Firstly, a number of surveys have been carried out on how voter turnout is affected, and I believe the minister mentioned them when he appeared before the committee to discuss the bill. In addition, this morning we circulated a study on potential impacts on voter turnout that we commissioned from Professor Blais of the Université de Montréal. Obviously, it is a very complex issue. A number of very diverse factors can affect voter turnout. We have to consider factors such as age, demographics, geography and voters' individual circumstances.
In the 2003 survey to which you referred, citizens who did not exercise their right to vote often blamed factors such as scheduling conflicts with family or professional responsibilities.
The bill provides voters with another option by allowing them to vote in all polling stations either on the day before polling day or on another advance polling day. I am unable to give you concrete conclusions as to the exact effect the bill will have on voter turnout. It would seem reasonable to suggest that by giving voters more options it will be easier for them to manage their schedules and find a convenient time to go to the polling station.
With regard to a day-by-day breakdown of voter turnout statistics, I am unable to give you any such information this morning. Indeed, I'm not even certain that we have such information. It is something that we would want to do were the bill to be adopted, so that we could measure its impact. By way of a general comment on voter turnout, Canada has witnessed a decline in turnout over the past four or five federal elections, with the exception of the 2006 election where an increase of just over 4% was recorded. We will have to wait until the next general election to see whether it was a one-event increase or whether it is indicative of a new trend.
We have also noted that there has been an increase in the number of votes cast using the alternative voting procedures, even if such ballots still represent a relatively small percentage of the overall vote. Three per cent of voters use the rights accorded under the special regulations to vote either at the office of the returning officer or by mail.