To what extent are the returning officers obliged to respect the recommendations made about the people working during an election?
I am in a fairly good position to talk about this matter because my riding, for the most part, is rural. More than 30 small towns are located in my riding. When we make recommendations about the people working during elections, we specify that such and such a person should be in such and such a town. As far as these people are concerned, it's a matter of mobility. In some poling stations the returning officer does not respect the recommendation made by the candidate. So a worker from one town could find out, at the last minute, that he is going to have to travel some distance in order to get to another town. That causes problems with respect to transportation logistics. Someone who is supposed to be working the next morning in a small town may be asked to help out in another town. It's almost as if there is no accommodation or thought given to these last-minute situations for election officials in the rural areas. I think that it would perhaps be wise to point this out to the returning officers and to really respect the recommendations, which pertain not only to an individual's competence but also place of residence.