Mr. Chairman, I would like to have a clarification from Mrs. Carroll about some of the answers to our questions.
I took note of the obstacles you mentioned about the voting process for homeless persons. I know that voting is something that requires good information and must be done in a responsible manner. I know that homeless persons sometimes do not have ID cards. I'm all for opening the voting process to more people because it is the democratic right of every citizen.
I also know that the objective of the bill is to prevent fraud as much as possible. There is fraud everywhere. Sometimes, organizers will bribe groups of people to make them all vote for a candidate instead of another. With this bill, the rules will be tightened since people will have to provide a piece of identification with a photograph, which will prevent this distorsion of our democracy and of the integrity of the process.
What steps could you recommend to us -- or to the Chief Electoral Officer -- in older to make absolutely sure that the integrity of the voting process is protected?
Very often, homeless people are referred to by their first name or by a derivative of their first name. How can one be sure of their family name? Do they receive social assistance? Do they have some source of income that would make their identification possible? Would someone in the agency providing services to them be able to swear an oath on the Bible or to make a statutory declaration every time a homeless person comes to the polling station, in order to confirm his or her identity? How could we ensure that the person voting is entitled to vote? My point here is not to prevent anyone from voting but to ensure the integrity of the process.
The intent of the bill is precisely to avoid fraud because it appears everywhere. There are some dishonest people who will vote two or three times or groups who will try to have people vote two or three times.
How could we avoid that and identify homeless persons? Should we create a voting card for everyone? Even then, some people might lose their card. I'm just trying to find a solution.