ABSTRACT

“No doubt the most significant influence on electoral law in the post-war years was the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms” (Elections Canada, 2007, p. 94). For Canadians, the fundamental freedoms and democratic rights necessary for free and fair elections were only constitutionally enshrined in 1982 when Pierre E. Trudeau, the prime minister at the time, repatriated Canada’s constitution from Britain. The Charter has had a far-reaching impact on Canadian life, and electoral law is no exception to its influence.