Procedure and House Affairs Committee on June 13th, 2006

[A voice]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Okay. We're distributing it right now.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

It's easier to read it. We're not all listeners. Some of us are more visual people.

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

That is why I brought them.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Let's go back to the questioning.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Is this coming out of my time?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

No, we're going to add a minute to your time.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Mr. Chairman, would it be possible to obtain all these documents beforehand so that we can prepare intelligent questions for our witnesses?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Are there any additional documents to hand out?

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

There is one more.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Could we have that handed out right now please?

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

I'd like to reply to that, Mr. Chairman.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I think we can come back to it in the second round. I'd like to keep the questions going in order, please.

I'm going to add two minutes to Mr. Preston's time. Let's continue with the questioning.

Thank you.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Two minutes, that's great. Thank you.

Without reading the report, are you recommending that we go to a photo ID system?

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

I'm not recommending that we go to a photo ID; I'm saying to the committee, let's sit down and consider it together. What is it that would work well? What is it that would satisfy you? You are supreme, and it's not the Chief Electoral Officer who decides whether or not there's going to be ID at the poll.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

But it is the Chief Electoral Officer who makes recommendations to this committee. I've seen it in your reports.

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

Yes, and when I don't make a recommendation on an item, it's because I don't think I should make a recommendation on an item.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

So that's what you're saying on the case of photo ID?

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

No, now I'm—

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Not to be argumentative, but—

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

If you require the recommendation from the Chief Electoral Officer, I'll have to consider whether I want to make it.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

At committee I'm asking you, are you recommending that? And the answer is no.

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

At this stage, it's not what I'm recommending, but I'm not not recommending it either.

[Joe Preston, Conservative, Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON]

Okay, let's move on to lists.

Can you give two or three short examples of how you think we can fix the accuracy of the list? You've told us that at door-to-door enumeration, you're getting one-quarter to one-third of the people at home. Although we think that is a perfect way of getting a list, it may not be. What are the ways to get a perfect list?

[Jean-Pierre Kingsley]

Sir, would you look at the first three items on the sheet that was just handed out to you? If we're looking at fixed-date elections, we could use one month before the election to do targeted enumeration in the 1.4 million—or 1.8 million, if you want—homes and facilitate that process greatly, involving candidates who would have more time to do this at the time, and focus on the list, so that when the writs are dropped you would have a much better list.