Members of Parliament (MPs) grilled a spokesperson from a faction of long ballot protesters over his involvement in flooding certain federal ridings with numerous candidates in recent years. Tomas Szuchewycz, an organizer affiliated with a group of electoral reform advocates called the Longest Ballot Committee, defended the group’s actions during a sometimes tense session of the House procedures committee on Tuesday.
Szuchewycz urged MPs to abstain from setting the rules for their own elections, proposing the establishment of an independent and non-partisan body to oversee election regulations. The Longest Ballot Committee has orchestrated the participation of multiple Independent candidates in various ridings in elections since 2021. Notably, over 90 candidates contested Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s riding in Carleton during the spring election. Additionally, the group significantly increased the number of candidates in the August byelection in Alberta’s Battle River-Crowfoot, where Poilievre regained a seat after losing his Ottawa-area riding in April.
Presently, candidates must obtain 100 signatures from electors within a riding to register for candidacy. The Longest Ballot Committee has had several voters sign nomination forms for multiple candidates.
Conservative MP Michael Cooper challenged the protesters’ methods, suggesting that they had electors sign nomination forms with blank candidate names, a claim Szuchewycz refuted. Cooper warned Szuchewycz about fully and truthfully answering questions before insinuating that he could face contempt of Parliament.
Szuchewycz defended his team’s actions, stating they recruited candidates, gathered their names, and collected signatures for them. He clarified that they did not collect signatures for individuals unwilling to run.
Cooper referenced a social media post depicting a nomination form with signatures and an empty candidate name field, which Szuchewycz dismissed as “AI doctored.” Szuchewycz admitted that they had attempted to submit forms with the name field reading “any and all candidates,” but these were rejected by local election officials.
Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault informed the committee that the Longest Ballot Committee had previously tried to submit forms without identified candidates but denied any evidence of form alterations post-signature collection.
Following his testimony, Szuchewycz showed Cooper the original image of the candidate form with a filled-in name. In response to allegations of altered photos, a Conservative Party spokesperson criticized Szuchewycz’s defense, noting his admission of writing in “all candidates” on certain forms.
Elections Canada has adjusted election rules to accommodate the influx of candidates due to the Longest Ballot Committee’s activities, including producing nearly meter-long ballots that confused voters and delayed vote counting in multiple elections.
Bloc Québécois MP Christine Normandin questioned the effectiveness of the group’s tactics in promoting electoral reform. Szuchewycz believed that people understood the message the committee was advocating for.
Various MPs raised concerns about the group’s proposal for an independent body to oversee election rules, citing potential lack of public accountability. Liberal MP Chris Bittle pressed Szuchewycz on the committee’s composition, to which Szuchewycz suggested that an in-depth discussion could yield a reasonable solution.
Political science professor Lori Turnbull acknowledged the Longest Ballot Committee’s argument but highlighted challenges in practical implementation.
During his summer byelection campaign, Poilievre called for legislation to curtail what he termed the “longest ballot scam.” Elections Canada expressed openness to rule changes to address long ballot protests, proposing requirements for unique candidate signatures and fines for endorsing multiple candidates.
Perrault also suggested penalties for voters signing multiple forms and the potential mandate for each candidate to have a single official agent per riding. Turnbull expressed concerns about penalizing serious Independent candidates due to the Longest Ballot Committee’s actions.
She underscored scenarios where electors might sign multiple nomination sheets to support multiple viable candidates without undermining democracy.