Mr. Chair, if I may, I would like to clarify that I added the words “members of Parliament” simply because under the legislation a list is sent to members of Parliament every year. This was only to make Ms. Kim's answer complete. The lists are sent to candidates, registered parties and members of Parliament. I was not insinuating that members of Parliament are dubious, or anything of the sort.
Nonetheless, in response to Mr. Guimond, Mr. Chair, if you will allow me, I would simply like to say that it is important for this committee, in deciding on this issue, to remember that the Election Act was passed in 1996, I believe, as far as the provisions on the register are concerned. As far as the provisions on the use of the list are concerned, they were drafted a certain way that reflects the fact that the information on the lists is somewhat ordinary: name, address; there is no personal characteristic whatsoever.
Ms. Jennings is right as well: the provisions in the legislation describe how the list can be used. However, when these provisions were adopted, if the committee would have had to deal with a list of electors containing personal information, perhaps it would have decided to ensure that there were more restrictions than simply mentioning that the list could not be used in the electoral context, as is currently the case in the Election Act.
Perhaps the committee would have decided to have rules on requiring anyone receiving a copy of the list to take an oath every time. Even though the legislation states that the list is sent to registered parties, candidates or to members of Parliament, there is still the concern that at some point, someone could lose track of the list and the information could be available to those who are not entitled to have access to it under the legislation. It is simply a factor this committee should take into account.
If you are adding information to what is distributed to those who receive the list, perhaps it would be appropriate to reconsider the provisions of the legislation dealing with how this list is used and the precautions that should be taken to ensure that the information, which Mr. Dewar described as very critical as far as identity theft is concerned, does not end up in the hands of people who are not entitled to it.