Bill to sanction MPs' misinformation
Petitioners ask the House to introduce a bill, guided by the ICDR white paper, to sanction MPs for misinformation. The government responds that privilege, elections and parliamentary discipline remain primary accountability tools.
Why we would sign this petition
- Creates formal accountability: a law would give Parliament concrete powers to verify and sanction MPs' false statements, which petitioners argue would restore public trust.
- Addresses modern threats: updating rules to cover AI-amplified misinformation responds to new means by which falsehoods spread.
- Builds on an existing model: using the ICDR white paper could provide an independent, judicial-style process to handle deliberate deception cases.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Freedom of speech clash: statutory sanctions risk conflicting with parliamentary privilege that protects MPs' speech in the House.
- Risk of politicization: defining and enforcing 'misinformation' may be subjective, leading to partisan outcomes or chilling legitimate debate.
- Redundant or impractical: voters, elections, committees and existing parliamentary discipline already provide accountability; non‑legislative checks and fact‑checking may be preferable.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the House of Commons Members of Parliament (MPs) have been accused of making important public statements that are false and without evidence; Misinformation is a growing threat to the proper functioning of, as well as faith in, our democratic process; A mechanism is needed to verify MPs’ public statements to maintain trust in our governing body; Artificial Intelligence is amplifying misinformation; Current events in the United States demonstrate the dangers of not addressing this problem; and The Institute for Constitutional and Democratic Research (ICDR) of Wales, UK, proposed a white paper entitled “A Model for Political Honesty,” created because “the Welsh Government will bring forward legislation before 2026 for the disqualification of Members and candidates found guilty of deliberate deception through an independent judicial process and will invite the committee to make proposals to that effect.” We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to propose a bill to address the issue of perceived and actual misinformation being presented by MPs to the public, provided that such a bill could be informed by details outlined in the white paper proposed by the ICDR.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Transport and Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Signed by Kevin Lamoureux The Government of Canada is pleased to respond to this petition. Canada has one of the most respected parliamentary democracies in the world. Our democratic system is designed so that Members of Parliament are elected by their constituents and are held accountable by those constituents at every election cycle. General elections are the fundamental mechanism by which voters hold elected representatives accountable. Outside of general elections, Canada’s participatory democracy enables and encourages all Canadians to make their voices heard with respect to the day-to-day democratic process through a variety of means. This includes reaching out to Members of Parliament on the work they do in the House of Commons and committee meetings, or through their constituency offices. More specifically, Canadians can write to their Members of Parliament directly on issues of concern or matters of interest to them, such as real or perceived misinformation, start or sign petitions, and attend live debates and proceedings, as well as most committee meetings in the House of Commons and the Senate, whenever Parliament is in session. Committees also seek input from the public on many ongoing studies that are posted publicly. Parliament is also responsible for holding the government to account. The executive is responsible to Parliament and remains in power as long as it commands the confidence of the elected House of Commons. Together they are ultimately accountable to electors. This accountability to electors is also represented by the privileges and immunities that Parliamentarians are accorded while representing their constituents in the House of Commons and at Parliamentary committees. Parliamentary privilege includes freedom of speech, which allows Parliamentarians to freely voice concerns and opinions without fear of criminal or civil prosecution. This privilege is fundamental to the work that Parliamentarians do in legislating and holding the Government to account on behalf of the electors. However, along with this individual privilege, the House of Commons as a collective also has the right to discipline Members who abuse or breach privileges, such as freedom of speech, and to potentially find Members in contempt of Parliament. Parliament’s ability to determine the way in which Parliamentarians must conduct themselves in the performance of their duties, as well as any potential consequences of abuse or breach, is fundamental to Parliament’s continued independence. The Government remains committed to strengthening and protecting citizen’s trust in our democratic institutions, which is an essential cornerstone of our democracy. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this issue.