We'll call the meeting to order, please.
This is the 29th meeting of our Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. Pursuant to Standing Order 32(5) and the motion adopted by the committee on Thursday, September 30 on the report of the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, entitled “Responding to Changing Needs”, we're studying recommendations from the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada following the 40th general election.
This committee will hear witnesses to that effect today.
We have with us Brad Lavigne from the New Democratic Party of Canada, Gilbert Gardner from the Bloc Québécois, and John Arnold from the Liberal Party of Canada. I believe that by now all of you have received a written report from the Conservative Party of Canada. They were not able to attend today.
We will offer each of our witnesses an opening statement of up to 10 minutes.
Please share with us your thoughts of what you've heard from the Chief Electoral Officer. Then we will have questions from members for as long as it takes for them to get the information they need out of you.
I always like to caution the witnesses that this meeting takes place from eleven o'clock to one. Some of the members will be having their lunch while you're giving your answers. Please don't feel we're being rude. It may be the only chance any of them get to eat today so we'll do that. Also, you know that we're busy people, and some of us will be answering phone calls and doing other things while you're here. Again, we're not trying to be rude. We need the information you're here to share with us, but we also try to multi-task as much as we can.
Mr. Lavigne, we're going to let you go first and give your statement. We'll hear each statement and then we'll do questions from all.
You're up.