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The Fair Elections Act (formally Bill C-23: "An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts") is a controversial bill enacted by the Conservative government of the 41st Canadian Parliament. It was introduced on February 4, 2014, by Minister of Democratic Reform Pierre Poilievre. The bill was sent to the Senate with amendments on May 12, 2014 and received Royal Assent on June 19, 2014. ==Bill proposals== The ''Fair Elections Act'' was announced as implementing 38 recommendations of the Chief Electoral Officer. However, in his testimony to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, the Chief Electoral Officer stated that the bill contains measures that "undermine its stated purpose and will not serve Canadians well". The government broke the bill into eight broad changes to the ''Canada Elections Act'' and other acts and regulations surrounding federal elections in Canada. # It creates a mandatory public registry for political parties that engage in mass-calling, and increases penalties for individuals found guilty of impersonating elections officials or tampering with an election. This is a response to the claims of fraudulent calls being made during the 2011 federal election. # It gives the Commissioner of Canada Elections more freedom and independence in seeking tougher penalties for those found to be interfering with elections. It also prohibits 12 new elections offences. Finally, the ''Fair Elections Act'' moves the Commissioner of Canada Elections from reporting to the Chief Electoral Officer to reporting to the Director of Public Prosecutions. # It eliminates the use of vouching and Voter Information Cards as a form of ID. # It gives political parties the right to receive "advance rulings and interpretations" from Elections Canada within 45 days of making the request. This is to allow political parties to consult with Elections Canada for advice and clarification before they try to implement something. # It bans the use of loans to evade donation limit laws. This is a response to Liberal Party of Canada leadership contenders who, in 2006 for example, received "loans" from individuals that would have exceeded the donation limit, but were ruled as legal because the loans would eventually be paid back. However, as of 2014, several leadership contestants still owe money. The bill increases the annual donation limit from $1200 to $1500 per calendar year and raise election spending limits by five percent. The bans against corporate and union donations, as brought in by the Conservative government's ''Accountability Act'' in 2006 remain in effect. # It allows a Member of Parliament whose elections results are being contested by the Chief Electoral Officer to remain as a sitting Member of Parliament until that dispute is resolved. # It proposes to repeal the ban on the premature transmission of elections results.〔 The rationale for the ban was that, due to Canada's large geographic size, different time zones would still be voting while others would have already been closed. According to the rationale, a voter in British Columbia could be discouraged from voting if she already know the election results in Ontario. The Supreme Court of Canada unanimously agreed that such a ban infringes on freedom of expression. # It proposes "better customer service" by re-focusing the mandate of Elections Canada by requiring that it remains focused on "the basics of voting: where, when, and what ID to bring." Another part is adding an extra day of advance polling, giving Canadians a total of four advance polling days - on the tenth, ninth, eighth, and seventh days before Election Day. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fair Elections Act」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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