Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Boyer, we have barely begun our study and so far, you are the first person to acknowledge the importance of a referendum, that it is different from an election and that it deserves special attention. When the decision is made to consult the people, generally an important matter is involved, one that will bring about major changes to the way things work.
Your testimony touched me because to date, all of the arguments presented to us had to do with cost and the fact that voter participation needed to be encouraged. As you know, voter turnout is a major problem and the level has dropped considerably in recent elections. First, I was moved when you advised us to proceed in two distinct stages, that is to start by consulting people by way of a referendum and to refrain from holding a referendum and an election at the same time. Your comments about the importance of doing this really resonated with me.
I would imagine that every province has enacted its own referendum legislation since 1992. Let's suppose that the federal government ordered another referendum and that several provinces wanted to ask the same question, but wanted to proceed through their own legislation. Would it not be to our advantage, as we consider updating the Referendum Act, to harmonize the federal act as closely as possible with the various provincial acts, to try and do away as much as possible with the major differences that could be prejudicial to voters?