Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 19th, 2007

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

It's the chart of offences that you supplied to the committee.

[William Corbett]

Oh, yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I just want to ask you a few questions on some of these categories--“impersonation of revising agent”. Do you see where I am?

[William Corbett]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

“Number of Cases: 1”. The case was closed. I suspect it was closed with a cautionary letter.

I'm sensing from my colleagues around the committee that some of these offences are significant and reasonably serious. So I have a concern about that one.

I have also a concern about subsection 24(6) on page 2, concerning a returning officer's engaging in politically partisan conduct. Would you not agree that if a returning officer were engaging in politically partisan conduct that dismissal is the answer there and not a precautionary letter?

[William Corbett]

It might very well be, but at the time dismissal wasn't available to the CEO. It was a matter for the Governor in Council. You've heard Mr. Kingsley say he wasn't getting anywhere with recommendations to the Governor in Council regarding returning officers.

There's a procedure for dismissal set out in the act, and it's pretty strict. Now something could be done that may not have been available before as a result of Bill C-2.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

I'm glad to have that on the record.

In the preamble—I don't see a page number here, so I'll apologize for it, it seems to be on the back of the very first page—we have seven situations in which double voting occurred. Three letters were sent. Would the remaining four have requested a second ballot a few times?

[William Corbett]

I'm sorry, I don't have the documentation, but I can speak generally to this. The double vote cases involve persons voting twice or trying to vote twice. Many of them are essentially inadvertent. There are people who think they can vote at their cottage where they have a VIC card and at their home where they got a VIC card. There are elderly people. I'm getting anecdotal, but there was a lady whose husband said to her, “It's voting day, go out and vote”, so she went out to vote and got home and remembered that she'd voted at the advance poll. She actually went back to the polling station and asked them if they could take her ballot out of the box.

So, believe it or not, there are a number of inadvertent situations of double voting that we've dealt with through caution letters.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Okay. That's fair, and that certainly answers my question. I appreciate that.

Are there any other questions from colleagues for the commissioner? Thank you very much.

Seeing none, I would thank the commissioner and Ms. Gauthier for coming today and spending your time with us. We certainly appreciate your doing that.

I hate dismissing witnesses, but we are finished. We appreciate your being here, and you are dismissed.

Colleagues, we don't have quorum remaining in the meeting to continue with private members' business, so I'm just going to simply remind colleagues of future business. On Tuesday, April 24, we will be continuing our discussion on the main estimates with the Speaker of the House and the clerk, which was interrupted in the last meeting by division bells.

On Thursday, April 26, I have to advise you that the Clerk of the House of Commons is unable to attend discussions, but briefing notes on these matters, prepared by the research staff, will be sent out in the next few days. She can come, of course, on May 1. That's in my notes.

Now, colleagues, if there's no further business of the committee, I would propose that we adjourn at this time. Is everybody in agreement?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you very much, colleagues. The meeting is adjourned.