Elections Canada (French: Élections Canada) is the non-partisan agency responsible for administering Canadian federal elections and referendums[a].
[6][5] Elections Canada is responsible for:[7][2][8] The House of Commons of Canada appoints the chief electoral officer to head the agency.
The chief electoral officer also appoints the commissioner of Canada elections (French: Commissaire aux élections fédérales), who ensures that the Canada Elections Act is enforced.
[9] The broadcasting arbitrator (French: Arbitre en matière de radiodiffusion), who allocates paid and free broadcasting time during electoral events, is appointed by a unanimous decision of registered political parties in the House of Commons, or by the chief electoral officer if the parties fail to agree a candidate.
[9][13] Before 2018, the commissioner was appointed in consultation with the director of public prosecutions and was overseen by the director, but has since become part of the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer.