Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 1st, 2014

Evidence of meeting #25 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 41st Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was elections.

A video is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Bill C-23, An Act to amend the Canada Elections Act and other Acts and to make consequential amendments to certain Acts

MPs speaking

Alexandrine Latendresse

Also speaking

Yves Côté Commissioner of Canada Elections, Elections Canada

William Corbett Former Commissioner of Canada Elections, As an Individual

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm glad to say I'm not personally familiar with the compliance agreements, but you talked about them in your testimony. In those cases where there's been an investigation, will the commissioner himself, with the investigators and the team, determine whether a compliance agreement is appropriate in that situation?

8:50 p.m.

Former Commissioner of Canada Elections, As an Individual

William Corbett

Yes.

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Is the Chief Electoral Officer consulted in those decisions?

8:50 p.m.

Former Commissioner of Canada Elections, As an Individual

William Corbett

No.

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

Then to be clear, the commissioner's team will be involved in the investigation, decisions about prosecution, and even decisions about settling potential prosecutions, and all of that is housed within Elections Canada.

8:50 p.m.

Former Commissioner of Canada Elections, As an Individual

William Corbett

Not decisions about prosecutions. We do an investigation. Compliance agreement fits best with a minor matter as opposed to, say, voter fraud or other things. Can I give you an example? Overspending on a campaign by a certain number of thousands of dollars. We're not taking that to prosecution.

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

Erin O'Toole Conservative Durham, ON

That's a good example, because I think we're all familiar with a few cases of some of those agreements even with the current Parliament.

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Your question has now run out of time. It's very close to nine o'clock in the evening and I think we'll let Mr. Corbett go for the evening.

Thank you very much. Mr. Corbett, anytime you want to meet and have a coffee, I could listen to your stories most of the day.

8:50 p.m.

Former Commissioner of Canada Elections, As an Individual

William Corbett

I have to tell you that as an outsider, it was an experience and an education on the electoral process for me to be there.

8:50 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Joe Preston

Thank you so much for coming tonight.

Members of the committee, we are here tomorrow night at 1 Wellington from seven o'clock through till 10 or later.

Anything else for the good of the committee?

Seeing nothing, we are adjourned.