Former deputy prime minister and cabinet minister Chrystia Freeland was found to have breached election regulations during a 2024 byelection, as confirmed by the Commissioner of Canada Elections on Friday. The violation was related to statements made by Freeland in response to queries from reporters following a government event in Toronto before the Toronto-St. Paul’s byelection. At that time, Freeland, who was serving as the finance minister, expressed support for Liberal candidate Leslie Church when asked about the upcoming vote.
According to a report from Commissioner Caroline Simard’s office, endorsing a political candidate while utilizing government resources could be seen as a contribution to the candidate’s campaign. The report mentioned that Freeland was unaware that her political remarks in reaction to unsolicited press questions could transform the legitimate costs of a government function into unauthorized contributions to a federal political entity. The report indicated that the expenses related to these events amounted to a commercial value slightly exceeding $900. The Liberal Party’s electoral district association in Freeland’s former constituency agreed to reimburse this amount to the government.
Despite Church’s loss in the 2024 byelection, she successfully secured the riding in the April election held last year. Following these events, Freeland resigned from her position as a Member of Parliament in the past month. It is expected that ministers refrain from endorsing partisan campaigns while fulfilling their governmental duties.
In a similar incident, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre was also found to have violated election regulations in 2015 when he sported a Conservative Party shirt at a government announcement.
