Evidence of meeting #4 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was voting.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
These are no longer considered the results of the advance poll. That confirms that we would have two election days, rather than one. The results of the advance polls of all the other days are received separately.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
It is true that votes would be counted at the same time.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
The counting of the votes from the advance polling days will be—
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Of the two days, yes.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
From the Sunday and from election day.
So there would be one long voting day with a few hours off for sleep. That is what it amounts to.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Particularly in some parts of the country.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
I see.
Please remind me whether we have the same staggering of voting hours for advance polls between the east and the west on the other advance polling days.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Not for the other advanced polling days. That is why we are making this suggestion for day 1.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
On the other advance polling days, are the polls open at the same local time? You say that in the Atlantic region, and Quebec and Ontario, the polling stations could open at 11:00 a.m. At what times are they open at the moment?
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
The times are the same.
Liberal
Marcel Proulx Liberal Hull—Aylmer, QC
Thank you.
I agree with what my colleague, Mr. Godin, was saying about the remuneration of workers. He forgot to mention another category of individuals who refuse to work for all sorts of reasons—namely welfare recipients. While I certainly do not wish to judge these people, the fact remains that when we ask these individuals to work, they analyze the consequences and tell us that they will lose some of their benefits. The situation will be even worse, if we add extra days.
However, the problem you have and the one that makes it impossible to include them in the exceptions is the fact that they come under provincial programs, not under the federal EI program. This is something else you should add to your list of complications. The situation is complicated by the fact that the pay these people receive will be taken into account in determining their benefits.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear
I'm sorry, Mr. Proulx, the five minutes is up. If there's a quick question, I'll allow a quick answer.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Gary Goodyear
I was enthralled. I almost lost my attention span.
Thank you very much.
We'll move to Mr. Preston.
Again, I'd just remind folks that we are on a five-minute round.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
This round I'll speak as quickly as I possibly can, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair, through you to our guests, thank you so much for coming. It's always great to have our Elections Canada friends here.
I just want to start off with a little bit of a preamble related to what Mr. Godin said and what my friend Marcel just said about who we could get to work. These are all personal choices. If someone would like to top up their EI by working a couple of days for Elections Canada, then I'm sure they'll make that choice. As Mr. Proulx said, it's the same thing with someone who is collecting welfare, or whatever it's called in each province.
Certainly it's a personal choice as to whether they take a job with Elections Canada and whether that will top up their income. In every case that I can think of, it would certainly be a top-up. They may be limited out.
The other thing Mr. Godin mentioned was that we're now taking up another day. You're driving people to the polls on a Sunday. Three provinces in this country now do their voting on Sunday. Certainly what this adds is a day of choice. If, in fact, you do not want to vote on the Sunday, all this has done is add a choice. Am I correct? We're not telling you that you can't go on the Monday. It's there.
We talked a bit about the structure of voting and how hard it might be to get.... In a lot of small villages, in rural ridings like mine, the church is where we vote. I don't know of any voting polling station in my riding--I'd have to look across the country, as I'm sure there are some--where we actually vote in the sanctuary. For the most part, it's in a church hall or in the front area, or something to that effect.
I think the voting on Sunday can be accommodated in a room in a church that isn't the sanctuary, where mass may take place. In fact, I suggest to you that in many of my small villages, going to church that day will then give the opportunity to head downstairs and place a vote.
Again, this is about offering choice. You mentioned in the beginning that one of your strategic objectives at Elections Canada is to increase voter turnout and increase access. Do you believe that C-16 does that?
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Bill C-16 increases access. There is no doubt in my mind. It provides more opportunities and more convenience for electors to fulfill their civic duty.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
This is what I hear in my riding too. We're busy. We're seven days a week now. It's not a Monday to Friday situation in our lives any more. We're busy each and every day. With the fact of busy work and family life, giving more choice may in fact allow someone, small business owners or whomever, the opportunity to actually get out and place a vote, whereas otherwise they may not give up some of the income they could make on the day of voting, on a Monday. This gives them an opportunity to actually get out and vote.
Sir, do we in fact have 35 days of voting now anyway? I can head to the elections office in my riding and vote on a special ballot from day 35, can I not?
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
We have that now. This is not changing anything. This is adding a personal choice convenience to allow me to vote closer to my home.
Chief Electoral Officer, Office of the Chief Electoral Officer
Yes, certainly, on the day before polling day.
Conservative
Joe Preston Conservative Elgin—Middlesex—London, ON
I have one other question.
On the ballot box, you're talking about the security of the ballot box, the containing of ballot boxes. You're suggesting now we're going to combine an advance poll day and an election day into the same box.
How will we know if we're successful on this advance polling day if we have combined the ballots?