information — general election 535.11 (1) The Chief Electoral Officer must, within 90 days after the return of the writ following a general election, publish, in the manner and form that the Chief Electoral Officer considers appropriate, a report that sets out the demographic information collected under paragraphs 535.1(1)(a) and (b) in respect of that general election. Report on demographic Information — by-election and leadership contest (2) The Chief Electoral Officer must publish, in the manner, form and at a time that the Chief Electoral Officer considers appropriate, a report that sets out the demographic information collected under paragraphs 535.1(1)(a) and (b) in respect of a by-election, and under paragraph 535.1(1)(c) in respect of a leadership contest. Anonymized data (3) The demographic information contained in the reports prepared under subsections (1) and (2) must be anonymized. Clause 4 : Text of section 535.1: 535.1 [Repealed, 2014, c. 12, s. 114] 5 Section 536 of the Act is replaced by the following: Submission of report to House of Commons 536 The Speaker of the House of Commons  must  submit a report received by him or her from the Chief Electoral Officer under section 534, 535,  535.11,  535.2 or 535.3 to the House of Commons without delay. Clause 5 : Text of section 536: 536 The Speaker of the House of Commons shall submit a report received by him or her from the Chief Electoral Officer under section 534, 535, 535.2 or 535.3 to the House of Commons without delay. Coming into Force Second anniversary after royal assent 6 Section 3 comes into force on the second  anniversary  of the day on which this Act receives royal assent.