Compliance Agreements |
|
 |
Elections Canada: Electoral Law and Policy: Compliance Agreements |
|
The Commissioner of Canada Elections is responsible for ensuring that the Canada Elections Act is complied with and enforced. Prior to the Act (S.C. 2000, c. 9), the only enforcement tool in the Act was prosecution. The new Act has enhanced the compliance role of the Commissioner. The Commissioner has been given authority to conclude a compliance agreement with anyone the Commissioner believes on reasonable grounds has committed, is about to commit or is likely to commit an act or omission that could constitute an offence. A compliance agreement is a voluntary agreement between the Commissioner and the person (the contracting party) in which they agree to terms and conditions that the Commissioner considers necessary to ensure compliance with the Act. A compliance agreement may include a statement by the contracting party in which he or she admits responsibility for the act or omission that constitutes the offence. It is important to note that the admission of responsibility does not constitute a criminal conviction by a Court of law and does not create a criminal record for the contracting party. In order to maintain transparency, a notice that sets out the contracting party's name, the act or omission in question and a summary of the compliance agreement is made public. A summary of each compliance agreement is available below. These summaries are also published in the Canada Gazette. Compliance Agreements
|
