Elections Canada to release report on robocalls during last election campaign

OTTAWA – Elections Canada is set to table a report on false or misleading telephone calls made during the last federal election.

But those looking to learn the true identity of the shadowy operative known as Pierre Poutine may be disappointed.

The Elections Canada report, to be tabled in Parliament today after question period, is expected to deal more generally with the issue of robocalls as well as the use of social media during election campaigns.

Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand promised last March to report to Parliament within a year on “administrative as well as legislative issues around privacy and communications with electors in the context of evolving technologies.”

Elections Canada is still investigating reports of false or misleading telephone calls made across the country.

The agency’s investigation has centred on the southwestern Ontario riding of Guelph, where a number of residents say they received automated phone calls from someone claiming to be from Elections Canada and directing them to a wrong or non-existent polling station.