No evidence federal election was affected by foreign interference, commissioner says
Commissioner of Canada Elections Caroline Simard is pictured on Parliament Hill Thursday, March 2, 2023 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
OTTAWA — Canada's elections commissioner says she has no evidence the result of the federal election in April was affected by foreign interference, disinformation or voter intimidation.
In a preliminary report today, Commissioner Caroline Simard says her office received more than 16,000 complaints about the spring campaign which ended on April 28.
That number is seven times the number of complaints received in the 2019 and 2021 elections.
Still, early numbers show the volume of complaints for foreign interference, artificial intelligence, disinformation, and voter intimidation, was less than what Simard's office had expected.
Other complaints included allegations of preventing election advertising from being broadcast, distributing pictures of ballots, or publishing false statements about candidates.
Through April, Simard's office had already closed about 2,300 files.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.
Nick Murray, The Canadian Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
16 minutes ago
- CBC
Canada orders China's Hikvision to close Canadian operations over security concerns
The Canadian government has ordered Chinese surveillance camera manufacturer Hikvision to cease operations in Canada over national security concerns, Industry Minister Melanie Joly said late on Friday. Hikvision, also known as Hangzhou Hikvision Digital Technology Co., has faced numerous sanctions and restrictions by Canada's neighbour, the United States, over the past 5½ years for the firm's dealings and the use of its equipment in China's Xinjiang region, where rights groups have documented abuses against the Uyghur population and other Muslim communities. "The government has determined that Hikvision Canada Inc.'s continued operations in Canada would be injurious to Canada's national security," Joly said on X, adding that the decision was taken after a multi-step review of information provided by Canada's security and intelligence community. Her statement did not mention China or Xinjiang or specify how Hikvision would harm Canada's national security. "We strongly disagree with this decision and view it with deep concern, as we believe it lacks a factual basis, procedural fairness and transparency," a Hikvision spokesperson told Reuters. "Instead of evaluating our technology on its cybersecurity merits, the decision appears to be driven by the parent company's country of origin, reflecting broader geopolitical tensions and an unjustified bias against Chinese companies." The spokesperson said the company "urges the Canadian government to base its actions on facts rather than prejudice, and to uphold a fair, transparent environment for all businesses and investors." China's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The company, which describes itself as the world's biggest maker of video surveillance equipment, said last year it had exited contracts in Xinjiang through five subsidiaries that were added to a U.S. trade blacklist in 2023. The Chinese government has denied all allegations of human rights abuses in Xinjiang and has criticized or targeted companies for removing Xinjiang firms from their supply chains. Canada said last year it was reviewing an application to impose sanctions against Chinese surveillance equipment companies, including Hikvision, after rights advocates alleged the firms were aiding repression and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang. Joly said Canada was also banning the purchase of Hikvison's products in government departments and agencies, and reviewing existing properties to ensure that legacy Hikvision products were not used in the future. She said the order does not extend to the company's affiliate operations outside Canada but "strongly" encouraged Canadians "to take note of this decision and make their own decisions accordingly."
CTV News
22 minutes ago
- CTV News
‘The U.S. doesn't have all the cards': Giffin on Trump's claims of leverage over Canada
Watch Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin on the 'disruptive' termination of trade talks between Canada and the U.S.
CTV News
44 minutes ago
- CTV News
Two seat vacancies on London Police Service Board
Megan Walker was appointed by the province for a three year term in 2022, which expired earlier this year. There are now two open seats on the London Police Service Board (LPSB). Megan Walker was appointed by the province for a three year term in 2022, which expired earlier this year. And according to her, the provincial government chose not to extend it. The other board vacancy was created when former Chair Ali Chahbar resigned earlier this year. Walker was the executive director of the London Abused Women's Centre for nearly 25-years, and says her work on recognizing femicide and intimate partner violence is among her proudest accomplishments. 'Everybody brings to the board their own strengths, and skill, and backgrounds. And my background clearly is in ending male violence against women, and legislating femicide. And so, I was able to bring that to the table. Those issues were addressed and accepted by the board as positions that we would move forward on. And so that was pretty exciting,' said Megan Walker, former LPSB member.
