Canada Elections Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9)

Marginal note:Undue influence by foreigners

• 282.4 (1) No person or entity referred to in any of paragraphs (a) to (d) shall unduly influence an elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election:

  • (a) an individual who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident as defined in subsection 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and who does not reside in Canada;

  • (b) a corporation or entity incorporated, formed or otherwise organized outside Canada if it does not carry on business in Canada or one of the primary activities that it carries on in Canada consists of doing anything to influence electors to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election;

  • (c) a trade union that does not hold bargaining rights for employees in Canada; or

  • (d) a foreign economic entity, a foreign entity, a foreign power or a foreign state, as those expressions are defined in subsection 2(1) of the Foreign Interference and Security of Information Act.

  • (e) [Repealed, 2026, c. 20, s. 8]

• Marginal note:Meaning of unduly influencing

  (2) For the purposes of subsection (1), a person or entity unduly influences an elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for a particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, at an election if

  • (a) they knowingly incur any expense to directly promote or oppose a candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party or the leader of a registered party or eligible party; or

  • (b) one of the things done by them to influence the elector is an offence under an Act of Parliament or a regulation made under any such Act, or under an Act of the legislature of a province or a regulation made under any such Act.

• Marginal note:Exceptions

  (3) For greater certainty, subsection (1) does not apply if the only thing done by the person or entity to influence the elector to vote or refrain from voting, or to vote or refrain from voting for the particular candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party, consists of

  • (a) an expression of their opinion about the outcome or desired outcome of the election;

  • (b) a statement by them that encourages the elector to vote or refrain from voting for any candidate, potential candidate, registered party or eligible party in the election; or

  • (c) the transmission to the public through broadcasting, or through electronic or print media, of an editorial, a debate, a speech, an interview, a column, a letter, a commentary or news, regardless of the expense incurred in doing so, if no contravention of subsection 330(1) or (2) is involved in the transmission.

• Marginal note:Collusion

  (4) No person or entity shall act in collusion with a person or entity to whom subsection (1) applies for the purpose of contravening that subsection.

• Marginal note:Selling advertising space

  (5) No person or entity shall sell any advertising space to a person or entity to whom subsection (1) applies for the purpose of enabling that person or entity to transmit an election advertising message or partisan advertising message or to cause an election advertising message or partisan advertising message to be transmitted.