Supreme Court upholds ban on publishing election results

A narrow majority of the Supreme Court of Canada today upheld the conviction of an individual who posted election results on a website before the statutory blackout period had expired. The majority held that s.329 of the Criminal Code constitutes a justifiable infringement on freedom of expression, because it ensures informational equality among Canadian voters. The dissenting justices noted that "Canadians are entitled to know, as soon as possible, who their elected representatives are", and that "any potential benefits of the publication ban are diminished by the reality that it has been rendered obsolete by telecommunications technology."