Evidence of meeting #20 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 date.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear
I'm sorry, could I just ask Mr. Gardner to make his comment first?
General Director, Bloc Québécois
I just want to mention that the Committee cannot rely on an act of faith by the Chief Electoral Officer, to the effect that he will do everything in his power to ensure that the voters list is complete. He has an obligation to get results.
I understand that people are entitled to decide whether they want to exercise their right to vote or not, but the first condition to be met before that can occur is to have one's name on the voters list. And it is the responsibility of the Chief Electoral Officer to provide a complete list of electors.
I believe there are three ways of solving the problem. The first would be to ask the Government of Quebec to change the date when people move in Quebec, which I see as quite improbable. The second would be to make Quebec a sovereign country: Canada could then choose whatever date it likes. The third would be to look at the calendar again in order to find a better date.
Conservative
Scott Reid Conservative Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON
Thank you.
The motivating principle behind the choice of the third Monday in October was primarily, as I understand it, an effort to avoid any conflicts with other electoral dates, and also an effort to pick something that did not wind up conflicting with any religious holidays. Some of those are moveable feasts and there is a way of adjusting. A third thing was trying to do it at a time that doesn't hit when people are preoccupied with some other very important activity.
As we search for these, I don't think any date is perfect. If you do write back to us with further thoughts, I would appreciate it if you could indicate, in principle, what the most important considerations are. You can point out specific dates but indicate the principled reasons behind them. Mr. Gardner has actually been very clear in saying he has a principled reason based on people being unable to get onto the electoral rolls. In the end, as Parliament searches for the date that gets put into the law, if it gets changed from the one that's been suggested by the government, it has to have some guidance on what the principles are under which we are operating and what the hierarchy of one principle or one consideration over another might be in the eyes, ultimately, of the people who are trying to administer these elections, the various parties.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear
Thank you, Mr. Reid. I'm sure the witnesses didn't expect homework, but we certainly would appreciate and look forward to your comments on Mr. Reid's question.
We've run out of time.
I'd like to now go to Monsieur Guimond.
Bloc
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I'd like the representative of the Conservative Party to answer the following question. Have you looked at voting day?
I would like the representative of the Bloc Québécois to comment on that as well, because last week, Mr. Proulx asked a number of questions about the fact that in Quebec, school and municipal elections are held on a Sunday. Do you believe holding elections on a Sunday would increase the voter turnout?
Executive Director, Conservative Party of Canada
I think your specific question, Mr. Guimond, is whether Sunday voting would increase the voter turnout.
Bloc
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
That's exactly the question that I just asked. You are probably not used to my being so precise and to the lack of a long preamble...
Do you think that by holding elections on a Sunday, voter turnout would increase?
Executive Director, Conservative Party of Canada
Perish the thought, Mr. Guimond. I didn't have that thought at all.
Are you suggesting Sunday as well as Monday, or are you just saying Sunday as the election day?
Bloc
Executive Director, Conservative Party of Canada
I think traditionally, historically, for a lot of Canadians that is not regarded as an appropriate day for that kind of public political activity, so I wouldn't be favourably disposed to a Sunday date.
I think that since Sir John A's day, or Laurier's day anyway, the tradition has been Monday, or Tuesday if the Monday's a holiday. I think that's what Canadians are used to, and I don't see any reason to change that.
As to whether it would change turnout, it might actually diminish turnout. There are a lot of Canadians who just simply wouldn't vote on that particular day.
Bloc
General Director, Bloc Québécois
You talked about the fact that school and municipal elections occur on a Sunday in Quebec. Of course, we're talking about different levels of government. The voter turnout for school elections is between 10 and 15%. At the municipal level, it's about 40 or 50%, at most. Those are relatively low turnout rates -- at least lower than voter turnout for a federal election or an election held in Quebec since, for many years, the voter turnout was about 80% when the election was held on a Monday. That rate has dropped in recent elections.
I don't think one can make a direct connection between voter turnout and choosing to hold an election on a Sunday or a Monday. Of course, from an organizational standpoint, people's availability may, at first glance, seem greater on a Sunday, but there is no reason to believe that the voter turnout rate would be higher if the election were held on a Sunday.
However, I would just like to seize this opportunity to digress for one moment. Quebec's motto is Je me souviens. And yet when you look at Canadian registries of electors since Confederation, you see that although governments were free to choose any voting day, they chose dates that occurred in all the seasons: fall, spring, summer and winter.
One of the reasons why a government might prefer having an election in the month of October may have to do with the process for getting a budget passed. Indeed, almost 40% of the elections held since Confederation were held during the budget process. So, even though governments were free to choose the date, they chose a date inside the budget process. I don't think that could be an argument in support of the idea of holding an election in the fall.
Bloc
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
I have another question for you, Mr. Gardner. If the October 19 date is maintained... I imagine that you have done some simulations with the election calendar -- for example, Day 31, and so on. This is an area where we, as candidates, may not possess the necessary skills. In an election campaign, we go where the organization tells us to go. In the case of an election held on October 19, when would the advance polls be?
Director, Bloc Québécois
They would take place the previous weekend, which is Thanksgiving weekend.
Bloc
Michel Guimond Bloc Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC
As I understand it -- and I don't know whether people have seen this -- Thanksgiving is a statutory holiday which always falls on the second Monday of October. So, we are able to determine right now when Thanksgiving will fall in 2058. It will always be on the second Monday of October. That being the case, if elections are held on October 19, the advance polls will always be on Thanksgiving weekend.
Do you think that holding the advance polls on Thanksgiving weekend is likely to result in a higher voter turnout?
Director, Bloc Québécois
To be perfectly honest, there are no statistics on that. On the other hand, it is the last long weekend before the holidays. A lot of people go out of town, if only to another area, either in Quebec or somewhere else. So, I'm not sure that as far as election workers or returning officers, or even organizations and the voter turnout are concerned, this is the best date for the three days of advance polls, since the final advance poll day would be Thanksgiving Day.
Also, I would like to respond to Mr. Guimond's question about preliminary lists. Normally, when candidates file their nomination papers, they receive their preliminary list within five days. In the case we're talking about here, Day 31 would be September 18. So, in light of all the explanations provided previously, we see a problem in terms of updating the lists.
Bloc
Paul Dewar NDP Ottawa Centre, ON
I'd like to thank all the guests who presented today. It's helpful to get the perspective of those who are from the party side of the equation. You all bring a different perspective.
We're going to have people who have examined the whole constitutionality question and concerns about convention, etc., so I'm going to save that for another day and not bring it up, unless you feel the need to. From the New Democratic Party perspective, we support this bill because we believe it will result in a more level playing field. It was something we proposed before the last election. However, there's a caveat. The government has the public purse, and the advantages therein. There are concerns about advertising and doling out the dough at election time.
I would like to get your perspective on bringing in changes to make sure that governments aren't allowed—and we could talk about dates—to use government advertising right before an election. We would need amendments or parallel legislation brought in for this. That's number one.
Number two: October is not a bad date, since the budget has already taken place. The estimates might be out, but the government wouldn't have the opportunity to dole out the money. There should be some curtailment. Just before an election, the announcements come out and the money starts flying around all over the country. I'd like your take on this.
I'll start with that, and then I have some other questions. For now, though, I`d just like your take on curtailment of funding around advertising and government announcements, except in emergencies.
Conservative
President, New Democratic Party
This is an important point. It's one of the reasons it's essential to place this legislation in the context of broader electoral and democratic reform. For instance, in the last election there were some things that could have been seen as pre-election activities—economic statements, mini-budgets, and that kind of thing. This is something we need to keep a close eye on. There needs to be a broader democratic agenda around all the things that have been put forward. We also have to be constantly vigilant, whether this legislation passes or not. The government always has this ability. It's incumbent on all of us to be vigilant, to make sure that governments don't abuse their power to control the public purse, make announcements, advertise, and engage in election-type touring.