Evidence of meeting #16 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was security.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Noon
Conservative
12:05 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
I call the meeting back to order.
We have the Chief Electoral Officer, Monsieur Mayrand, with us today.
We'll give you a chance to deliver some opening comments. Before we do, you sent us a letter about this committee meeting you on June 17 at Elections Canada. We had a great visit there a year ago, and we've said that we'll visit you again. We thought we'd let you know. We'll be happy to spend our committee time that day on a road trip. It's just a short one. Thank you very much.
I'll let you go ahead with your opening statement. Please introduce your guests to us, and then we'll have a couple of rounds of questions.
Committee, I'd like to have about five minutes of your time at the end so we can do a little committee business. We'll go almost to the top of the hour, but I think we''ll stop just before then, if we can.
So we'll have an opening statement and then questions from members. But before we start, the chair calls vote 15 under the Privy Council, and now we have witnesses to that effect.
Monsieur Mayrand.
May 25th, 2010 / 12:05 p.m.
Marc Mayrand Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
I am pleased to have the opportunity to appear before the committee today to discuss the 2010-2011 Main Estimates for my office. I am accompanied today by Gisèle Côté, who, until recently, was Chief Financial Officer at Elections Canada; Brian Berry, the Acting Chief Financial Officer; and, lastly, Hughes St-Pierre, Senior Director, Strategy, Planning and Evaluation.
As members of the committee know, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is funded by and operates under two separate budget authorities. The first is an annual parliamentary appropriation, which includes the salaries of permanent full-time staff. For these Main Estimates, our appropriation is $29.6 million—representing the salaries of 404 full-time employees. It is this component that the committee is considering for approval today.
The second is the statutory authority that draws directly from the Consolidated Revenue Fund. It funds all the other Elections Canada expenditures, such as the costs of preparing for and conducting electoral events, maintenance of the National Register of Electors, quarterly political party allowances, and public information and education programs. Two other budget authorities are also statutory: the salary of the Chief Electoral Officer and the required contributions to employee benefit plans. Our total statutory draw is $92.2 million for this year; this excludes the costs of conducting electoral events.
The funds are allocated to Elections Canada's four key programs. The first concerns electoral event delivery, political financing, compliance and enforcement. The second concerns electoral event readiness and improvements. The third is for public education and information, and support for stakeholders. Lastly, there is electoral boundaries redistribution.
As members of the committee are aware, the most recent federal budget imposes fiscal restraint on government departments for three years. This has an impact on Elections Canada's appropriation, which covers the salaries of our permanent staff.
We will absorb this year's salary increase resulting from collective agreements. This is currently estimated at $450,000. For the subsequent two fiscal years, my agency will not be funded for any salary increases arising from future collective agreements.
Even though the 2010 budget measures do not apply to Elections Canada's statutory authority, my agency will adopt the spirit of budget restraint by applying a cap to its day-to-day operating expenditures. At the same time, Elections Canada will seek to minimize the impact on the services we provide to electors and political entities.
I would now like to briefly describe our priorities for the current year. In 2010-2011, Elections Canada will focus on four over-arching priorities: these are, first, improvements for electors; second, recommended amendments to the Canada Elections Act; third, services to political parties; and, lastly, internal improvements.
With regard to electors, as you know, my office returned to readiness in the fall of 2009 following the 40th general election in October 2008. We will maintain readiness but have shifted our attention to pursuing a series of administrative improvements to the conduct of electoral events. These improvements flow from our strategic plan and the results of our evaluations of the last general election.
The improvements include continuing the development of an online registration system, to be implemented by October 2011; conducting a pilot project to test technology to assist voters with visual or physical disabilities in casting their ballots independently; developing new creative content for our advertising campaign aimed at youth; adding the voter information card to the list of pieces of identification authorized by the Chief Electoral Officer in order to address challenges some groups of electors face in proving their address prior to voting; improving our methods and approaches for election officer recruitment and training; and finally, exploring ways to reduce barriers faced by some groups of electors. As we pursue these initiatives, we will see the active engagement of stakeholders, including members of this committee and the advisory committee of political parties.
Our second priority for the fiscal year is my report on recommendations for amendments to the Canada Elections Act, which I intend to submit to the Speaker of the House in mid-June. My report will seek to respond to changing needs of Canadians by recommending measures aimed at ensuring greater accessibility, transparency, and efficiency of the electoral process.
Our third priority is to continue improving our services to political entities. In particular, we intend to introduce further measures, such as online tutorials, to assist political entities in understanding regulatory requirements and to promote compliance with the requirements of the act.
Finally, my agency is moving forward with internal improvements. Over the next fiscal year we will implement the first full year of our new human resources strategy, with a particular focus on the professional development of our employees. As well, my office will be analyzing the conclusions of a recent A-base review, an exercise aimed at aligning the agency resources with its highest priorities. We also intend to increase our emphasis on working more closely with our provincial and territorial electoral partners to improve elector services, reduce duplication, and identify opportunities for cost savings.
As part of the upgrade of our information technology infrastructure, we will complete the relocation of a data centre to a modern PWGST facility and continue our efforts to migrate our field application to a new web-based platform. This is required for Elections Canada to deliver new services such as e-registration.
As in the past year, I will continue to consult the advisory committee of political parties on key issues. Last December I consulted a working group of the advisory committee regarding my upcoming recommendations and report. On April 26, we held a second session on e-registration with the working group. Our next meeting is scheduled for June 21 and 22. I also look forward to hosting the members of this committee at Elections Canada on June 17 to discuss our accessibility agenda.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My colleagues and I would be pleased to answer any questions.
12:10 p.m.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Joe Preston
Thank you very much.
I like to tell the witnesses that since this meeting tends to take place from eleven until one o'clock, some of our members, including me, will try to eat lunch while you're here. It's not that we care less about you; it's just that sometimes our day gets very compressed. I apologize for eating in front of you.
Madam Jennings, you're first with questions.
12:10 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Mayrand, thanks to you and your team.
When you recently appeared before this committee, we asked you how much the continued litigation between Elections Canada and the Conservative Party on what's called the in-and-out scheme was costing Elections Canada. If I'm not mistaken, you answered by sending a letter to the Chair stating that this issue had cost around $600,000 to date. I may be mistaken on the figures, but you gave them to us.
I recently read that you, as Chief Electoral Officer, and the Conservative Party had instituted an appeal from the decision. We understand the reason why the Conservative Party appealed part of the judgment. If that part stands, a number of Conservative members or former Conservative candidates could be subject to criminal charges of exceeding the electoral spending limits allowed by law.
I'd like to know whether you have made another estimate of the cost of the appeal to Elections Canada. That was my first question.
My second question concerns the pilot projects or your projects concerning both electronic voting and electronic voter registration. I'd like to know whether studies have already been conducted showing that electronic voting can increase voter turn-out. Then, how much will that pilot project cost?
Lastly, with regard to on-line registration, what studies have been conducted to show that there may be a security system to ensure that this does not become an instrument for fraud?
12:15 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
The estimate of the cost of the appeal has not been done. That will depend on the various applications that may be filed and the time periods granted by the court.
I simply want to point out that, as of March 31, the cost of the civil suit to Elections Canada was in the order of $359,000.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
My figures were wrong; I apologize for that.
12:15 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
With regard to electronic voting, there have been a number of studies, which were not commissioned by Elections Canada, that examined the impact of on-line voting on voter participation. The results are not necessarily very conclusive, but it appears it had a very positive effect on voter participation at the municipal level. Some municipalities in Canada have used on-line voting, and they have observed a certain increase in voter participation.
I also know that Switzerland conducts its referenda on-line and has indeed observed an increase in voter participation. However, there is no uniform finding across all systems that use on-line voting.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
Does that say whether the increase was 5%, 10% or something else?
12:15 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
It depends on the territories, but it's a several percentage point increase. Obviously, one must always be cautious in this matter because all kinds of other factors may also have contributed to the voter participation.
12:15 p.m.
Liberal
Marlene Jennings Liberal Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Lachine, QC
What is the cost of the electronic voting pilot program?
12:15 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
For electronic voting, we're still in the very preliminary, even very early stages. This year, a budget of $475,000 was allocated mainly to continue research and to explore the various systems that have been used in other territories.
12:15 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
This is a project that will not see the light of day in pilot project form before 2013. However, the work is starting now, and when we're ready for a pilot project, before we can go ahead, we will require this committee's authorization.
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
12:15 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
As always, thank you to Mr. Mayrand for being here.
I want to start with a brief comment. I'm sure it was just a mistake in her statement, but I heard the word “criminal”. I'm sure Madam Jennings meant some other word, because of course this is--
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
What I heard in my earpiece was criminel. At any rate, if she's withdrawn that, I'm good.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
It sure isn't what it sounded like to my ears. Be that as it may, I'm glad she corrected that.
I want to ask you about the.... You're drawing from $29.6 million for, among other things, the salaries of 404 full-time employees. I'm not sure, but does your annual report state the numbers of full-time employees, and do previous reports state that? I just wonder if I could find publicly some kind of list or record of the number of people employed by Elections Canada over the past decade, let's say.
12:20 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Not in these formats, but it's a table we could produce.
12:20 p.m.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Would you be able to do one, let's say for the past ten years, and submit it to the clerk, just so we could get an idea of who the folks are, and if it's possible, some kind of breakdown as to which aspect of the numerous activities you're involved in that these folks have been involved in over that time? It would give us a sense of where you're develop--
12:20 p.m.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
We can align it by key programs, as I discussed briefly.