Bill C-424: An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (contestation of election and punishment)

C-424 First Session, Forty-first Parliament, 60-61 Elizabeth II, 2011-2012 HOUSE OF COMMONS OF CANADA BILL C-424 An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (contestation of election and punishment) first reading, May 30, 2012 Mr. LeBlanc 411595 SUMMARY This enactment amends the Canada Elections Act to increase the fines for certain offences under the Act. It also permits the Chief Electoral Officer to contest the election of a candidate. Also available on the Parliament of Canada Web Site at the following address:http://www.parl.gc.ca 1st Session, 41st Parliament, 60-61 Elizabeth II, 2011-2012 house of commons of canada BILL C-424 An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act (contestation of election and punishment) 2000, c. 9 Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: 1. Paragraphs 500(5)(a) and (b) of the Canada Elections Act are replaced by the following: (a) on summary conviction, to a fine of not more than $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year, or to both; or (b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine of not more than $50,000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than five years, or to both. 2. The portion of subsection 524(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following: Contestation of election 524. (1) Any elector who was eligible to vote in an electoral district, any candidate in an electoral district and the Chief Electoral Officer, may, by application to a competent court, contest the election in that electoral district on the grounds that 3. Section 526 of the Act is replaced by the following: Security, service of application 526. (1) An application made by a person other than the Chief Electoral Officer must be accompanied by security for costs in the amount of $1,000, and must be served on the Attorney General of Canada, the Chief Electoral Officer, the returning officer of the electoral district in question and all the candidates in that electoral district. Security, service of application from Chief Electoral Officer (2) An application made by the Chief Electoral Officer must be served on the Attorney General of Canada, the returning officer of the electoral district in question and all the candidates in that electoral district. Increase of security (3) The court may, if it considers it just, increase the amount of the security referred to in section 1. Published under authority of the Speaker of the House of CommonsAvailable from:Publishing and Depository ServicesPublic Works and Government Services Canada