While the robo-call situations in which voters were misled during the 2011 election are obviously very serious and must be fully investigated, it is equally serious that no one knows whether Elections Canada has been fairly and effectively enforcing the federal elections law in the past decade.

Democracy Watch analyzed Elections Canada’s reports after the 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2011 federal elections, and found that Elections Canada has not reported the results of investigations, or its rulings, on more than 2,280 complaints filed during those elections.

Also, Elections Canada has not disclosed information about the number of complaints received between elections, nor how and when they were investigated and ruled on, since 2004.  

So, very likely the robo-call matter is the tip of the iceberg and there are many other situations that raise serious questions about whether federal elections in Canada have been conducted fairly since 2004.

Elections Canada must be required by Parliament to disclose details about how it has handled and ruled on every single complaint it has received since 2004.