A man who was not a Canadian citizen on the day of the 2021 federal election has been fined $1,000 for illegally casting a ballot in Edmonton-Manning, according to a formal notice issued by the Commissioner of Canada Elections.

The individual, Henry Keddie, was determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to be ineligible to vote in the 44th general election held on September 20, 2021. Despite this, records show he was added to the Official List of Electors at a polling station in the Edmonton-Manning riding and went on to vote.

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According to the notice of violation, Elections Canada referred the matter to the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections (OCCE) after discovering Keddie had registered to vote at the polling station using a Registration Certificate. Documentary evidence confirmed that the name, date of birth, and residential address he provided matched the individual identified as not being a Canadian citizen.

The Canada Elections Act prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections. Section 281.3(a) of the Act specifically forbids casting a ballot when not qualified as an elector.

What raised the stakes in this case was the fact that Keddie admitted to an OCCE investigator that he knew he wasn’t legally allowed to vote—but did so anyway. This deliberate violation triggered an “aggravating factor” under paragraph 508.6(1)(a) of the Act, bumping up the baseline penalty.

However, Keddie’s cooperation with investigators helped keep the total fine from increasing further. He voluntarily contacted the OCCE after being notified of the investigation, participated in an interview, and was forthcoming with information—earning a mitigating factor that offset the aggravation.

The final amount of the Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) was confirmed at $1,000 after review by the Chief Electoral Officer.