Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thanks to you and your colleagues, Mr. Mayrand, for being with us today.
In your report on the 41st general election, you state, in the very first couple of pages, “...I can say with confidence that the election proceeded smoothly and that Canadians were presented with an accessible electoral framework that they could trust and use”.
Today at the conclusion of your remarks you said, “We all have a role in preserving trust in our electoral process”. You said, “This includes not only Elections Canada but...the electors themselves, the candidates, the [political] parties, and also the media”.
I am confident that every person around this table is concerned about protecting the integrity of our electoral system. I can say with confidence that every person around this table—including those on this side—is very hopeful and is reassured to hear your comment today that Elections Canada does in fact have the resources to complete this investigation.
I just need to point out—and I know that all of us around this table know this already—that during the writ period, every candidate goes door to door: they're knocking on doors, making phone calls, identifying voters. If that contact is made early in the campaign, it's quite possible that someone will indicate overwhelming support on day two or three of the campaign. By week five of the campaign, they may have changed their mind, but that person has been identified as one of my supporters. I will contact...my office will contact that person on election day asking them to please get out and vote. In the event that they've changed their mind in that time, it's possible that they could perceive that to be harassment.
I think it's important that the Canadian public understand that all candidates, or at least most candidates, try to get door to door and phone as many supporters as possible, and that there will be mistakes made—honest mistakes—in contacting voters, who may say at the end, “Well, we weren't even supporting that candidate, and now he's harassing me”.
I think that on balance the number of complaints we're dealing with here—you indicated it again today—is 800. You indicated earlier that there are 70,000 polling stations. Am I correct in that? There are roughly 70,000 polling stations...?