Procedure and House Affairs Committee on June 1st, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Mr. Gardner.

[Gilbert Gardner]

I believe 90% of Quebeckers and Canadians have these kinds of documents. There should be exceptional measures for people who don't have them. If this measure is implemented, Elections Canada could advertise to encourage people to take those pieces with them when they go to vote. Those who don't have them could go to a mediation table, where people would be called upon to solve this kind of problem. Then, once the auditors were satisfied, the person would be allowed to vote on a certain number of conditions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Mr. MacKinnon, please.

[Steven MacKinnon]

I think anything that encourages participation, that ensures that we ensure people's proper identity is established, but that has the souplesse needed to mediate, as my friend says, or swear an oath or whatever, to establish identity...whether that is challengeable is I think a fair one. I would have, very clearly, some latitude for people who do not possess photo ID, and ways in which they can establish their identity. Other parties or people would be able to challenge that identity if necessary.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

Mr. Donison, you're on board.

[Michael D. Donison]

I think the photo ID should be the base. There may have to be some exceptions--you gave an example--but I think we should start from the base, the principle. Everybody should know that's the operating principle.

Perhaps in the case of people who don't have them, as I say, an oath could be sworn at a registration table with representatives of all the parties there. Perhaps we could do what you do in the old world polls: you get someone whose ID has already been verified, who has already voted in the same polling station, to vouch for the person. That may be another way to deal with seniors and people like that.

There would probably have to be some exceptions, but I think the base operating principle should be that photo ID is required.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Allison, give us your best question.

[Dean Allison, Conservative, Niagara West—Glanbrook, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

It's all been talked about so many times in terms of the list. We go back to that. I agree with the statements made by the witnesses who said we should be able to challenge that list over the course of time.

We go back to Mr. MacKinnon. You talk about Trinity--Spadina, the 12,000 added on election day--whatever the case was--and being able to go back and verify that over the course of the year. With regard to that, Mr. Donison, you talked about a special ballot and the idea that we should probably be able to go in anywhere and be able to deal with that. How would we verify it? Would that be handled in the same way as adding someone to the list?

I wanted the other witnesses' comments and thoughts on the special ballot. Should we try to make it more accessible across the country as well?

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

Mr. Donison, please.

[Michael D. Donison]

Currently, with the special ballot, you can fax in to Elections Canada as a way to prove your ID. I'm just suggesting that people should be able to do it at the returning office. There's enough time before polling day. Instead of the trouble of having to mail it to make it arrive, perhaps the returning officer can simply facilitate in getting it to the other riding or, in this case, Elections Canada.

We should encourage the use of the special ballot as much as we can. We're a busy society now, and people often just can't make the other times.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Is there further comment?

[Steven MacKinnon]

To pick up on that, we're a busy society, a society in constant motion, in which in urban areas especially, people are in different ridings, and so on.

I think in terms of the principle of yes, you must establish your identity, we need to firm up those procedures and make balloting more accessible. Wherever you may be or live—whether you're overseas, in another riding, or wherever—we should be establishing a fundamental principle in the process and in the act.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

Mr. Gardner, do you have any comment?

[Gilbert Gardner]

There's not really any problem with polling stations for those who have special ballots. However, we are told that more and more people think they can vote anywhere, even on election day. Until the electoral list has been computerized, it's completely unrealistic to think that we can allow people to vote wherever they want, at any polling station. As long as we record votes manually, that will be impossible, because a person can go to 25 different locations and we'll never know whether that person has already exercised his or her right to vote.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you very much.

NDP, you have the last word.

[Eric Hébert]

On the special voting regulations, in particular, I think one of the problems we have is this period between E minus 6 and election day. For whatever reason, if you intend to vote on election day but are hospitalized, or there are other problems, there's that window of disenfranchisement, as I call it. I think this is the problem with the special voting regulations. If there's some way to tighten that, we should be looking at it.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Thank you.

Madam Picard.

[Pauline Picard, Bloc, Drummond, QC]

In his presentation, Mr. Gardner suggested that, to make the process more transparent, we should recommend that returning officers be appointed by the Chief Electoral Officer, as provided in Bill C-2, but only after running in a competition open to the public, so that things are more transparent and we can get the most qualified people to perform this high office.

I'd like to know whether the other parties agree on this recommendation.

[Steven MacKinnon]

Yes.

[Eric Hébert]

Yes.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Perfect.

Is there any Conservative comment?

Are there comments from the Bloc?

[Gilbert Gardner]

The Conservatives didn't make any comment. I'm prepared to wait if they want to think about it.

We're obviously entirely in favour of that. I think it's the only way to ensure transparency, in the eyes of Quebeckers and Canadians, with regard to the first step in the democratic process, which is the appointment of returning officers.

[The Chair, Conservative, Gary Goodyear]

Merci.

[A voice]

Absolute power already, Mr. Chair.

[Some hon. members]

Oh, oh!