Parliamentary Elections, 19 October 2015

Following an official invitation to observe the parliamentary elections in Canada, scheduled for 19 October 2015, based on the findings and conclusions of the Needs Assessment Mission deployed from 19 to 22 May 2015, and in accordance with its mandate, the OSCE/ODIHR has deployed an Election Assessment Mission (EAM) for these elections.

The OSCE/ODIHR EAM, headed by Hannah Roberts, began its work in Canada on 6 October. The EAM includes six international staff, drawn from six OSCE participating States.

The mission will assess the election process in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and other international standards for democratic elections, as well as national legislation. Observers will, in particular, look into issues such as the legal framework, election administration responsibilities, complaints and appeals, campaign finance, and the participation of women, national minorities and persons with disabilities.

In line with OSCE/ODIHR methodology, the OSCE/ODIHR EAM will not carry out systematic or comprehensive observation of the voting, counting and tabulation on election day. Mission members will, however, visit a small number of polling stations on election day.

A final report will be issued approximately eight weeks after the end of the electoral process.

Previous Elections

The OSCE/ODIHR has previously assessed the parliamentary elections in Canada in 2006.