Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In the Bloc Québécois, we are in favour of the principle that underlies this legislation, but we are not fooled by it. The Prime Minister's prerogative remains, and nothing in this bill assures us that the fixed date will be respected, particularly where a minority government is concerned.
The other aspect we feel is important is the date proposed in the Bill. Quebec's specificity expresses itself in a variety of ways, and it can be difficult for people from outside Quebec to really understand all that this implies. For more than 30 years now, regulations in Quebec have meant that moving day for many people occurs within a specific period, which is July 1st. On July 1st, 250,000 households move, representing, overall, some 575,000 voters, or approximately 10% of the Quebec electorate.
Previously, Mr. Kingsley demonstrated that it would be impossible for him to capture all the data, particularly from Quebec, and associated with people moving, and postpone the filing of voters lists from October 15 to November 15, in order to incorporate these changes. He apparently said that he would do everything he could to ensure that the voters lists would be as consistent as possible with reality. If he now says it's impossible for him to file voters lists that reflect changes that have occurred in Quebec by October 15, it is even less possible for him to do that in September.
Surely no parliamentarian would want to jeopardize the voting rights of the entire population of Newfoundland or of everyone living on Prince Edward Island even though their population, all told, is less than the number of voters who move in Quebec -- the equivalent of about seven ridings. For example, the entire City of Quebec or the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, Côte-Nord or part of the Gaspé regions could see their right to vote jeopardized.
Consequently, as far as we are concerned, the date selected is a real issue the Committee will have to look at. We believe the Committee should be looking at other options as regards an appropriate date.
Thank you.