Phone calls that reportedly harassed and misled voters on the eve of last May’s federal election are “totally unacceptable in a modern democracy,” and “should be sanctioned severely,” Canada’s elections watchdog told parliamentarians Thursday.

Chief electoral officer Marc Mayrand appeared before the house affairs committee to speak publicly for the first time about widespread allegations of voter suppression. He had requested the opportunity, in an effort to explain and clarify what his office is doing about the so-called robocall scandal.

Mayrand said the investigation is “following its course” and his office will release a report on the matter within a year.

Though Mayrand couldn’t share too many details because the investigation is ongoing, he did say Elections Canada has received 800 specific allegations of wrongdoing from 200 ridings across 10 provinces and one territory: “Pretty much the whole country,” he said.

Mayrand added the office has acknowledged each of the complaints with a letter or phone call, but NDP MP Joe Comartin said that wasn’t the case. His wife and another volunteer in his riding of Windsor-Tecumseh both lodged complaints with Elections Canada about robocalls, but never heard back.

“There was nothing. First we heard about it was when the information came out in the press,” Comartin said.

So far, the only investigation that has been made public happened in Guelph. That is because court documents have been filed in that riding, Mayrand said. He would not confirm how many investigations are underway, or whether they have been linked.

The office has received 40,000 contacts about the robocall scandal, but many of those were from Canadians calling to share their concerns, or make suggestions to rectify the Elections Act. Such complaints do not launch investigations.

Any investigation launched is penal in nature, which means the evidence must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Though Mayrand said Elections Canada has beefed up its staff to address the extra workload, he indicated he will be making recommendations in his report for greater access to legislative tools.

Whether an election result is eventually overturned is a matter for the courts — Elections Canada does not have the power to make such a recommendation, he said. Voters can challenge the validity of an election in court, but this must be done within 30 days of the problem being uncovered, and prove the vote’s results were affected by the circumstances.

Several Conservative MPs on the committee suggested it must be normal for mistakes to be reported in the course of a general election. Mayrand reacted swiftly to this, saying, “This is not an error. I’m sorry.” He said it is important to protect the integrity of the Canadian electoral system, which he still believes is one of the best in the world.

The timing of Mayrand’s appearance at committee has raised a few eyebrows. Finance Minister Jim Flaherty releases the federal budget Thursday afternoon, and most of the media that would customarily cover the committee meeting were in pre-budget lockup.

Committee chairman Joe Preston, a Conservative MP, said it was the only day Mayrand could be slotted in. The committee unanimously agreed to have Mayrand return for a follow-up appearance before the summer break.

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