Canada is moving to tighten its election rules, with a new proposal that would ban cryptocurrency donations to political parties.
The plan is part of a new bill called the Strong and Free Elections Act, which was introduced in Parliament this week. If passed, it would stop political groups and third parties from accepting crypto during election campaigns.
The government says the reason is simple: tracking these types of payments can be difficult. Because crypto can be anonymous, officials worry it could open the door to hidden or foreign influence in elections.
The bill doesn’t stop at crypto. It also proposes banning donations made through prepaid cards and money orders, which can also be hard to trace.
Steven MacKinnon, who is backing the bill, said the goal is to protect election integrity and make sure voting remains fair and secure. He linked the move to growing concerns about foreign interference in political systems.
This isn’t the first time Canada has tried to take action on crypto donations. Similar efforts were made before but didn’t pass. Even though crypto donations have been allowed since 2019, concerns about transparency have continued.
In fact, Canada’s chief electoral officer previously warned that cryptocurrency makes it harder to clearly identify who is donating.
If the new law is approved, political groups would be required to return or hand over any banned donations. There would also be strict penalties, including large fines for both individuals and organizations that break the rules.
The bill also introduces new measures to deal with deepfakes—fake videos or content that could mislead voters by pretending to show real candidates.
Overall, this move is part of a bigger effort to tighten election security. And Canada is not alone—other countries are also starting to rethink how digital tools and cryptocurrencies could impact politics.
