Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  The Chief Electoral Officer has responsibility for the composition of the selection committee, but he has an obligation to hold a public competition. That's not left to his discretion. The act currently states simply that he must make the appointments on the basis of merit. There is no obligation to hold public competitions, and we believe that it is the legislators' responsibility to include this obligation to hold public competitions in the act in order to set guidelines for the actions of the Chief Electoral Officer.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I simply want to make a comment. As you said earlier, we aren't opposed to it being excluded. However, guidelines should be set because if they aren't, this can become an indirect way of accumulating funds for parties.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  I believe that, from the moment this was implemented, the situation improved a thousand fold compared to what had previously existed. The incompetence of a large number of returning officers was apparent, known to everyone and even to all the political parties. In Quebec, regulations were passed by the National Assembly Committee requiring the Chief Electoral Officer to table his regulations and have them passed.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  The sponsorship scandal has taught us a lot of lessons. You can establish a lot of rules, but when someone is determined to circumvent them, there's no way of ensuring that everything is done within the spirit and meaning of the act. Even if all the members of an executive of an electoral district were prepared to endorse the necessary loan or line of credit, they wouldn't be able to do it if they were required to comply with the limits permitted in the context of an election campaign.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  We're pleased to see that corporations are excluded from making contributions. Here again, Quebec took action in this area long ago, leaving it solely to electors and individuals to finance political activities. As for contributions for conventions, we're clearly dealing with very different cultures.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  You obviously need audits to ensure that it's really the money from taxpayers and electors that is being given to political parties, and that it really comes from individuals. Ultimately, the purpose of adopting these measures in Quebec was to limit the undue influence of businesses, corporations and large unions, and even to exclude it from the financing of political parties, in order to leave it solely up to taxpayers to finance the political parties they support.

Bill C-2 (39th Parliament, 1st Session) committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. On the whole, the Bloc québécois is in favour of the principles of Bill C-2, particularly since it addresses a certain number of our party's traditional demands, in particular regarding the appointment of returning officers. However, it lacks one aspect that would improve Bill C-2: that returning officers should be selected following public competitions.