Canadian Prime Minister nominates acting chief electoral officer

"I am pleased to announce the nomination of Stephane Perrault as Canada's new chief electoral officer," Prime Minister Trudeau said in a statement. "His experience leading the agency for the last year and a half and administering many by-elections across the country make Mr. Perrault an excellent choice to head Elections Canada."

Mr. Perrault's nomination must be approved by the House of Commons and Senate. If approved, Mr. Perrault would become the seventh chief electoral officer in federal history.

Mr. Perrault has been serving as acting chief electoral officer since December 2016, leading the agency through important transformation and modernization initiatives and overseeing 11 by-elections across the country.

Born and raised in Montreal, Mr. Perrault's distinguished career with the Government of Canada spans more than two decades as both a senior executive and lawyer. He has been the acting chief electoral officer since December 2016.

As the head of Elections Canada, the chief electoral officer is responsible for operating fair and efficient federal elections in accordance with the Canada Elections Act and other laws that govern the federal electoral process. Elections Canada works to ensure that all Canadians can exercise their democratic rights to vote and to be a candidate./.