Democratic Institutions  Do members remember that the current Conservative leader tried to take away the authenticity of the voter identification card as a tool to allow people to vote? That leader and the Conservative Party are trying to say that it is the Liberals who are taking away from democratic institutions. This member, like the other member, really and truly reflects what the Conservative Party has been attempting to do, as I have been saying for years now.

Elections Modernization Act  Bill C-76 encourages voting in the following ways. First of all, it allows the use of the voter identification card once again. It does not mean that individuals can just go to the polling station and show the card and get to vote. They have to prove who they are with identification. It usually requires a second piece of identification.

Information & Ethics committee  I certainly won't go into our positions, in terms of the vulnerabilities created by non-resident voting, voter identification cards and the changes to vouching in Bill C-76. This is something you've said is very important to you and the government. Yet we see that the steps to absolutely go to the furthest length possible to protect these electoral processes are not being taken.

Elections Modernization Act  Another measure in Bill C-76 that would leave the Canadian democratic process open to abuse is the use of the voter identification card as acceptable voter ID. In the last election in 2015, nearly one million erroneous voter identification cards were given out, creating huge potential for voter fraud. I cannot support a bill that has the potential to undermine our highly respected electoral system as a result of voter ID cards being taken as a valid form of identification when we know that out of the 16 million or 17 million people who were eligible to vote in the last election, more than a million of them were given erroneous cards.

Elections Modernization Act  The bill is going to have immense impact on our elections in the future and as parliamentarians we need to work together to ensure we get it right. Allowing voter identification cards as a form of ID to vote is another way we are failing Canadians. Nearly a million voter identification cards sent out in 2015 had errors. Canadians cannot obtain health care, welfare and many other federal services without presenting government identification.

Elections Modernization Act  There is a lengthy list of actions that would be put into place as a direct result of this proposed legislation. One of the issues when Stephen Harper brought in electoral reform was the voter identification card. The card was a valuable piece of identification that could be used with other identification in order to enable a person to vote. The Conservatives got rid of that. There was widespread objection to the Conservative government at the time for getting rid of it.

Elections Modernization Act  It is a charter right to be able to vote. That is really important to recognize. Second, he called it a voter identification card. It is not. It is a voter information card. All it is is proof of residence that must be used with another piece of ID. Those are really important things to make sure people understand.

Elections Modernization Act  There are risks in letting people vote without an ID card like a driver's licence, health card or passport. First, in 2015, the information on over one million voter identification cards was incorrect. That is a major concern. Second, it is easy to vote with a card displaying incorrect information. That creates a significant problem. It is serious. We need to make sure that voting remains a protected, powerful and serious privilege in Canada.

Elections Modernization Act  On this side, we would much rather that people have the ability to vote in our fair election process than disenfranchising them because of one case that may have happened out there. Therefore, there is no serious threat of voter fraud. The voter identification card does not replace the need for any other ID. Rather, it is one of two IDs that would be required. Voters would still require photo identification, as well as something with an address.

Elections Modernization Act  I would like to point out that the NDP and my colleagues across the way have been very supportive every step of the way when it comes to the passage of Bill C-76. They were enthusiastic to see the voter identification card being placed back into this legislation. They were happy to see the so-called Fair Elections Act be reversed through this piece of legislation. I am grateful for all the hard work they have done in supporting this legislation.

Elections Modernization Act  By enhancing more voting from people with no connection to Canada after many years, and by allowing the voter identification card to be a substitute for the 30-plus types of identification for use, is the government not enshrining more irregularities into the electoral process?

Elections Modernization Act  For people who may have trouble producing appropriate identification, Bill C-76 would reintroduce provisions of vouching for an elector's identity or residence. Additionally, the Chief Electoral Officer would be able to approve the voter identification card as proof of residence. There are appropriate protections in place for these changes, so Canadians would be assured that the security of the election would not be sacrificed.

Elections Modernization Act  Speaker, what we have before us is very positive legislation that will have a positive impact on democracy in Canada. I know from personal experience, whether it is the voter identification card or many other aspects of the legislation that the minister has brought forward, that it will assist in enabling more participation in elections. A good majority of the recommendations that were brought forward in from the previous chief electoral officer have been incorporated.

Bill C-76—Time Allocation Motion  Speaker, there was so much wrong in the member's speech. First of all, they are voter information cards, and not voter identification cards. They are used to establish residency in conjunction with another piece of identification that confirms identity. The other part of this, as I literally just said, is that one must be a Canadian citizen in order to cast a ballot.

Elections Modernization Act  One of the issues the member spoke of was with respect to the voter information card. How we draw logic that allowing people to use their voter identification card as a piece of ID is a regressive measure in democracy defies all logic. I remember when a certain Conservative member from Mississauga said that he saw an actual abuse of the voter information card, only to find out he made it up.