Elections Canada should start overseeing party nominations, some politicians say

Canada's chief electoral officer is planning talks this fall with federal parties to discuss riding nomination races — which may have been targeted for manipulation on at least one occasion by Beijing.

In his first report on foreign interference, former governor general David Johnston found "well-grounded suspicion" that the Consulate-General of the People's Republic of China in Toronto was behind irregularities with Han Dong's 2019 federal Liberal nomination victory.

Dong had no knowledge of the irregularities, according to the report.

Chief Electoral Officer Stéphane Perrault may follow those talks with recommendations to amend the Canada Elections Act, the non-partisan agency said.

While the final decision on amending laws rests with Parliament, current and former politicians say Elections Canada should provide more oversight over riding nominations, which have developed a freewheeling reputation. 

"It would be important in the context of recent allegations of foreign meddling that there be additional measures in place," said Green Party Deputy Leader Jonathan Pedneault.

"We would love to see Elections Canada play a larger role."

Having the independent elections agency oversee vetting would lead to much more "credibility," said Pedneault.

Elections Canada monitors candidate spending but the agency's current role in nominations is limited and political parties have almost complete control over how the races are run.

Sometimes, lax rules can leave the races open to exploitation, including from foreign actors looking to back candidates sympathetic to their causes.

Other times, parties may appoint candidates, or hold contests where they rally members to support a specific candidate.

Controversy often flares in nomination races. The most recent example erupted in the southwestern Ontario riding of Oxford during the Conservative nomination race for the upcoming June 19 byelection.

One of the candidates, Woodstock city-county Coun. Deb Tait, accused the party of favouring her rival Arpan Khanna, who won the nomination.

Tait is the daughter of former Conservative MP Dave MacKenzie, who is now backing David Hilderley, the Liberal candidate in Oxford.