The federal New Democrats are promising new powers for Elections Canada and harsher punishments for political operatives found guilty of voting interference.

NDP candidate Peter Julian, who's running in the B.C. riding of New Westminster-Burnaby, said Friday at a campaign stop in Burnaby that his party would introduce a Voter Protection Act.

He said the proposed legislation would repeal Conservative voting laws, such as the Fair Elections Act, which has been criticized for its stricter identification requirements that some critics say could hinder certain people, such as First Nations, from casting a ballot.

The NDP said its measures would also empower Elections Canada, the non-partisan agency that oversees federal elections and administers the Canada Elections Act, to investigate and crack down on electoral fraud.

Julian highlighted several voting-related breaches during the Conservatives' time in power, including the 2011 robocall scandal and convictions against Stephen Harper's former parliamentary secretary, Dean Del Mastro, who was found to have violated campaign funding rules in the 2008 election.

He said the NDP is aspiring to regain voters' trust to boost voter turnout.

Earlier in the day, the party released its platform geared specifically at Toronto and its surrounding suburbs — a vote-rich region of the country that could determine who wins on Oct. 19.

The platform, entitled "Building a Better Toronto," is based on the NDP's national platform but highlights the policies the party believes will most resonate with Torontonians. It takes some of the promises from the NDP's national platform and breaks down what it would mean for Toronto.

For instance, it promises $12.9 billion over 20 years for Toronto transit infrastructure and commits to creating 165,000 $15-a-day child care spaces in the city.