Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 3rd, 2014

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I think that there is a consensus that what we want to be able to do is to get people engaged in the electoral process. That's why I believe proposed section 18 is really being heavily criticized today. It's because we don't recognize that the biggest organization that's out there is Elections Canada and we're putting limits on its ability to be able to increase voter turnout across the board. There are certain pockets of areas where we really do need to improve.

What better way than having Elections Canada work with different stakeholders to try to do what they might be able to do given the resources and the expertise that they have to offer to increase that voter turnout and improve the system.

The question I have for both of you deals with the consultation that happens between your organization, or as an individual, with Elections Canada. Is there an ongoing consultation that takes place? Are you invited to participate in any form of consultation in terms of first nation votes or people of aboriginal ancestry to be able to get them more engaged in the process? To what degree is there consultation with Elections Canada today?

[Teresa Edwards]

I could speak for NWAC specifically.

I actually sought out Elections Canada two years ago and approached them about doing work with the Native Women's Association of Canada to reach more than 50% of the aboriginal population, preparing youth, pitching the idea.

We know aboriginal young women are the fastest growing population. If we target women who are 16,17, or 18 years old now they'll be voting in the next election. We're informing them now because basically as much as Elections Canada has tried to make information publicly available to everybody, it's not meaningful for our people. It's not culturally sensitive. It's not in plain language. There is still a difference in how the information is presented.

When a third party such as NWAC or the Assembly of First Nations interacts with the first nation, they already have a relationship of trust developed. For us at NWAC, we have 12 provincial-territorial member associations, we have a network, and within Ontario there could be 60 offices that all have memberships of aboriginal women. When we send something to our provincial office in Ontario, for example, the Ontario Native Women's Association, they then in turn send all the information out to their membership.

When you have a partnership between Elections Canada and NWAC you're reaching a broad-based group. AFN already spoke for themselves so I won't go into their whole representation and all the people who they would reach across Canada. For us, our women members are on and off reserve.

To me, that is definitely a relationship you want to build on, it's something you want to enhance and promote. The first time I approached them I was refused because of lack of budget and their inability to engage with NWAC. It was only this fiscal year, from 2013 to 2014, that we were able to secure a small project with Elections Canada and develop a guide for aboriginal women and girls to inform them and get them more engaged and interested, and helped create a focus group and did a literature review.

Our dream would be to take this guide now and deliver it across communities with our provincial-territorial members and that could be seen as interference or....

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

You see, I guess this is it now, Ms. Edwards.

When I look at it, what you're saying is that as of today, you have been successful in working with Elections Canada, and through their assistance you've been able to do much more.

You have a contract with Elections Canada?

[Teresa Edwards]

It's a small contract for a guidebook. It's very limited. It was because I sought them out repeatedly.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

If section 18—

[Teresa Edwards]

So there wasn't consultation, I would never use that word. There was slight engagement.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

If proposed section 18 were not to be amended or deleted, that sort of engagement would likely not be allowed.

[Teresa Edwards]

Right.

Any engagement, or the future engagement we were hoping to have with our provincial-territorial member associations....

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

And your objective is to try to get more people engaged in participating in federal elections.

[Teresa Edwards]

Civic participation, absolutely....

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Yes.

Ms. Christiansen, did you want to provide comment? Again, I'm referring specifically to proposed section 18 and how Elections Canada is being limited in its role.

[Gladys Christiansen]

Again, I'm not familiar with section 18, but in answer to your question, I'm not aware of Elections Canada talking to our first nation because we're only one of 74 in Saskatchewan. It is more likely if they were doing any work with them to increase voter rates, it would be with AFN or possibly with the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

You had made reference that in the recent election, I think you said there was a turnout of just 51% for the election of chief and council.

[Gladys Christiansen]

Yes.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

If you were to take your best guesstimate, what percentage do you think participate in a federal election?

[Gladys Christiansen]

I have no idea. That's why I tried to Google it.

I guess some people have been able to find it. I wasn't able to find it. The only article I could find was an old article that said that 51% of first nations were out to vote, and then they used the number 75, and that's why I thought I had better put my numbers in here for how many, because I don't know how we get at these....

Your comments the other day about the Gary Merasty.... You had some comments—I was watching the other day—about Gary Merasty and the election.

Initially, I don't know how they come up with the names, but if you have a first nations person running for any party, it really doesn't matter which party, everybody's going to come out and vote. I will go out and vote—

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

It has an impact.

[Gladys Christiansen]

—where typically I don't vote.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Finally, I heard Peter Dinsdale address the voter identification card issue in his closing comments in response to a question. He thought we should allow it to be used as a tool.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Thank you, Mr. Lamoureux.

[Kevin Lamoureux, Liberal, Winnipeg North, MB]

Okay, thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

We would be a little tight on this next round if I didn't cut you off there. I apologize for doing so.

We'll go to Mr. Richards for four minutes, questions and answers in that four minutes so we can actually get the round in, please.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Thank you. I appreciate you both being here today.

I wanted to follow up on some of the earlier stuff that I heard in terms of the questioning and comments. I think what I've heard identified here is that, Ms. Christiansen, you've indicated that with regards to vouching, you didn't really feel that vouching would be something that would be very useful because for members on a reserve, if you don't have ID and your neighbour doesn't have ID, your neighbour can't vouch for you. That was kind of the comment you'd made.

[Gladys Christiansen]

I don't know how you got that.

[Blake Richards, Conservative, Wild Rose, AB]

Well, you did say that. When Mr. Lukiwski asked you specifically about vouching, you indicated that if your neighbour didn't have ID, your neighbour couldn't vouch for you either, and that is in fact accurate. If your neighbour didn't have the correct ID, your neighbour couldn't vouch for you either.

So I think what we've identified here is that vouching and voter information cards aren't necessarily the answers to things here. What the answers are is better education, and the reason why—