Main Estimates, 2017-18  There is good news. The voter identification card will count in the next federal election because of this government. We want to see more young people engaged in the elections. What is a good way to get young people engaged?

Main Estimates, 2017-18  One of the pet peeves I have, and we saw it with the Conservative government's legislation, is marginalizing the importance of the voter identification card. I wonder if the minister could provide her thoughts on the importance of the voter identification card and how it might be used going forward.

Main Estimates, 2017-18  Madam Speaker, we know and have the facts from Statistics Canada that almost 200,000 Canadians did not vote in the last federal election because they did not have the sufficient identification required to vote. The voter identification card is an excellent way for Canadians to be able to use that as sufficient ID to cast their ballots. All Canadian citizens have the right to vote. We need to ensure that they have the opportunity and the possibility to vote and that is exactly what Bill C-33 intends to do.

Main Estimates, 2017-18  It would restore the Chief Electoral Officer's ability to educate and inform Canadians, especially young people, indigenous Canadians, new Canadians, and others about voting, elections, and related issues. It would help more Canadians to vote by restoring vouching and using the voter identification card as ID. Guided by the Charter of Rights, it would break down barriers preventing millions of Canadian citizens living abroad from voting in Canadian elections. It would invite more Canadian youth into our democracy by allowing voting pre-registration for Canadians aged 14 to 17.

Committees of the House  It includes efforts to engage youth into our political process through things like the pre-voter registration, a proactive analysis of cyber threats to our democratic institutions and voting systems, making changes to make our political fundraising more open and transparent and reintroducing the voter identification card. It also improves large-scale efforts by allowing the Chief Electoral Officer to engage in education efforts for all Canadians.

Democratic Reform  We now have a minister responsible for democratic reform who is putting some teeth in the voting card. Bill C-33 would allow people to use a voter identification card as a piece of ID. She is also forward thinking. Think about cybersecurity. That is very serious today and will be in future elections. This is a government that is proactively engaged in looking at ways to improve our elections going forward.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  That's why in Bill C-33 we are proposing measures within that legislation to make the voter identification card one piece that could serve as a piece of identification in future elections. I think it's incredibly important. I'm sure many of us in this room and in this Parliament have stories to tell of people who were turned away at the polls because they didn't have proper identification.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thanks. There are two items I wanted to raise. I'm so glad to see the VIC in there, the voter identification card, given what we went through in the last round, struggling to keep this thing alive. Let me say again that the lie was put out that the thing couldn't be trusted, yet we had evidence, time after time after time from experts, that it is arguably the most up-to-date piece of information that Canadians can have in terms of their current address.

Electoral Reform committee  Some of these would increase participation and accessibility, such as maybe moving the date of elections to a weekend. They also talked about using the voter identification card as a piece of ID because that was an issue in the past election. I'd like to get your feedback on how we can possibly leverage some technology to address some of the issues that we're facing.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Chair, is that I am really looking forward to finally getting a chance to unravel the damage done by the “Unfair Elections Act”, and we're going to have some great discussions around voter identification cards going forward—trust me.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Okay. Now, one of the changes we saw was the removal of the voter identification card as a valid piece of identification. What kind of impact did that have, if any? What did you see?

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thanks. You made reference to using the VIC, the voter identification card—pardon me, the voter information card. We had that fight over and over again. It should be a voter identification card. Anyway, you said that if that was used for the purposes of address only, you thought that would be sufficient.

Fair Elections Act  However, the government has stubbornly refused to let the voter information card be recognized as a voter identification card. Bill C-23 would still eliminate the voter identification card as identification that could be used to vote. The government failed to support Liberal amendments to restore the voter identification card, the only universal piece of federal identification to contain an address and widely used by the population.

Privilege  Elections Canada had determined that it would start using, on an experimental basis, in 2008, which it then expanded in 2011, voter identification cards as a second piece of ID because it was the easiest way, in some instances, to show an address. However, the member, in one fell swoop, undermined that whole system and indirectly created confusion because the average person had no idea that a voter identification card could not be used on its own.

Business of Supply  I mention that as one specific area where his proposal just does not make sense. I want to turn to another example, the voter identification card. I keep on saying “voter identification card”. It is the “voter information card”. The motion suggests that if the voter information card could be used as a piece of identification, it would make it possible for individuals living at these residences to vote.