Procedure and House Affairs Committee on April 9th, 2014

[Leslie Remund]

I wouldn't venture to guess the health card.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Okay.

[Leslie Remund]

The community has created a lot of its own ID mechanisms. We have a life skills centre that has a life skills card, so there are community-formulated identifications that people use more than government-issued ID, frankly.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Yes. So I guess to say that vouching plays a very important role come election time for the people you deal with in order for them to vote...this is an essential part.

[Leslie Remund]

Yes. It's one of the things that we talk about, come election time, the ability to vouch for your neighbour.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Would you say there's widespread abuse?

[Leslie Remund]

I don't know if there's widespread abuse. I can't see the rationale for abuse. I certainly have never heard of anyone wanting to run from the homeless shelter to a poll to pretend to be somebody else. They have quite a bit going on already. It doesn't seem reasonable to me in our context.

[Carolann Barr]

Yes.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Go ahead, Ms. Barr.

[Carolann Barr]

Yes, I would add to that. It's just that people have so much going on that there is not the agenda to commit fraud. It's a big deal to be able to get to a polling station and vote. And I think when we're talking about this too, it's important for folks to be able to vote for who they think is going to help them with some of the issues they're facing as well. For them not to have that opportunity or a range of opportunities—again, I think it's important we get the ID and get that in place and have funding and programs to do that. But while that's happening, we also need to have some kind of mechanism.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Mr. Beyene, sorry. I didn't mean to exclude you here in this conversation.

Anything you've heard thus far that you'd like to add to?

[Wosen Yitna Beyene]

I was trying to be very specific in terms of the civic engagement and the civic education part. But again, voting to me seems also very critical. That's one of the ways to empower even new Canadians, by avoiding barriers to and challenges of freely participating in the electoral process. Again, that context is that voting is like a privilege, and it's an honour for me. When I first came to Canada, 15 years ago, and then I got my citizenship and I went to vote, that was the first time that I voted in my life. So that's a very honoured experience. And if there are situations that will hinder that process, I think that's also another question in the electoral process.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Mr. Simms, you're over seven minutes. I do apologize.

[Scott Simms, Liberal, Bonavista—Gander—Grand Falls—Windsor, NL]

Sorry.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Just because I'm Canadian I guess I apologize.

We've got time I think if we do a one minute ask and answer kind of thing.

I've got Mr. O'Toole.

You're next for one minute. Go.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Okay, thank you all. Thank you very much and Ms. Barr, I feel like I should have my toque on. I've admired the work of Raising the Roof.

I'm going to make a quick statement and then get your comment. Building on what my colleague Mr. Richards said, your participation in 2000 or 2001 with Elections Canada actually led to the 39 pieces, so thank you for getting us there. There's a lot of talk about disenfranchisement but as it works now this form could be used by all the groups you mentioned, seniors, students, first nations, homeless, because the document prepared with your assistance and others' has documentation on here that will satisfy the residency requirements for those potentially disenfranchised groups.

So in the case of homelessness the letter, as we said, from the shelter administrator.... If band councils, shelters, schools, seniors residences, the day an election was called using a form provided by Elections Canada, printed that off, then all you'd need is a government check stub or a government benefit statement.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Thank you, Mr. O'Toole.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

All of it's satisfied. Could your group produce those on the first day of the election and provide it for your members?

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

I know I've been cutting back on my food but I don't think I'm invisible yet. When I do mention your name you should probably stop and we'll move on to Ms. Latendresse.

One minute, so try to ask and answer in that time and we'll get as much as we can.

[Alexandrine Latendresse, NDP, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I will be really quick.

I am going to continue along the same lines as Mr. O'Toole. Do you think it is reasonable for the government to ask homeless shelters and soup kitchens to provide all this paperwork? Organizations like that already have a huge amount of responsibility to carry and work to do. They are helping people who are at such a disadvantage. Do you believe that the government is using resources wisely by asking those organizations to now be wholly and completely responsible for making sure that their people can vote?

[Leslie Remund]

I think the only people who think about elections weeks and months ahead of time are politicians, frankly.

[Carolann Barr]

I do think shelters are under-resourced with staff who may have little experience who are dealing with high crisis situations. It is a lot to ask of them especially when there are not the resources put to help people get the ID or help them get to the voting stations. So it is a lot to ask.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Reid, one minute, asked and answered, if we could please.

[Scott Reid, Conservative, Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, ON]

I just wanted to ask Ms. Remund something, please. British Columbia at the provincial level has vouching, so that raises a question for me. I gather vouching does not allow.... Vouching is the sort of thing where you don't have to live in the same poll, as I understand it. Nonetheless, I gather that this does not mean that everybody can come in and vote. Some people still need some kind of physical identification. I assume this based on the fact that British Columbia said you can bring in a prescription bottle. Can you just expand on that a little bit?

[Leslie Remund]

The prescription bottle piece?