Public Funds  I can assure the House, all hon. members—including those who have used the Challengers—and the other public servants, such as Chief Electoral Officer Kingsley, who is headed for Haiti this very day, that these aircraft are used solely for government purposes.

Committees of the House  On another day, the following people appeared before the committee: Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart, office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada; Jean-Pierre Kingsley, office of the Chief Electoral Office, along with Diane R. Davidson, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer and chief legal counsel. We also had Commissioner Dyane Adam from the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages appear before the committee.

Privilege  This is something the opposition is continually forgetting. Second, she said that even Mr. Kingsley, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, had said, in his testimony before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, that he would, in the end, keep almost all of the incumbent returning officers if he had the authority to hire or dismiss them.

Canada Elections Act  In short, appointments are made on a purely partisan basis. The present chief electoral officer, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, recommends modernization of the electoral process. During one of his appearances before the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, he made the following criticisms: appointees do not have enough information in advance on what is expected of them; the current arrangements do not allow him to deal effectively with failure to perform or poor performance by returning officers.

Canada Elections Act  That is why the New Democratic Party will be in favour of Bill C-312 from our Bloc Québécois colleague. Canada's Chief Electoral Officer, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, even came to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to say that it made no sense in a country like Canada for a political party to appoint these people. Elections Canada needs to have control over this, but with an open system.

Canada Elections Act  He also expressed similar concerns about the bill and supported the amendments proposed by Mr. Kingsley. Both the chief electoral officer and Mr. Figueroa suggested that instead of rushing the bill through committee, as we were doing, we should spend a little time to get it right. This is what is so appalling about the situation.

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act  It also describes the boundaries of each district and indicates its name and population, said Mr. Kingsley. The Governor in Council proclaimed the representation order today. This information will be published in the Canada Gazette on Friday, August 29. What is the rush? I do not get it.

Sponsorship Program  Speaker, first of all, on the subject of Iraq I would like to inform the House that I spoke to Mr. Kingsley this morning. As we know, he oversaw the election process that took place. He has already published on his website that in fact the election was held under circumstances which can give us great confidence in the results.

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act  However, when it comes to rural areas, it is not that simple. So, two weeks ago, I personally asked the Chief Electoral Officer, Jean-Pierre Kingsley, if he could tell me if the inhabitants of Saint-Saveur in New Brunswick were part of Miramichi on the new electoral map. Once again, I received a letter saying no one knew the answer yet.

Ukraine  Like the Bloc member, I want the foreign affairs minister to know that the situation is critical and that Canada's help is desperately needed in that we are a leader in the election process. Has the minister contacted Jean-Pierre Kingsley to assess whether or not his involvement would be helpful? Will the minister commit to a greater number of Canadian observers to ensure a fair and transparent process? Has he notified the NGO and the Ukrainian Canadian community--

Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Act  Second, the chair of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs received a letter from the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Kingsley. In the letter, Mr. Kingsley responded to the committee chair by indicating that if members want a faster redistribution than is legislated, he could accommodate that and even be ready at the end of March.

Nuclear Safety and Control Act  We encourage that, and hope Elections Canada and all political parties would take advantage of that. I want to close with a quote from Mr. Kingsley who said: Our representative democracy and the guarantees it offers citizens are the envy of many peoples. No system is perfect, however, and ours is no exception. The under-representation of women and minorities in the federal Parliament is a gap that we all want to fill.

Canada Elections Act  I want to pay tribute to Mr. Kingsley and I would like to thank him for his excellent work. With these new rules, there will be no more black holes for campaign contributions and no more allowing unreceipted money and unaccounted expenses.

Canada Elections Act  I agree with him that as a result of this legislation we are putting him in a rather delicate position as the person who enforces the Canada Elections Act. In fact, in response to a question, Mr. Kingsley, the Chief Electoral Officer, said that he did feel uneasiness and he tried to convey that in his comments. He said, “I am trying to tell the committee that there is an authority underlying the bill to which I want to draw the committee's attention”.

Canada Elections Act  Second, why did the minister refuse to accept the amendments proposed by the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr. Jean-Pierre Kingsley? When he appeared before the committee he expressed the concern that the bill requires him to make judgments about the platform and the purpose of a political party applying for registration.