Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I feel the reference to the US election is very relevant. The motion proposes that we look at examples from other countries, as we usually do, right? That is part of our job as parliamentarians: we have to look at what is being done elsewhere, do a study, and learn what works and what does not work.
Coming back to the example of the United States, each state nevertheless prepared for and held a very important election during a pandemic. A great deal of public debate took place. I do not want to repeat all the politics, but a lot of questions have been raised about the integrity of advance polling, mail-in ballots and in-person voting, as well defining an eligible voter, confirming eligibility and counting votes afterwards.
I feel it's a good example, especially since we can study all 50 states. I imagine we can find experts who can tell us how to go about it, even under the current circumstances. I gather we can look at a lot of material to retrieve lessons learned that will help us prepare for our own federal or provincial elections.
Quebec will be holding municipal elections next year, I believe. We feel we have problems at the federal level, and Mr. Dong mentioned that we have problems at the provincial level, so we could very well see problems at the municipal level too.
That is where this committee can be of service to Canadians and to the election workers who are currently preparing for the next election. It's more important than ever that we assist them and help them do their job.
In addition, during the US election campaign, I heard the slogan asking people to vote as if their lives depended on it. It's truer than ever; at least, it probably has not been truer since wartime. People are realizing that voting is not just a civic responsibility.
In his motion, Mr. Dong mentioned the importance of civic engagement, which is always at risk. There have been times in the history of our democracy when people were jaded or sometimes even apathetic. People were sort of disengaged from the electoral process. I remember the first time I heard about the Rhinoceros Party, when I was younger. I think it still exists, actually. Maybe that's not a bad thing, because people need to participate in the electoral process.