Evidence of meeting #13 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was privacy.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jennifer Stoddart  Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Raymond D'Aoust  Assistant Privacy Commissioner, Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
James Robertson  Committee Researcher

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

Are you sure it's 175, not 125?

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

No, he's asking for 175 days.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

I think there was a typographical error. It is 125 he's asking for, not 175.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

All right. Well, if that's the case, I'm just going to suggest we leave this, get clarification right away, and bring it up at the next available meeting.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Jamie might have the clarification right there.

June 14th, 2006 / 6:05 p.m.

Committee Researcher

James Robertson

Mr. Reid is correct. The actual recommendation seems to refer to 125, but in the text it says, “Elections Canada would need to be able to retain these individuals for up to 175 days of work per election.” If there was a typographical error, it may have occurred in the report. We will double-check that and bring it back to the next meeting.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

I think you almost have unanimity, if not unanimity. If it's 125, the committee is ready to recommend that. It's returning it to where it was before, pre-2005.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

Let's clarify. We may not have to bring it up. We'll let you know. So if it's 125 days, we're good.

6:05 p.m.

NDP

Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB

I don't know if I like that very much.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

Thank you very much.

The next one is on greater flexibility in the establishment of advance polling stations. A lot of this we have been through numerous times with different witnesses:

The Chief Electoral Officer proposes that section 168 of the Canada Elections Act be amended to permit the establishment of advance polling stations for a single polling division. Currently, the Act requires that two or more polling divisions must be served by an advance polling station.

He's simply asking for a better way to make sure folks can vote. He has the budget for it. I don't want to make any more comments.

Mr. Reid.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

have a large rural constituency--not as large as some, but pretty large. I can think of two spots in my constituency--one is a place called Weslemkoon Lake, away up in the northwest corner; one is a place called White Lake up in the northeast corner of the riding--where it would be very difficult as a practical matter to have to leave the riding, drive around a lake, which is essentially cutting them off from the rest of the riding.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

It would help you. This would help you.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

It wouldn't help me, necessarily. It would help make sure people in the riding could vote more--

6:05 p.m.

Liberal

Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB

Or against us.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

But actually, maybe more to the point here--

6:05 p.m.

An hon. member

Put the shovel down, Scott.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

--I had a good chat with Nancy Karetak-Lindell.

6:05 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

I'm sure it has to be for them.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON

She said, in her riding--

6:05 p.m.

Liberal

Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB

I think we're all convinced, if you would just be quiet.

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Jay Hill Conservative Prince George—Peace River, BC

Are we good to go, or did you want to talk us out of it, Scott?

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear

Okay, that's a yes.

On transfer certificates and accessibility, section 1.11, again, we just talked to Mr. Kingsley about a lot of this. It reads, “Section 159 of the Act permits an elector who is...”.

Is everybody aware of this clause? We just spoke about this a number of times. Is everybody in agreement with this?

6:05 p.m.

Conservative

Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON

Let's find accessible polling stations, but if not, this works.

6:05 p.m.

Some hon. members

Agreed.

6:05 p.m.

Liberal

Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC

He didn't answer my allegation very convincingly yesterday.