That's correct. However, what is proposed in the recommendation is not that different from the current regime in provinces all across Canada. It grants a certain amount of discretion with respect to custody of the ballot boxes, particularly those used for advance polling. The general rule proposed here is that custody of the ballot boxes continue to be the responsibility of election staff, but on occasion, the returning officer may ask to recover the boxes prior to the vote count. In any case, it will depend on the circumstances, on the risks involved and the specific situation.
The general rule is that, more often than not, ballot boxes will continue to be in the custody of election staff, as they always have been. This recommendation is really intended to avoid an amendment to the act, something we had to do in the last election. I had no choice but to adjust the legislation to be able to recover the ballot boxes, which ultimately caused problems.