Foreign interference didn't impact result of last federal election: Elections Canada

The spring federal election saw its share of misinformation and disinformation as people tried to interfere in Canada's democratic process, but Elections Canada says none of those efforts had any impact on the outcome of the 45th general election.

"Neither the agency nor the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force detected any evidence of foreign interference, criminal activity, cyber security incident or coordinated disinformation campaign impacting the administration of the event," Elections Canada said Monday in its post-election report.

Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault said Monday that unlike the federal election in 2021, no incidents were detected involving foreign countries trying to interfere in this spring's election.

The agency said it was able to maintain electoral integrity through proactive efforts to seek out false and misleading information and counter it through official communications channels.

To do that, Elections Canada boosted the number of social media messages it posted to platforms like X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn from the 1,059 messages it posted during the 44th General Election, up to 1,531 messages this past election.

The agency said it also published 26 videos addressing election integrity with another six videos used to help inform people on when, where and how to vote.

"By addressing inaccurate information, increasing transparency and expanding its digital presence, the agency fostered a more informed public conversation about the electoral process and helped Canadians access the reliable information they needed to participate with confidence," the report said.

Elections Canada also estimated the cost of the most recent federal election at $570 million, slightly less than the $574.2 million it cost to hold the 44th General Election.

Elections Canada said there were 44 security incidents reported to the agency during the 45th federal election, 29 of which required police to step in. Three of the 29 events were classified as physical assaults involving people shoving and punching one another.

"The remaining 23 incidents involved a range of disruptive or threatening behaviours, including confrontations over voter identification requirements and tampering with signage or other election materials," the report said.

That was down from the last federal election, when 102 incidents were reported, 78 of which required police services to step in.

Elections Canada said that flooding in the northern Ontario communities of Kashechewan, and the contamination of a health facility in Neskantaga, Ont., required emergency actions to be taken.

People evacuated from those communities were allowed to vote at special polling stations in the areas where they were being temporarily housed, and those who stayed behind were still able to vote at their local polling stations.