Government of Canada Publishes Election Security and Integrity Reports Covering the 45th General Election

OTTAWA, ON, Oct. 2, 2025 /CNW/ - Safeguarding Canada's elections is important. That is why we are taking steps to respond to foreign interference, foreign information manipulation, and other threats to our democratic processes.

Today, the Government of Canada published the Retrospective Report on the implementation of the Critical Election Incident Public Protocol (CEIPP) during Canada's 45^th General Election (GE45), and the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force's Threats to Canada's 45th General Election after-action report.

The reports show that Canada had robust measures in place to protect GE45. While foreign attempts to undermine the election were detected, these efforts were judged not to have affected the integrity of the election, or the ability of Canadians to exercise their right to choose their democratic representatives freely and fairly.

The reports provide insights into the Government of Canada's deliberations and decision-making during the caretaker period regarding incidents that could have threatened Canada's ability to hold a free and fair election. It also provides:

• A detailed look at what the Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force (SITE TF) expected to see in the lead-up to GE45, its observations of threat activities during the election, and actions it undertook to safeguard the election at the direction of the CEIPP Panel.
• A review of the new measures undertaken during this election, including weekly public briefings, to keep Canadians informed of possible foreign interference.
• Lessons learned and recommendations to continue to bolster Canada's measures to protect our democratic institutions.

Together, these reports show the government's actions to have a more coordinated and effective approach to monitoring, and responding to threats to elections, including foreign interference during the election period. They also bring to light incidents of foreign interference observed during GE45 to raise awareness of these issues and enhance Canada's resilience against these types of threats in the future.

The lessons learned during GE45 will serve as both a reference point for progress and a foundation for further work to safeguard and strengthen democratic integrity in an increasingly complex environment.

The Government of Canada is also carefully considering the recommendations provided by Commissioner Hogue in her Final Report, along with reports from the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA), and the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) to inform new strategies and tools that will further support the resilience of Canada's election processes and democratic institutions from potential foreign interference.

While there are robust measures to protect against foreign interference in elections, this is a constantly evolving threat. The Government of Canada will continue to adapt and evolve our approach to countering all threats to our democracy, while upholding the values, principles, and interests of Canadians.

Quick Facts

• The CEIPP was established in 2019 to ensure coherence and consistency in Canada's approach to protecting elections, including by providing a process for publicly informing Canadians in the event of incidents that threaten Canada's ability to have a free and fair election.
• The first-of-its-kind in the world, the CEIPP Panel, made up of senior public servants, is responsible for coordinating the Government response to threats on the integrity of the election.
• The SITE TF analyzes intelligence about foreign threat actors' intentions and activities relating to foreign interference, as well as any observations of threats of violent extremism directed at federal general elections and by-elections.
• Since 2023, the Government of Canada has invested in protecting Canada's democracy, including:
• $5.5 million in 2023 to create the Canadian Digital Media Research Network, which will help Canadians become more resilient and think critically about the information they consume online;
• $44 million starting in 2025-26, and $9.8 million ongoing, for the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, to ensure it has the resources it needs to investigate and protect against persistent threats to the electoral process, such as foreign interference and disinformation;
• $27.5 million starting in 2025-26, with a temporary increase of $2 million in 2025-26, for Canadian Heritage's Digital Citizen Initiative to fund projects that build citizen resilience against online disinformation;
• $5.95 million starting in 2024-25, for Global Affairs Canada's Rapid Response Mechanism to bolster its capacity to monitor the Canadian open-source information ecosystem and keep Canadians informed of possible foreign information manipulation and interference during the election; and,
• $13.5 million in 2023-24, for Public Safety Canada to establish the National Counter-Foreign Interference Coordinators Office that will provide leadership and advance a unified federal response to foreign interference.

Associated Links

• General Election 45 Retrospective Report – CEIPP
• Critical Election Incident Public Protocol
• Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections Task Force: Threats to the Liberal Party of Canada 2025 leadership campaign 
• Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections (SITE) Task Force
• Technical briefings on Canada's 45th general election: https://www.canada.ca/en/democratic-institutions/services/protecting-canada-general-election-2025/technical-briefings-canada-45th-general-election.html

SOURCE Privy Council Office

Contact : For more information (media only), please contact: Media Relations, Privy Council Office, 613-957-5420, [email protected]