As I have stated in previous reports and in my testimony, we are having more and more trouble recruiting staff. There are fewer and fewer people being referred by the candidates. In the last election, barely one third of election staff had been referred by candidates across Canada. In Western Canada, for example, it was 2% in Alberta and 3% in British Columbia. That puts returning officers in a very difficult position because, under the current provisions, they are required to wait until the 17th day before voting day to start appointing and training the 650 employees available to them.
On October 7th, 2010. See this statement in context.