Canada - Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Treaty

This report addresses Canada’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with respect to civic participation. Despite strong democratic institutions and recent reform efforts, Canada continues to face structural and legal barriers that undermine the effective realisation of political rights under Article 25.

This report examines key concerns related to civic participation in Canada, including (1) barriers to voting access resulting from the absence of legislatively guaranteed mechanisms such as campus and institutional polling; (2) insufficient safeguards and public transparency regarding foreign interference and electoral misinformation; and (3) substantive inequalities and transparency gaps in campaign finance regulation. It further identifies provincial-level systemic deficiencies in civic education, particularly affecting rural, northern, and Indigenous communities.

This report recommends that Canada codify voting-access mechanisms in primary legislation, formalise clear thresholds for public notification under the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol, address equality concerns arising from self-financing allowances in campaign finance law, and remedy structural disparities in civic education through equitable resourcing, culturally appropriate curricula, and sustained teacher training; all whilst revisiting the objectives of Bill C-65 or equivalent reforms to fulfil its obligations under Article 25.