Chair, I would like to move the amendment NDP-4.
We heard from witnesses not only what the practice is presently but also concerns about what the barriers might be to some of our most vulnerable citizens with the bill as it was written.
What this does is take a look at other jurisdictions' practices and simply look at best practices and employ them here. So all we're doing here is allowing a statutory declaration to be made by an elector so that he might exercise his franchise. I was very careful to ask all of the witnesses who provided statements around the concerns they had with students, those who are low income, those who are new Canadians, etc., if in fact they thought this would be a good thing, something to help those populations they deal with on a daily basis; and to a person, they said yes, this would help.
I think it's incumbent upon us to make sure.... And I provided the committee with a copy of what is presently in place in other jurisdictions.
It is also noted that this is an oath, and obviously something that could be held to account simply because it's asking someone to take an oath. It's a statement of claim. It's a declaration, and it is something that is going to be declared before someone else. So it's not something that is without accountability. It's not without a manner in which we can trace things.
So I think it's for all of those reasons. It's because of the fact that we had concerns from witnesses that, the way the bill is written presently, there was a gap and it would disenfranchise people. So it was simply to say, if this is the case, what's the solution? The solution, in my opinion, is this amendment, and that's why I would ask for support from this committee on this amendment.
Thank you, Chair.